London, 18th September, 2023 — “The creative process as an endeavor born from immense pain”, Jen Ting describes. Hailing from her hometown in Taiwan, situated 9,872 kilometers away from London, Jen embarked on a journey that confronted her with unprecedented loneliness. She arrived in London without family or friends by her side, and the contrast with her homeland’s pace of life was stark.
In London’s fast-paced environment, Jen found herself immersed in solitude and grappling with immense pressure. Surprisingly, this pressure became a catalyst for rapid personal growth. She likened the experience to battling monsters in a game, where each encounter brought pain, loss, and revival. These moments of adversity became the wellspring of her creativity.
Jen reflected on her inner world through her art, using it as a tool to coexist with her true self. She gradually found tranquility amidst the storm of emotions and restlessness brought on by profound life changes.
Her love for shapes in her paintings was inspired by the clouds she saw in her dreams, each reflecting the emotions stemming from real-life events. During her tenure working in a bakery, she once grabbed a pastry bag to channel her emotions into art, like an alternative visual diary. This marked the birth of the “The Pastry Bag” collections (2022-2023). Jen utilized readily available markers as her medium, employing monochromatic strokes to convey emotions and symbols. She let her emotions guide the markers as they freely overlapped. As the ink neared depletion, she introduced texture variations, resulting in seemingly chaotic yet deeply expressive lines that concealed her emotional transitions and tension.
Contrasting with the fragile medium of “The Pastry Bag”, her recent creation, “The Tip of The Iceberg (2023)” , employed wooden boards and shifted from markers to oil pastels. The sturdy characteristics of the wooden boards and the rich texture of oil paints elevated her art. Chaotic brushstrokes transformed into clear outlines, and colors shifted from black and white to vibrant hues, resembling a lively celebration of nature’s vitality. Yet, the dreamlike and subconscious lines remained, sometimes vivid and other times faint, within the artwork.
Jen believes that her subconscious mind reveals her deepest fears through dreams. She communicates with these fears through intuition and painting, bypassing conscious thought. Upon awakening, Jen often uncovers messages within her artwork that had eluded her during the creative process. From “The Pastry Bag” to “The Tip of The Iceberg (2023)”, one can trace the extent of Jen’s heartbreak, courage, patience, and her willingness to confront her subconscious self through art. Facing one’s own fears can be more daunting than the fears themselves, and Jen has experienced this profound truth. Through her art, she hopes to inspire viewers to summon the courage to face their own inner fears and confront suppressed voices.
Jen’s latest artwork, “What’s in The Pastry Bag (2023)”, is a drawing book showcasing her collection and inviting viewers to express their feelings through art. In a similar vein, she previously conducted an exhibition lecture in Taipei (2021), where she encouraged the audience to paint their emotional states. With her installation piece “The Tumor Bar (2019)”, she invited viewers to interact and explore their inner demons collectively. Using a variety of creative materials, Jen provides viewers with opportunities for self-exploration, emphasizing that creativity is an integral part of daily life. Her future plans include holding a solo exhibition in London, featuring her paintings and interactive/immersive installations.
Her drawing book ” What’s In The Pastry Bag” will be available for sale both online and in stores, and it is currently accessible in various London shops, including DIY Art Shop (Dalston), Morocco Bound (Bermondsey), and Books (Peckham).
For more information, please visit: jen-ting.com or follow her Instagram: peizzz__
“沒有一次的創作不是在巨大的痛苦中誕生”,這是裴振庭Jen Ting描述創作最精準的狀態。距離與家鄉台灣9872公里來到倫敦,沒有家人、沒有朋友,Jen獨自承受著前所未有的孤獨。
與家鄉台灣不同,倫敦的生活步調快速,Jen置身於孤獨和環境產生的巨大壓力中,也是這樣的壓力讓她快速成長:“面對⾃己和處理情緒都像在遊戲中打怪闖關,過程中會失血、會戰敗、會死掉,也會補血又再次出征,一關過了再一關。有時打的是小怪獸,有時是從來沒見過的大魔王,每一次的怪獸都很有創意。” 打怪卡關的時刻就是創作的時刻,“有時候夢中的怪獸也像是夥伴,陪伴著我一起面對生活中的孤獨。” Jen藉由作品反芻內心世界。她透過創作學習與真實的自己相處,那些因為劇烈變化而帶來的情緒和躁動,在一筆一畫之間漸漸地獲得平靜。
Jen喜歡繪畫的形狀與夢中看見的雲朵有關,這些雲朵會隨著現實生活中面對不同事件產生的情緒而變化。她在烘培坊上班期間,有一次為了平息一陣突然的情緒,隨手拿起裝麵包的紙袋就開始創作,因此誕生了《The Pastry Bag (2022-2023)》系列作品,就像是一種另類的視覺日誌。創作媒材使用隨手可得的馬克筆,用單色畫出情緒和符號,不更換畫筆,讓情緒控制馬克筆隨意層疊,筆快要沒水的時候就做出紋理的變化,看似雜亂、深淺不一的線條中,蘊藏著Jen的情緒轉折與張力。
有別材質脆弱的《The Pastry Bag》,近期創作《The Tip Of The Iceberg (2023)》使用木板作為創作材質,畫筆由麥克筆改為油畫棒,木板原始、堅硬的特性與色彩豐厚、流順的油畫材質,讓Jen的創作提升到另一個層次。創作的圖案從混亂的筆觸改為清晰的輪廓、色彩從⿊黑⽩白轉為鮮豔、明亮的色彩,像是花草、⽣物在熱鬧派對,充滿春夏生氣蓬勃的感受。不變的是,環繞在作品中時而迷幻時而若隱若顯的夢境潛意識線條。
Jen相信潛意識藉由夢境提醒著她心底的恐懼,她透過夢境和直覺創作,在不依賴腦部運轉的狀態下,讓潛意識透過繪畫與恐懼溝通。當Jen回過神來來時,往往可以從作品中觀察、找尋到許多⾃己沒有發現的訊息。從《The Pastry Bag (2023)》到《The Tip of the Iceberg (2023)》創作的轉變,看得出來Jen在面對自⾝恐懼、與心魔共處的這段時間,經歷了多少心碎、鼓起了多少的勇氣,她花費極大的耐心,勇敢揭露自我潛意識創作著。面對自⼰的恐懼比恐懼本身更令人害怕,相信Jen比任何人都更深刻感受著,和自己的心魔共舞,擁抱自己全部的感受。透過她的作品,希望觀者也能夠鼓起面對自⼰的勇氣,“每個人何嘗不是這樣成長著?我們有多少次都選擇和壓抑那些心裡的聲音呢?”,讓我們一起透過Jen的作品,與自我的恐懼溝通、承認自己的脆弱。
Jen最新創作的圖畫《What’s in The Pastry Bag (2023)》 ,將邀請觀者畫出自己的心聲。如她在2021的台北聯合展覽講座中,曾邀請觀眾畫出⾃己的狀態。裝置作品《腫瘤酒吧 (2019) 》邀請觀眾互動,一起發掘自己的心魔。Jen透過多元的創作素材,為觀者提供更多機會探索自己,傳達創作即是日常的理念。接下來,Jen將計畫在倫敦舉辦個展,展示畫作和沈浸式互動裝置。她的繪畫書《 What’s In The Pastry Bag》將在線上和實體店販售,目前可以在倫敦各個商店購買,
更多資訊: jen-ting.com
Instgram:peizzz__
Edited 編輯 x Michelle Yu 余小悦