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Midway Between Heaven and Earth: The Liminal Art of Janice Liuson-Young
In “Midway Between Earth and Heaven”, Janice Liuson-Young’s 10th solo exhibition curated by Manila-based artist and curator Patrick de Veyra and Hong Kong-based artist and curator Jillianne “Jing” Ng, the artist presents a series of works that navigate the delicate balance between opposing forces. Suspended between the physical and the spiritual, stillness and motion, lightness and weight, Young’s paintings explore the convergence of the intangible and the tangible, arriving at a place of equilibrium. The exhibition’s title references Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”—specifically the warning from Daedalus to Icarus to fly “halfway between earth and heaven.” This midpoint is where Young’s work resides, blending the earthly with the divine, anchored by the Hebrew word Ruach, which translates to wind, breath, and the Holy Spirit. This theological foundation informs her artistic contemplations, reflecting her deep Christian faith.
The Marriage of Medium and Method
Young’s creative process is one of surrender. Her paintings, comprising 18 pieces, embody a collaboration between artist and medium, where she allows intuition to guide her. As she delves into themes of momentum, energy, and the propulsion of flight, Young’s work becomes an extension of her movements, often requiring her entire body to push and pull paint across the canvas. This approach aligns with the principles of the Gutai manifesto, emphasizing the union of spirit and matter.
In the “Theory of Flight” series, Young’s diverse techniques evoke the physical forces essential for flight—Drag, Thrust, and Lift. The triptych, rendered in aquamarine and silver, captures these energies through varying applications of paint, from heavy strokes to quick swatches that swirl around the canvas. Similarly, the “Continuity Equation” series examines the forces of Pressure, Velocity, and Flow, exploring the effects of time on drying acrylic.
A Dance of Contrasts
The exhibition contrasts opposing forces in works like “Tempest; Truce” and “Flutter; Fall.” In “Tempest; Truce,” Young conveys restrained violence through swift, singular strokes that create a red hourglass shape, echoing a tornado’s spiraling force. In contrast, “Flutter; Fall” exudes tranquility, with subtle gray tones that bloom outward in a peaceful, flowering motion. The canvases were taped together to allow the paint to flow seamlessly between them, creating a sense of unity.
Young’s experimentation continues in the nine-part “In Flux” series, where she reorients canvases and layers white paint on black backgrounds to highlight the expressionist strokes. The series culminates in “Lightness; Weight,” a central diptych that serves as the exhibition’s catalyst. The jagged, omnidirectional strokes in this piece capture the essence of control and release, embodying the exhibition’s exploration of balance.
Meditations on the Liminal
“Midway Between Earth and Heaven” is a meditation on the liminal space between the seen and unseen, where opposing forces meet and merge. Janice Liuson-Young’s action paintings serve as visual records of moments where medium, method, message, and the artist herself converge. Through these works, Young offers a glimpse into the delicate interplay of forces that shape our world, inviting viewers to contemplate the balance between earth and heaven.
About the Artist
Janice Liuson-Young (b. 1965) is a Chinese-Filipino painter, art educator, and curator whose work bridges the formal and symbolic parallels between traditional Chinese calligraphy and gestural abstraction. Her paintings explore movement in its many forms—visual, physical, cultural, and spiritual—guided by a belief in the divine breath that animates all creation.
Liuson-Young’s practice, rooted in automatism, reveals a deep sense of presentational immediacy, capturing the energy, or “qi”, that permeates her work. Her gestural techniques infuse her paintings with vitality and dynamism, creating pictorial fields that resonate with the viewer.
A cum laude graduate and class valedictorian from the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Fine Arts in 1986, Liuson-Young is currently the associate dean at FEATI University School of Fine Arts, where she plays a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of Filipino visual artists.
Her latest exhibition at Kaida Contemporary, “Midway Between Earth and Heaven”, curated by Manila-based artist and curator Patrick de Veyra and Hong Kong-based artist and curator Jillianne “Jing” Ng, delves into the liminal space between stillness and motion. Through dynamic action paintings, Liuson-Young explores flight, turbulence, tension, and the ethereal qualities of weightlessness and lightness, while also contemplating the theological significance of the Holy Spirit, or *Ruach*, within her personal spiritual practice and the broader Christian tradition.
Photos by Patrick de Veyra
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