TENNIS ELBOW: JULIA CHIANG

© Julia Chiang

Tennis Elbow is presenting an exhibition by Julia Chiang on view from February 29 – March 6, 2020.

After dedicating time to family and raising children, Julia Chiang has a case of itchy fingers, and has been notching a stream of successful shows. Energized by care of life dynamics and buoyed by the forces of nature, her meditative abstract creations are visual metaphors for these pulsing phenomena. "I see my paintings and ceramics as all connected. Thinking on different parts or functions of the body, movement or lack of, internal or external pressures, but all related to one another."

© Julia Chiang

After big presentations with The Modern Institute in Glasgow and Nanzuka Underground in Tokyo, Chiang returns to her hometown with a more compact showcase at the iconic location. "It was fun to think on a show for the Journal space. It's intimate so I wanted the paintings to be able to talk to each other in a way–individual but connected somehow." With a standard 'Saturday at noon' opening time, the reception felt more like a family party than a formal gallery event, reflecting the genuine spirit behind the works. With three acrylics on wood panel in the main room, one in the window, and a ceramic piece in the backroom, the colorful exhibition provided great insight to Chiang's practice and current focus of interest. "There are a lot of colors for the small space," she agreed. "I imagine the colors that would form if the paintings absorbed one another – not just blending of colors, but mood and desire. And I also think about colors that coexist in nature – the colors within us – and it starts feeling like everything is fine side by side."