Claudia Koh Ning: Duality and Unity
Drawing the symbolism inherent in natural and manmade surroundings, Koh incorporates these elements into her artworks to explore the intricate interplay between her body and the environment. Deliberately contemplating the canvas space, she adeptly negotiates the fine line between asserting her presence and seamlessly blending into her surroundings. As a Southeast Asian woman with a Chinese background, Koh employs symbolic and cultural elements to embed cultural meanings in nature.
How did your creative journey begin?
I have always been drawing and painting since I was a kid. I realized that my interest peaked when I was very enthusiastic about drawing birthday cards for people or celebratory events like Mother's Day, which was always an opportunity to spend a lot of time crafting a gift. I started painting about six years ago, and as a child, I made it a point to visit every museum in each country I visited. I remember going to Museo De Prado and two paintings stuck with me, it was Las Meninas by Velázquez and Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch. Those paintings were hauntingly beautiful to me, although it was also creepy, as I did not understand anything beyond their imagery.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I get the most inspiration from home, and how I was brought up in Singapore in a Chinese household. I realize I fall back to a lot of habits even without being home and somehow home never leaves me. If anything, the further I am from home, the closer I feel like I am itching to be. I also look at simple everyday routines or objects around me that could hold meaning to my narratives. Water is a good example, in Chinese culture, we have water evident in many rituals, we wash our hands and feet before entering our homes after attending a funeral. I think about my relationship with water a lot, how it holds things, and how we encounter it very casually as checkpoints throughout our day (washing our hands, drinking..)
How has your work evolved over the last few years?
In the last two years, I dived into more expressions of self-portraiture and what it means to take up space on a canvas. I have never painted much of myself as I shied away from the vulnerability of my physical looks. But I have realized there was more to depicting myself with any physical likeliness. After I came to America, things around me amplified my emotions more as I was alone and more sensitive. I used to paint a lot of personal fears or worries in the past, and I think I still do now, but it feels like the process of a resolution is accompanied by it. Or at least I feel more comfortable resolving them if that makes sense. Painting myself in different paintings expresses forms of fragments in search of wholeness or unity.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
I usually paint when the sun is out, I don't know why, it is probably the lighting and I also have a special relationship with the sun. When the sun sets, my energy in the studio is no longer the same. It changed once I had to experience shorter days and longer nights in the US during fall or winter. Maybe I am used to staying near the Equator where the sun is always there.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
Moving to the States for school definitely changed a lot for me. I stayed in Singapore all my life; being in America alone has been pivotal. My experiences as a Southeast Asian woman in the States have also amplified how I want to portray my cultural beliefs and heritage in my work. Love, grief, loss, and anxiety are also all part of it.
How has social media impacted your work?
Social media has been kind to me so far, personally. It has given me many opportunities to connect with artists everywhere in the world. However, I try to use it less frequently as I find it to be overwhelming sometimes.
Instagram: @claudiaakoh