Super detailed and intricate art in Hong Kong exhibition invites you to look for shapes in the ‘madness’
- Roberta Boffo’s ‘Slighty Mad’ show at the HKI Gallery in Wan Chai was inspired by calligraphy and features ink, pen on paper, and acrylic on canvas
- The Italian artist says she enters a meditative state when creating the monochromatic works, a state when ‘a piece takes on a will of its own’
When referencing history, most people turn to words or images. Not Roberta Boffo. The Italian-born, Hong Kong-based artist looks back in time through the lens of nature, specifically through the growth rings of a tree.
This is best seen in her latest collection, “The Age of Time”, from the Reflections series.
“This work [The Age of Time I – 1350s] comprises about 660 rings and dates back to the 1350s, a time that in Europe saw the beginning of the Renaissance,” says Boffo of the piece, which took 150 hours to complete.
The work is part of her upcoming exhibition, “Slightly Mad”, a showcase of 20 original pieces at the HKI Gallery, in Wan Chai, from December 2 to 23. It’s an apt title. There is a mad-genius element to Boffo’s art, which features ink, pen on paper, and acrylic on canvas.
