How painting calms the mind like meditation – artists in Hong Kong group show on the therapy of repetition
- Mandalas, with their intricate, repetitive designs, help Hindus and Buddhists grow spiritually. Chun Poon sees parallels between making them and painting
- Poon explores that idea in Mandalas, an exhibition of work by five Hong Kong artists. They talk of the freedom, catharsis and calmness that painting brings them
In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, mandalas are an object of meditation that aid focus and help with a person’s spiritual growth, the geometric designs – mostly circular – made up of repetitive colours, shapes and patterns.
The intricate designs of the Tibetan sand mandalas can take days or even weeks to complete.
Hong Kong-based art consultant Chun Poon saw parallels between the making of mandalas and an artist’s creative process, from the idea to completion, which can span months.
He saw similarities in the monotonous activity of applying repetitive techniques, which is sometimes needed when creating art, while an artist, too, can find themselves in the zone, deeply connected with the creation while disconnected from the rest of the world.
“Spiritual does not mean religious; it is more about focusing on something that calms down the mind,” says Poon. “Of course, some artworks will project more excitement than peace of mind. But when you go through small details, it shifts your mind away from everything else.
“Focusing on reading the artwork sounds like going into a ‘zone’.”
Poon explores this parallel in “Mandala”, a group exhibition he has organised featuring five Hong Kong-based artists – Sam Cheng, Jess Leung, Fung Chim, Victor Chu and Damon Tong – at Sansiao Gallery HK, in Central, until June 12.
Leung was initially worried that the repetitive process required to create her works White Butterflies and White Flowers would be dull. Instead she found the process surprisingly calming.
“In the early stages, I wanted to escape and felt uneasy but I gradually found harmony, comfort, calmness, and a feeling of being empty,” she says, adding that although the patterns in her work appear to be repetitive, “if you look closely, each butterfly and each flower has its differences, which are unique to me”.
Cheng says each differently shaped bean painted in her work Red Beans reminds her of her friends’ different characters. For her, art is when she feels most free.
“This world is full of restrictions and rules and is too frustrating and complicated […] I find it difficult to communicate,” says Cheng. “Only when I am painting do I feel truly at ease and in a comfortable state.”
Chim says creating art is a cathartic process that he likens to composing music.
“I think the soul may be composed of rhythms similar to music,” he says. “After making a painting, it is like listening to a series of tight melodies.
“You will feel happy like the water is pouring out. Making a painting is like a mental activity. At the moment of completion, I feel relieved and my soul becomes stronger.”
Poon agrees.
“Writing Chinese calligraphy, painting, the process holds a ‘function’ to calm down one’s mind, like meditation,” he says. “Art therapy is a real career which uses art-making to help people.
“Artists may not be aware of this ‘function’ when they are making art. They may not even think of it. I thought it is an interesting topic to discuss and perhaps more people will talk about it.”
“Mandala”, Sansiao Gallery HK, 1/F, Wilson House, 19 Wyndham Street, Central, tel: 2586 1018, until June 12.
