The artwork features a striking spiral staircase against a backdrop of vivid blue and brown hues. The composition is marked by bold, geometric shapes and a sense of depth, with the stairs winding upwards in a dynamic, almost disorienting manner. The overall aesthetic suggests a modernist approach, with the artist likely employing techniques such as selective focus and layering to create a visually captivating and ambiguous scene. This work may explore themes of architectural design, spatial relationships, and the interplay between light and shadow. The artist's intention appears to be provoking a contemplative and imaginative response from the viewer. ...
Henry Shum's oil paintings create a dream-like atmosphere, characterised by a delicate balance of drips, stains, and veiling washes that blend to form a hazy effect. Shum uses a subdued colour palette of blue, orange, brown, and green. His paintings depict a diverse range of abstract, mystical, and surreal imagery and familiar themes from art history. By gathering images from both the physical and digital spaces, Shum blends these diverse materials into cohesive themes, shaping them with fluid lines and delicate layers of paint. In his work, the boundaries between two and three dimensions are blurred, creating the illusion of multiple realities existing within a single piece. This dynamic is not a personal choice of Shum's but a reflection of our contemporary society, where the distinction between the individual and collective, historical and ahistorical, constantly shifts. By seamlessly integrating these elements into his paintings, Shum captures the experience of navigating a constantly mediated and over-stimulating world. ...
