Chelsea Ryoko Wong’s Ode To Mindfulness at Jessica Silverman

In “A Work That Outlives Me” (2024), inspired in part by Morocco and Tunisia, a viewer can parse out an outdoor market with hanging rugs, drapes, and fabrics. Even though one might be drawn to the dynamic, almost abstract colors making up the painting’s location, the real intention reveals the market as a frame. Without the relaxed man reclining in his colorful outfit, or the eager and smiling shopper, the beautiful surrounding environment would be an empty, quiet shell. 

Though Wong’s subjects can be viewed as flat creatures, often seen only from their side profile, a dynamic use of the setting and objects gives the paintings an inviting depth of perspective. Sometimes, this depth arrives as a kind of pathway, and gradient hues allow the eye to travel as freely as the figures in her painting.