Within the Pulse of Time: Ava Hsueh solo exhibition

In addition to the connection between image and text, the artist’s work is deeply rooted in her own cultural heritage. Influenced by her early training in Eastern ink painting, the artist now draws inspiration from Taiwanese indigenous culture. The series on view in the gallery’s main space stems from the artist’s research and study of Taiwanese indigenous archives, encompassing history, customs, clothing, and color aesthetics. This exploration begins with nine colors derived from specific indigenous garments, which inspires the artist’s cold abstraction vocabulary. This serves as the first step in embodying the interplay between the signifier and the signified on the canvas.

This approach resonates with Hsueh’s focus on symbolism, using indigenous colors as semiotic anchors that generate meaning. The colors provoke associations and recognition tied to specific cultural elements, referencing the self-identity of indigenous tribes and highlighting how color shapes external perceptions of identity. This series addresses the relationship between abstract art, humanity, history, and contemporary culture through the artist’s use of color. In so doing, she transcends early 20^th-century abstraction, which emphasized non-referentiality and self-expression, and instead, expands the possibilities of abstract art by engaging with broader cultural and historical contexts.

Within the Pulse of Time sees Hsueh employ elongated color blocks as a rational foundation, upon which she layers expressive brushwork. Through her physical involvement, the linear movements on the canvas emerges from the interaction between her hand gestures, body extension, and the canvas. The rhythm and pulse of the work are attuned to the artist’s physical awareness — manifested in the nuances of brushstrokes and the varying pressure applied. These moments of tension and release reflect the organic breathing of the piece. The juxtaposition of cold and hot abstraction has defined Hsueh’s recent body of work.

In her creative process, the artist avoids the top-down, static positioning or the techniques of pouring and dripping associated with automatism. Instead, every line and color block is meticulously controlled, as the artist’s hot abstraction is layered onto the canvas, while paradoxically diminishing the completeness of the underlying cold abstraction. In the process of addition, there is a simultaneous subtraction. The viewer must observe the work from a distance to perceive its foundational structure — an approach that challenges conventional viewing habits and aligns with Hsueh’s reference to paradox in her artist statement.

Hsueh’s work invites the viewer to adopt a pluralistic mindset, using the logic of dialectics to provoke a renewed understanding of abstract painting. The work explores the philosophical significance within the practice of painting, not only breaking formal boundaries, but encouraging a deeper reflection on the evolution of contemporary abstract art.

“Poetry is the expression of one’s intent; in the heart, it is intention, but when spoken, it becomes poetry,” says the Maoshi in the Book of Songs. This statement captures the creative process born from within, shaped by one’s surroundings, and refined through the artist’s internalization and transcendence. It reflects a genuine projection of the mind and spirit — an emotional resonance with the world, while serving as a vehicle for self-reflection and emotion.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the personal transformation experienced by the artist, Within the Pulse of Time comprises nearly 50 works by Hsueh, made since 2019. The exhibition chronicles the artist’s connection with place, people, and herself, tracing the trajectory of her life during this period. It reflects Hsueh’s introspection and retrospection, revealing that this journey is not merely a linear progression, but an exploration of countless past moments, which have evolved and culminated in the now.

The accumulation, layering, and aggregation of these experiences, though often solitary, are resolute and profound. This body of work instantiates Ava Hsueh’s unyielding response to impermanence and the unknown, epitomized by her daring, yet graceful, approach.