Jesse Hui’s gentle reflections on self-care and the space in between
Artist Jesse Hui says that each piece in her latest suite of paintings captures “an everyday scene of me”.
Jessie Hui’s artistic practice reflects her personal exploration of self-care. Her light and playful depictions invite the audience to take the time to consider their own processes and how they might take better care of themselves. Hui’s work features an animated, graphic aesthetic that suggests we shouldn’t take things too seriously.
Born in Hong Kong, Hui is now based in Kaurna Land, Adelaide. Over recent years, self-care has become a central focus of her work, and her exhibition, thoughts are just clouds, important clouds, continues this exploration. Hui explains, “It’s from a perspective of reflecting on myself, my thoughts and feelings in everyday life and what I’ve been through. I hope that resonates with other people as well.”
This exhibition addresses indecision in life choices and views these feelings from a third-person perspective. Hui captures moments of hesitation and overthinking, asking herself: “Why am I thinking like this? Why am I feeling like this? Why am I struggling? Is that good?” The themes explored are universal and by making light of her own experiences, she hopes the audience can approach these negative moments with a more positive outlook.
Hui describes her pieces as “an everyday scene of me” through which she grapples with choosing between different options. For example, the painting titled Studio illustrates Hui feeling stuck about what to paint next and explores the feelings and emotions involved in making a decision. “I have so many ideas in my head, I can do this, I can do that, but I’m not sure which one to choose, which one to go with,” she explains.
For Hui, this process is neither negative nor positive; rather, it exists in the space in between, where decisions are pending before she commits to one option or another. She ponders, “Should I choose wisely, or should I just have fun and move on? It’s like with many things in life – how can I make the right decision? What’s best for me?”
In her work, Magician’s Table, Hui portrays herself reading a book titled ‘Ultimate Cooking’ while grappling with the dilemma of what to cook. Surrounded by various options, she reflects, “I wish there was a cookbook telling me exactly what to do, outlining the magic of cooking and providing some guidelines.” The composition includes rotting vegetables, symbolising the passing of time and indicating that she needs to make a decision – any decision.
In addition to the paintings, Hui presents limited edition prints titled, To Do List and Workaholic. These prints focus on the idea that there is so much to do, but they offer different perspectives. On one hand, there is so much to do she doesn’t want to wake up, yet at the same time, there is so much to do she can’t go to sleep.
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For Hui, painting is a way to help resolve these life dilemmas and find the balance she believes is necessary for self-care. “The paintings aren’t on the negative side but instead they are two positive sides in between. I think self-care is like that – it’s not always good, not always bad. There’s not one way to deal with it.”
Thoughts are just clouds, important clouds, reflects the many decisions we must make on a regular basis and the feelings and emotions associated with them. Hui suggests there are no right or wrong choices; sometimes, we simply need to make a decision and get on with life.
Jessie Hui: thoughts are just clouds, important clouds continues until November 29 at Praxis ARTSPACE, with an artist talk on Saturday November 22 at 11.30am