April 2008, Tokyo
At first glance, this series of 12 colour prints on textured paper containing a declination of 12 tones of pink mimics a pantone chart. In this minimalistic artwork, Chua Chye Teck explores memory as a medium of transport in time and space. Depicted in an abstract way, his colourful memory of a trip to Tokyo in April 2008 is progressively erased. Each tonal change leads to a shift in perception, creating an awareness of a fading memory. In this particular project, the artist explains his concept thus : “…the colour of the cherry blossom in Tokyo is the image I have in my memories, and I hope these photos help to create for the viewer the experience of transport of time without an icon.”
The process consists of painting and repainting a single square of canvas in exacting ratios of red and white before being photographed and printed on archival art paper. Painted 30 times, the square was shot with a digital camera in the same way a product shoot is conducted. Out of the 30 variations, 12 were selected to offer a regular progression of tones wanted by the artist. In this particular work, painting is used as a tool of photography and serves to mislead the viewer on the exact nature of the work : are these paintings or photographs?