Born 1972 in China, Lulu Ngie lives and works in Hong Kong. Ngie’s works follow the style of a traditional Chinese ink painting technique “Yi-Bi”, which emphasizes the expressive use of empty space within a picture plaine, simple brushstrokes, and the flow of lines. Originally making a living as an illustrator, Ngie illustrated covers for the series of novels by the famous Hong Kong writer, Yi Shu (Isabel Nee Yeh-su). Following the Eastern philosophy of the Yi-Bi practice, her works neither aim to attain a true imitation of reality nor carry specific narratives; instead they are reflective of the painter's own mental state—as the painter herself once explained, the figures in her work are mostly self-portraits: “Many of the characters that appear in the paintings are actually images of myself, even if there is more than one character in the painting. This is not due to narcissism, but more specifically an observation of personal feelings and psychological states; because there is nothing more honest when you observe yourself, and no one better to observe with more clarity and detail.”
Ngie is fascinated with how we process and express emotions as human beings, our coping mechanisms when faced with uncomfortable emotional situations, and the mind’s ability to recover its equanimity after suffering through a difficult time. With simple brushstrokes and vacant backgrounds, Ngie’s works depict ethereal figures in a minimalistic style that represents a person’s psyche through the expression of their body language: how we stand, sit, lie and move — however subtly — reveals what we think and feel. Through the simplification of the facial features, expressions and physical characteristics of the futures in her work, Ngie thus puts more emphasis on the actual psychological state of the people in her works.
Graduating from the Hong Kong Art School in 2006 with a degree in fine arts, Lulu Ngie’s works are now in the collection of the M+ Museum, Hong Kong. Her recent exhibitions include solo shows at Gallery EXIT, Hong Kong (2019) and Art Los Angeles Contemporary (2018), ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair (2016) and the Hong Kong Arts Centre (2017).
