Hayley Kwok
Seeing with My Hand
“Why is it so hard to change my habits, is it because they give me a feeling of belonging and security in order to counteract the heaviness of the present?”
I arrived in NZ from Hong Kong in 2020. Moving from a fast-speed city made me realise that people here value time. I spent more time with myself, and by doing that, I enjoy creating in the most accessible way: painting. Painting helps me to clear my mind when the outside world is way too stressful. Also, it makes me aware that the process is more important than the result since no one else will be experiencing that exact emotion I was having. I use painting as a mesmerising and therapeutic theme in my practice. My latest acrylic works invite you to be mindful of the present as the sunlight shines through to experience a cosy, warm afternoon.
Creating a painting per day seems to be repeating myself by doing the same movement with limited colours, but it is never the same feelings, thoughts and experience while painting. Some might take mins to finish but some take time to enjoy the process.
