KARINA PANG

Again?

Watercolour on canvas, colour pencil30.5 x 30.5

Again merges the exploration of observational drawing with fantasy illustration. Its fusion of reality with fantasy presents a world where pixies live in coexistence with confectionary packaging, in which the pixies find themselves getting stuck within them over and over again. A vivid color scheme is intentionally used in the Haribo packaging to contrast against the dull, muted tones of the fairy character, further twisting and subverting the two worlds presented.

STONE

Watercolour on canvas, colour pencil30 x 30

STONE develops the concept of fairies being entrapped within mundane objects found in nature. The piece was inspired by the common stone paths present in traditional fairytales such as Hansel and Gretal, which were deliberately chosen to juxtapose against the ethereal, otherworldly element the fairies possess. The viewer is forced to believe in a warped sense of reality as the stone comes to life, inciting emotions of wonder as they are left to play and interpret the narrative as they wish.

Par (tea)

Watercolour with ink 36 x 46

Par (tea) is inspired by the tea party from Alice in Wonderland, made with the aim to create a new interpretation of this image in the viewers’ minds. The characters, while free spirits in the novel, are now shown to be enslaved within a teapot to party for all eternity. The illustration is mounted onto ink-stained wood to create negative space, enunciating the characters’ isolation from society. A lighthearted mood is created despite this through the vibrancy of the presentation’s color scheme.

FLIGHT [48N11E]

FLIGHT [43N12E]

FLIGHT [33N130E]

Watercolour with ink 20 x 20

FLIGHT is a three-part series paying homage to architectural structures. Their coexistence with mythical creatures is challenged simultaneously. The locations pictured are of Neuschwanstein Castle, Huis Ten Bosch and Sacro Bosco, which all bear visual resemblances to the timeless yet olden atmosphere contained in traditional fairytales’ settings. These paintings are illustrated as selfies taken by three pixie characters, as they don cheeky expressions that add to the series’ playful intent.

Purple

Watercolour, ink, colour pencil40 x 26.5

Purple is a semi-observational watercolor painting of a purple potato. The shape and colour remains accurate to a potato, though a reinterpretation changes this vegetable into the site of a city abandoned years ago. A state of confusion is evoked as the viewer is urged to perceive objects not as they truly are, but instead, imaginatively as a child would. As in my other artworks, this conveys a motif expressing the coexistence of everyday objects with an imaginative world.

SKIN

Watercolour with ink 29 x 60

SKIN is a visual exploration of fairytales and their dark undertones. It presents a grotesque reality based on the 1697 children’s tale Little Red Riding Hood. The original is one of rape and murder, later sugar-coated to become the story we know today. To defy the viewer’s expectation of a perfect fairytale ending, the story here was reinterpreted with the same horror it was first created in. This is seen in the reversal of the characters’ roles, as the Wolf now wears Red’s skin as a cloak.

Lost

Paper 30 x 30

LOST is a three-dimensional installation comprising layers of laser-cut paper and a central light source. The artwork revolves heavily around an experimentation with light to produce shadows across the exhibition space. Its intention is to visually portray the perspective of being lost in the woods, through the tangled, seemingly-inescapable imagery shown in the branches’ design. This creates an immersive experience for the viewer, inducing an eerie, discomforting atmosphere.

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