Better Bitter

Karen Lar Yean Law 羅加欣, a Markham-based artist, often works with monoprints—a technique that produces one-of-a-kind images. Through this medium, she investigates the dynamic relationship between printmaking and painting, combining structed layers of print with the fluid expressiveness of paint.

Hand-cut stencils are central to Law's process, allowing her to introduce precise shapes and patterns that build visual layers on the surface of her work. These stencils serve to both mask and reveal parts of the composition. By layering colours through these stencils, she creates negative and positive spaces that either enhance or obscure underlying forms. Shapes and ideas are often repeated, recycles, and adapted, fostering a sense of rhythm and transformation in each piece. Law also incorporates experimental techniques, such as using stencils and photosensitive dye to expose parts of her canvases to the sun before painting them, further expanding her exploration of colour and form.

Law's artistic process is deeply shaped by her Chinese heritage, particularly her understanding of its cuisine, ingredients, and traditions. In her recent work, the arty surface and oblong shape of the bitter melon become a symbol of bitterness-not only as a flavour profile but also as an emotional experience. The fruit's visual qualities are rendered as a series of oscillating and wavering lines, existing within vibrant environments. The colours chose echo the pulp of the melon as it ripens from bright green to rich magenta. Chinese cooking is an art of balance, where health, taste, and sensory satisfaction all play vital roles. In this culinary tradition, bitterness presents both discomfort and healing, reflecting the dualities found in Chinese philosophy. The balance between bitter and sweet, hard and soft, is essential to wellbeing, and one cannot exist without the other.

While bitterness is often seen as a sharp, unpleasant taste, it also evokes feelings of resentment, disappointment, and anger. The expression "sallowing bitterness' is use in Chinese culture to describe life's challenges and the need to silently endure the paint they bring. Much like in cooking, bitterness in life is viewed as a way to balance one's experiences. Through the repetition of the bitter melon pattern, Law highlights the recurring nature of bitterness in life, drawing attention to its complexities and significance in the human experience.

Curated by Anik Glaude