In 2004, British artist Paul Huxley made the first of several visits to China and was immediately taken by the bold formalised versions of Chinese characters used on public signs everywhere. “What struck me is that many of these characters looked like my paintings. It looked like I could have already done those,” Huxley explained.
The aesthetics of the signs greatly appealed to him and he started to photograph and study them, building up a collection that inspired him in later works. “The only problem is that I had no idea what these characters meant, and I really couldn’t justify using words I didn’t understand. I like to be an expert on my own work, and I don’t like to be unsure of anything. My painting is very precise.” Once he had all the characters translated, Huxley decided which ones to use in his work.
Some of the works in the resulting series are now on show at The St. Regis Singapore hotel until Oct 24th.
