Fong Chung-ray considers “clumsiness” to be the highest form of calligraphy, and his unrestrained style of script successfully liberates the artist and his work from the restrictive nature of established calligraphy practices. . . . While Fong continues to incorporate fragments of text in his work, his latest collages are not made of paper, but sheets of fragmented and dried acrylic paint, which create the impression of cracked and weathered walls. This conceptual shift depicts a transition through time, as his natural landscapes give way to urban contemporary scenes while still showing signs of decay. Time is indeed a central concept in Fong Chung-ray’s art, particularly his period of work beginning in the early ’90s. As Fong has explained: 

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I once thought about the meaning of eternity. It simply seemed impossible for eternity to exist. The universe itself has a life cycle, and time tends to destroy all things eventually . . . Looking around, our eyes see everywhere the signs of destruction left by time. For example, aged furniture and weathered walls show signs of decay. But if we look carefully, even though it might be hard to see, these traces are really quite beautiful and completely abstract . . . I suppose I should learn from these weathered and cracked walls.

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Fong’s novel use of dried acrylic “collages” allows him to duplicate the fine web of cracks found in old, worn walls. . . . He is unique as an artist in that he does not simply draw from different influences; instead, his art is situated in the liminal space between time and place.

 

(Abby Chen, Head of Contemporary Art, Asian Art Museum San Francisco.

'Between Modern and Contemporary: Works of Fong Chung-Ray from 1960 to 2014,' Fong Chung-Ray A Retrospective, 2015)

 

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