Artist Damien H. Ding talks about the fragility of human connection and the enigmatic journey of intimacy.
Damien H. Ding‘s work encapsulates the fragility of human connection and the inevitable dissolution of even the most profound intimacy. The artist employs the language and material of furniture and cabinetry to enable an intimate interaction with painting, evocative household altars, and miniature chapels. His paintings possess a meditative quality that is both intense and suggestive of transcendence through a combination of stillness and velocity.
“The works and accompanying structures hold a captivating quality that entices the observer before disclosing strange, covert components that perplex and trigger intense, inexplicable emotions.
How does your background in art history influence your work? – Art history acts as a conceptual environment in which I choose to exist. Like most environments, I am not always conscious of how it exerts its “influence.” But having a background in the study allows me to exist in it with spontaneity, having a pool of knowledge to swim and soak in. I often find myself subconsciously drawing from imagery and theory when I reflect on the purpose of my work. I seldom refer to anything directly.
The notion of constant productivity and the need to share content are ubiquitous in contemporary society. Do you experience such pressures? – Of course. Being an artist, it is a constant presence in my psyche and something I hope to reconcile soon. This is something I discuss with my peers often. I believe that while sometimes pressures and deadlines are useful, for a creative process, there need to be moments of true nothings where boredom, instead of an obligation, takes over, where the creative impulse pushes one to make something in need of no other justification other than for it to exist.
Tell us about your work presented at the “Day Before Tomorrow” exhibition. – The work is a diptych housed in a box made of ebonized mahogany, which opens like a book. The diptych comprises images reflected against each other of two paths that are bright, winding, and alluring.
DSCENE Magazine joined forces with the esteemed Eugster II Belgrade gallery for a group exhibition entitled “DAY BEFORE TOMORROW.” Curated by the visionary talent of Vuk Ćuk, this also marks his curatorial debut, showcasing a remarkable group of artists, including the likes of Lyn Liu, Eva Papamargariti, Zarina Nares, Filip Kostic, Damien H. Ding, and Vuk Ćuk himself.
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