Indonesia born, Singapore raised, Mariah has lived in Hong Kong for 25 years. Covid lockdown has rekindled her passion in painting. She is a self taught artist who uses acrylic and water colour to express her different styles, thoughts and emotions. Her current subject interests include word art, geometric shapes, lines, abstractions, Chinese characters and everyday objects to convey her perspective on connections, culture, humour, family and love.

Her styles are precision, pure colours, geometry, western and eastern influences which capture textures, emotions, patience, depth, effort and time. There is a poetry accompaniment for some of her paintings.

Her works are culmination of her self-discovery journey and her experiences living in 3 different countries. There are elements of contradictions and paradox in her works reflecting her personal feelings and her way of embracing both the complexity and simplicity of life.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

I am an Indonesian who was raised in Singapore and I have been living in Hong Kong for the past 28 years. My previous profession was in financial services.

It all started during pandemic lockdown when my kids’ screen time skyrocketed. Tired of the nagging, I began to paint: bold, loud colors and words that screamed for attention. An honest display and a chance for them to discover that any non-screen activities could also offer some joy. While I have limited success, I am rewarded with so much more. A personal artistic journey.

How has your artistic style evolved over time?

I mainly paint acrylic on canvas and some water colours on paper. For acrylic, there are two themes: geometric shapes, word art, Chinese characters. These works reflect my experience in financial services and the part of me which craves precision, clarity and predictability. The other is more fluid: lines, movements and abstraction.

I describe my style akin to the double slit experiment in physics. In this experiment, light demonstrates wave particle duality. Why have one if you can have two? I also love colours. I think we humans are so fortunate to be able to perceive such a wide range of colour spectrum. As I gain more experience, I add complexity and different painting techniques to materialize the vision of the paintings I have in mind.

What are the main themes or concepts you explore in your work?

It’s essentially about life and existence. How perception of these changes when you view it from different angles. I was looking for answers in philosophy, physics and sacred texts. The paradox of eternal and fleeting; universal and individual, complexity and simplicity. Carpe Diem and Memento Mori exist simultaneously. How to reconcile and embrace these contradictions and irony, to live gracefully and truthfully. Some paintings have an accompanying poem. It’s strange, but words appear and flow at the same time as I paint.

How do your personal experiences and identity influence your art?

As we explore life and existence, you can’t escape from pondering about self and identity. Like many others who have lived in multiple countries, personal experiences tend to be richer and questions of identity might arise. While my works are the culmination of my life experiences living these countries, I go further from a physics point of view. There’s a super string theory which presumes that if we zoom into the infinitesimal, all existence is just waves of energy strings. So there isn’t really a question of identity.

What do you hope people take away from your art when they experience it?

My works are an invitation for people to dive deeper into themselves and the meaning of life. At the same time, to notice and treasure the lightness of everyday moments where true beauty lies. We all share universal experiences wrapped and delivered in different parcels.

Can you describe a recent project or artwork that you are particularly proud of?

‘Vision’ is one of the most recent works which is the largest at 40 x 40 inches. I was initially intimidated by the canvas size, but we became good friends. I’ve learnt so much more working in a bigger size. The feelings and the energy multiplied. So does the satisfaction. The theme is also one of the central themes about life. The infinite and limited, the endless and momentary existence, the fragments of totality, all combined into one.

Text & photo courtesy of Mariah Solikin

Website: www.mariahsolikin.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahsolikin/