Fuelled by a passion for ink and paper, and intrigued by the rich visual languages of Chinese brush painting and calligraphy, Living Water is Ella Whateley’s response to full immersion in Taiwanese culture during an inspirational residency at National Taiwan University in Arts (NTUA) in 2018. Curious about the metaphysical and cultural significance of all forms of oriental ink art, this four-month period offered Whateley a unique opportunity to research traditional Chinese landscape painting and calligraphy by observing NTUA Masters at work.

In Living Water Whateley encompasses two approaches to subject matter, both of which are an exploration of the exhibition’s title. The first is a abstracted approach and interpretation of imaginary landscapes developed from Daoist concepts of beauty in landscape and natural forms; the second references ancient Chinese calligraphic seal script and involved taking rubbings off manhole covers found on the roads of Taiwan. Both bodies of work bear the indexical markings of Whateley’s journeys across the island.

At the heart of this work are questions about identity and cultural belonging. Growing up in Europe, with an Australian passport and a love of Chinese culture, Whateley explores a little of what it means to belong to Asia; what it means to be a contemporary Australian living alongside East Asian neighbours. Using inks from both the West and the East, with an ambiguous approach to space and format, Whateley creates hybridised ink works that speak of new ways of finding meaning through visiting and reinterpreting cultural mores.