In Dancing in Shadows, Koon Wai Bong tackles a subject rarely dealt with in Chinese painting—shadows. The famous verse by the Northern Song poet Su Shi (1037–1101), referenced inKoon’stitle, ‘dancingwithmyshadows underthe moonlight’,describesa solitary yet delightful moment for the poet. In the painting, layers of splashed black and dark blue ink over pine needles depicted with fine brushwork convey the movements of the dancing figure and his shadow. Flashes of moonlight,in slivers of white, peer through the darkness and suggest a view point from the thick of a forest.
The Weight of Lightness: Ink Art at M+. M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, 13 October 2017–14 January 2018