Guest speaker: Dr Linda Tyler, Associate Professor of Art History, University of Auckland
Bergman Gallery proudly presents Nexus, a solo exhibition by renowned New Zealand-Asian artist Luise Fong. Known for her mastery over organic forms and material texture, Fong’s work is steeped in both microscopic and macroscopic symbolism. Since the 1990s, her paintings have explored circular motifs, bridging realms from cellular structures to cosmic vistas—an aesthetic that blurs the boundary between what’s seen and unseen. Her recent pieces, embellished with gold, silver, and copper leaf, evoke an elegant formalism, while also delving into the profound voids within and beyond us.
Influenced by French feminists like Luce Irigaray, Fong’s paintings carry an ambivalent tone; her restrained use of black is both decorative and suggestive of mystery, embodying a romantic contemplation of darkness. Yet, these works remain grounded, punctuated by physical interventions—like drilled holes—that emphasize materiality and surface. Fong’s abstract forms, organically feminine, stand in subtle contrast to the harder-edged abstraction of many male painters in New Zealand, invoking fluidity over rigidity.
Drawing from her Malaysian-Chinese heritage, Fong embeds cultural symbols—dragons, lanterns, hints of ancient traditions—within her modern abstractions. This exhibition marks a new chapter, inspired by the ambient strains of Sigur Ros’s Saeglòpur, where metallic textures and deep-space aesthetics speak to the timeless and the expansive. Curator Ruth Ha describes this body of work as the crystallization of Fong’s long, varied practice, where her cultural identity is no longer peripheral but integral to the layered, cosmic compositions on display.
With Nexus, Fong reaffirms her place as a leading figure in New Zealand’s contemporary art landscape, paving the way for future generations of Asian-NZ artists.
This exhibition also contains key works from Fong's four decades of practice.
