Feeling the flow with first time show

UNICORN Lane’s latest offering is serving as the debut exhibition for emerging artist Min Chiang.

Titled Water is the Driving Force of all Nature, the display features 11 paintings depicting h2o.

Chiang said the theme was inspired by water’s place in nature and life.

“I really like water and nature. It helps me, makes me feel calm and at peace. Water supports human, animal and plant life,” she said.

“It’s power and importance is so interesting to me, and it makes me feel powerful, just being around nature, so I wanted to take those feelings and put them into the canvas.”

Each piece was painted with acrylic materials with frames created using upcycled materials.

Painting began as a hobby for Chiang, who said the pandemic lockdowns gave her the time to develop her art more seriously.

Since beginning her professional journey, Chiang was shortlisted as a finalist in the Glover Prize in February, which said validated her efforts.

Having lived in Ballarat for five years since moving from Taiwan, she said local support is another driving factor in pursuing her art.

“In Taiwan, my culture has never cared about art, so I never thought of it as a job or something I could do in life,” she said.

“Here in Ballarat, people care about art and have the spaces for them. If it weren’t for this city and the opportunities to show my art here, I’m not sure how I would’ve done it.”

Chiang said she’s interested in exploring working life for her next series.

Water is the Driving Force of all Nature will be on display until Tuesday, 6 September.