WALLACE WOO | ZENTIMETER
Wallace Woo, who took advantage of the world’s challenging pandemic time, created a collection called ” Zentmeter” by Using “Centimeter,” he changed the “C” to “Z” that gives the element of Zen his vision.
“Regarding the distance aspect, destiny keeps us together, it seems like far away, but it’s only a tiny mile away! Just like the Zen around us, in every moment you need it, wisdom is always willing to guide.” Woo explained, “In the time of confinement, the world felt a lot of pressure; we were sad, crying, we didn’t know what the future hold, this is the moment we do not see colors! We all lost many colors; that is why you can feel mostly “Black & White ” in my collection.” – WALLACE WOO
Wallace Woo was born in Hong Kong but lived in the past eleven years in the world’s fashion capital, Paris, and had a successful career as a fashion makeup artist, working intensively in the fashion industry. After creating an essential change in his life, he moved from the colorful life industry to an artist using greyscale; he felt the need to express life and the flexibility by the natural flow of liquid. His Art is mainly influenced by the vipassana and the meditation he had practiced since his teenage years.
The Door. September 6, 2021.
100 x 80 x 1.5 cm. Linen on Acrylic.
Wallace Woo © All rights reserved.
“My black and white Art expresses the struggle and the complicated emotions I had for many years while working in the fashion industry. I was emotionally lost.
So I took a journey and shifted my life from being a colorful artist, working mainly in the fashion field to a more spiritual place using the variant of greyscale. The main thing in the fashion world is “Showing off,” especially wearing colorful clothes and walking under the bright flashlight. I liked my job at the time but also got very tired of the colorful life. It felt like a contradiction, especially in 2020, where the world passed through a terrible time with the pandemic, the colorful life, and the fashion industry seems unrealistic.
So I looked for new ways to express deep feelings instead of escaping to the bright, happy fashion life which avoids the hard times.
In that challenging year, I have found my peace through the process of painting. But, unfortunately, in the beginning, I did not appreciate the outcome of my artwork, even if the result was fantastic. I did not feel a connection with my painting, no matter how many colors I pour on the surface of the canvas.
The outcome was not exactly what I was seeking for, after I kept looping for paint and destroy, gave up, and restarted, and I was angry and joyful at the same time…I sat down and cried. Through this sorrow, my mind had a momentary flash with three words “Let it go,” I guess I needed to keep it as simple as possible. I started to re-entered to Vipassana meditation that I had learned when I was a teenager.
Through meditation and painting, I could heal myself little by little and tried to find who I really am; what truth do I have inside of me? That’s why I took out all the beautiful colors and only started my journey with Black and White, let them dripping the gray paint on the canvas.
I hope viewers can feel the search for the truth as they look at my Art and maybe even find a peaceful place when they feel helpless and lost. To find their ZEN inside.”
