Artist Statement
The Art of Balance
2025 Sunbury Shores Art and Nature Centre Solo Exhibition
As we go through our lives, we encounter unintended consequences, whether positive or negative. In those moments, we recognize the presence of some unseen force. The world calls this force "karma." Like an invisible web connects everything, the world interweaves our actions, bringing them back to us unexpectedly in the future, either as a form of gift or a curse.
This pattern of cause and effect resembles a circle. I seek to explore the essence of karma and express its complexity through abstract imagery and circular forms. The overlapping and intermingling circles—or repeated depictions that symbolize the cycle—in my work represent intricate experiences we encounter and the reoccurring pains we endure for growth. Each painting have figures in a representative form, expressing the attitude and emotions towards karma. The figures standing with their backs turned might easily represent situations we all can relate to. The figure may embody regret, frustration and lethargy - or alternatively, it may convey gratitude, humility and transformation through karma.
I hope that viewers find an opportunity to reflect on the depth of karma through the series of my paintings and reconsider the implications of the results of their actions. It will serve as a chance to re-examine the significance of the inevitable events in our lives. By recognizing the impact of our choices, we can foster positive change within ourselves and our surroundings.
ABOUT
Kyla Chung: The Art of Balance
In her recent work, New Brunswick artist Kyla Chung considers the impact of unseen forces, or “karma”, as an invisible web that, with unintended consequences, connects and intertwines people’s lives. Her paintings present figures in lush interiors and sunlit landscapeswho appear to be influenced by attitudes and emotions reflecting karma, both positive and negative.
The transformative nature of karma interests Chung the most and in each work, she presents a figure, either in an abstract or representative form, who expresses attitudes and emotionsphilosophically aligned to karma. As the artist writes about her work, “The figure may embody regret, frustration and lethargy - or alternatively, it may convey gratitude, humility and transformation through karma.”
Kyla Chung graduated from Ontario College of Art & Design University in Toronto in 2017 and since then has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, many of them in the Saint John area.
