Once in a Blue Moon
In Contemplation, the Moon by Salomé Wu
A few weeks ago, I sat down with multi-disciplinary artist Salomé Wu 💙 Her ethereal works explore otherworldliness through translations and reinterpretations of mythology. Scroll down for more 🌛
Addy: Salomé, thank you so much for joining me! What initially drew you to painting?
Salomé: I think I started when I was very young. My family were really focused on taking me to creative lessons like writing, painting, singing, playing the keyboard, dancing, everything. I don't know why, I think they just wanted to fill my time with lots of different activities.
After that, I did another four years of calligraphy. I stopped painting for a number of years to focus on school, and then when I was 16 I picked it back up again. One day I just started painting in the corner of my room. I don't know why, I just felt like it. (laughs)
That's actually how I started, not by doing still-life drawings or anything like that. I just painted images that came into my mind. It became second nature really. Since then, I've just been painting.
Addy: I love that.
Salomé: The decision to become a painter was gradual. As soon as I got to Central Saint Martins for my foundation degree, everything was so different from how I imagined. I didn’t made the decision until I was graduating from my course, where I was doing textile design. It was so random. (laughs)
Addy: Did you stay at CSM for your undergrad?
Salomé: I did my BA at Chelsea, actually. It was just so free, we could do anything. For example, on my course, we had a lot of people who did installation. I felt really lucky that I was able to just do whatever I wanted to do.
Addy: Definitely. That’s my favourite thing about art school, you’re given a lot of freedom.
Salomé: Yes.
Addy: Okay so, you were born in China, then later moved to the UK, and now you're based in London.
Salomé: Yes.
Addy: How did the shift in culture influence your practice?
Salomé: I think… Sorry, do you mind if I put on some music?
Addy: Go for it. (laughs)
[plays indie music]
Salomé: I spent the first part of my life in China, and moved away when I was 14. I'm 24 now, so it's been 10 years. I never felt like I was deeply connected to my own culture because I was raised in a Christian family.
I was raised by my grandparents and growing up, my grandmother was very religious. She read the Bible, sang gospel songs and prayed. We had loads of posters of Jesus. (laughs) I felt very alienated because I spent most of my time at school and taking creative classes.
Swansong Duet by Salomé Wu
I didn't have a frame of reference, so at the time it just felt very normal. I only realised recently that this wasn’t the norm. I prayed a lot when I was young and I felt almost like I had a connection to the West, because of the historical roots of Christianity. I've always had a desire to go to the West, even the aesthetics that I’ve always chosen for my paintings are very westernised. Then again, I do see the influences from calligraphy practice in my paintings, for example, the fluid lines.
I’ve lived in a lot of places since I left China, so all of that has influenced my practice. People say that my work is super biblical. (laughs)
Addy: Do you feel like your paintings include religious symbolism, or do you think that people just interpret them that way?
Salomé: I'm not sure. I can see that there are some religious undertones, but I don't know exactly where that comes from. For some reason, I'm always drawn to anything that relates back to religion. I’ve explored different religions as well. I feel like faith for sure is something quite important to my work, but not necessarily any particular religion.
Addy: So maybe more of a spiritual influence?
Salomé: Yes, spiritual. Something that exists beyond ourselves, I suppose. It's always something that I try to look for.
Addy: That’s really cool. Your works explore otherworldliness through reinterpretations of mythology. Why did you choose to explore these ideas?
Salomé: I think that my work is surrounded by a constant narrative, which I've been developing over the past few years. That's when I started writing. I didn't really show people my writing because I didn't consider them to be poems. They were more like words and recurring symbols that I would then paint.
I noticed that there were some recurring symbols, so I collected them and wrote a story. The story just unfolded over time, and I would frequently go back and develop it more. It's become a constant dialogue between the paintings. Sometimes I will make a drawing and then I'll write about it. The story is actually woven together by my paintings, like the symbols that reappear and also the things that I write about. Does that make sense?
Addy: Totally. Are there any symbols in particular that you like to use?
Salomé: I think at the beginning it was the droplets, I see them as teardrops. They were really, really important for some reason. There were also sunflowers, but they were dying sunflowers. Hands are also quite important. I think those are the symbols that I'm really drawn to. I paint them a lot.
Another symbol is the female torso. I think the body is quite important. Initially, I was just writing about these four symbols, and then created a story. I can feel the narrative continue to unfold as time passes by and I experience certain things. It's quite interesting because a lot of the time, I feel like my paintings and my life resonate with each other.
Bathing With the Red Frog by Salomé Wu
I don't know, maybe I’m just reading too much into it. (laughs) I feel like it really does reflect certain events. It’s become quite an important space for me. Almost like a safe space to record milestones. For example, I think one quite important moment for me was three months after I created this narrative. My grandfather, who raised me, passed away. He's always been like a father figure and I spent my whole life with him. It was a big loss for me. I felt like my paintings were the only place I could connect with him. So I created this milestone of him, and he became a water fountain, almost like a statue.
I suppose it's something commemorative, something that's dedicated to him in a way. He brought me up and I’ll always remember his kindness. It’s because of him that I have the opportunity to be who I am and express myself. It’s almost a space that's for him.
Addy: That’s really beautiful.
Salomé: It's quite a sad story actually. (laughs)
Addy: That’s okay. I think it just shows the meanings behind your works and how personal they are.
Salomé: A lot of it is actually about time passing and the idea of impermanence and temporality. I think I'm trying to weave those elements into my work.
I want people to see a work of mine, and for it to evoke certain feelings of joyfulness, but at the same time lamentation. Perhaps my work will remind them of something or someone that is close to them, or something that's precious to them.
Addy: Yes, your works definitely evoke a lot of thought. You use various shades of blue in your paintings. Is there a reason behind this decision?
Salomé: I think at the beginning, the narrative was based around that colour. It was centred around a somewhat poisoned world. Personally, I feel like the colour blue is quite alien, it can be quite lethal. I don't know, I’ve always thought that. It also represents the abyss. I like what the colour represents, it has a looming presence about it. (laughs)
Addy: Blue is such an interesting colour.
Salomé: Recently, I wrote about the progression of the narrative becoming centred around the colour red. It represents a total lunar eclipse, a blood moon, where the the edges of the moon transition to red, which I also wrote about. Each colour that I use seems to have a purpose behind it. I don't know if that’s a good thing, it can be quite restricting. (laughs)
Addy: Do you think you'll ever completely change your colour palette?
Salomé: Yes, because I thought I'd use blue my whole life. (laughs) I’ve recently started writing about other colours. I think for sure I will continue to develop the narrative, and then perhaps new colours will come from it.
Addy: Exciting. Your practice involves oil painting, printing on silk, installation, and also performance. Describe your creative process.
Where the Long Shadow Falls by Salomé Wu
Salomé: I don't really have a set process, it comes to me quite naturally because I've been interested in all of these mediums for a long time. I think with performance, it just came out of me in a very organic way.
When it comes to printing, for me it’s the same process as painting: I write, and then read over what I’ve written, then the images come to my mind. I don't know if that's a good thing. Lots of people hate the way I work, (laughs) but I know roughly how it might look before it’s complete. I do look at references sometimes, but that's not very essential to my creative process.
Addy: That’s really interesting. In terms of painting, do you paint straight onto the canvas, or do you do some prepping beforehand?
Salomé: I stretch the canvas before I start painting. Usually, I do some drawings but not as seriously as a lot of artists that I know. They do the same drawing many times, whereas I usually just do several drawings that are completely different. I also already know what I’m going to paint before I start doing those drawings.
I usually start with oil. Normally the outcome is quite different from my drawings. (laughs) It’s more of an integrated version of all the drawings, I think.
Addy: Cool. Would you say that the titles of your works are important to you?
Salomé: Yes.
Addy: What do you hope to communicate?
Salomé: Some of them are titles that I came up with on the spot. Whilst others are just collected words from an existing narrative. Sometimes I take the complete sentence. Also, I've been writing music recently, so sometimes I take the whole line of a lyric and make it into a title.
I haven't really thought about what I try to communicate. ArtMaze Mag once published one of my works called To Catch This Feeling. It's actually one of the most understandable titles I've ever given a painting.
I remember I saw a comment from a woman under the work and she wrote, “Oh, it's very vague to me. Catch the feeling of what?” I read that and thought, “Yes, catch the feeling of what?”
When I made that painting, I had listened to a song by Nick Cave - he's my idol, I love him. (laughs) I love everything he does. There’s one particular moment in the song, a harmony of male and female vocals, and every time I hear it I just get this feeling in my chest. It’s a feeling of heartbreak, and it's always so transient.
Oaths by Salomé Wu
It's almost like To Catch This Feeling is a representation of that moment in time, where I experienced that feeling. That is the feeling I try to capture with my paintings, and also with my music. If that feeling can be prolonged when people experience my work, it would mean a lot to me.
Addy: Wow. I feel like sometimes as an artist, the meanings behind your works are probably really clear to you, and you forget that somebody else might not immediately understand.
Salomé: That's also something that I’ve realised. A lot of the things I portray are very subjective experiences, sometimes very physical experiences, that are difficult to communicate to other people. My work and my experiences are very true to me and I really relate to them. I think it's important that I find a way to communicate that, but as I said, it's very difficult. (laughs)
Addy: So difficult. Okay, next question! Who and what are your greatest influences?
Salomé: I draw a lot of inspiration from music, especially from lyrics. I think a lot of musicians are just great poets.
Addy: You mentioned Nick Cave earlier, are there any other musicians that really inspire you?
Salomé: Nick Drake is another one, and Leonard Cohen. I’ve only listed men, haven’t I? Jesus. (laughs) I think that those three are my main influences. I’m also inspired by films and performances, like contemporary dance. Movement of the body is something that I'm drawn to.
Addy: Great choices!
Salomé: Thank you. I think just anything that really captures my mind. There are loads of artists that I like, but I can't say that my work is influenced by specific painters. I sound like a dick.
[laughter]
Addy: No, not at all! If you don't feel like anyone's a direct influence then I don't think you should try and force it. Musicians are also artists, it's just a different medium.
Salomé: Exactly.
Addy: What do you find the most difficult about creating art?
Salomé: I think a difficult thing for me is worrying about the outcome of my works, especially since I’ve started exhibiting at galleries. I don't know how it happened, I just started to worry about what the piece was going to look like. I can feel myself getting stressed while I'm making works, which is quite new to me.
The best piece of work that I’ve produced is probably In Contemplation. I received so much great feedback about that painting, everyone loves it.
In Contemplation by Salomé Wu
I was like, “Oh my God.” because I actually made it in like a few hours or something like that. Two nights, and it was done. I didn’t really think about it, even while making it, I just made it. Whereas a lot of my pieces, the ones that take the longest, are the least popular ones.
Addy: That’s always the case. In Contemplation is one of my favourites!
Salomé: Another thing I’m struggling with right now is my toxic studio. (laughs) I’ve always had a live and work set up, I think that's just the way I work best. But I realise that I’ve been doing this now for so many years. It's really bad. My skin is having some problems as a result of using White Spirit.
My thumb isn’t broken, but the skin around it isn’t very good. That’s one of the side effects of using White Spirit. I recently decided that I need to have a non-toxic studio, so I’ve stopped using turpentine. Other than that, I actually really, really enjoy painting. It's my life. I can’t live without it, I don't think. Crazy, isn't it?
Addy: Omg yes, but paint can also be really toxic 💀 so please be careful! Do you have a favourite piece of work that you've created?
Salomé: My favourite is actually my most recent one. It's called May These Mortal Flowers Capture Them. I'll show you. Have you seen this one before?
May These Mortal Flowers Capture Them by Salomé Wu
Addy: Oh, yes!
Salomé: It's my favourite of all time.
Addy: It’s honestly so good.
Salomé: Thank you, it's really different. It’s going to be promoted by a gallery called Huxley-Parlour. Have you heard of it?
Addy: Yes, of course! That's amazing. What do you like about it?
Salomé: I don't know, I think it's mainly because it's very different from all of my other paintings. I sometimes just stare at it and space out. I feel like it has so much depth to it, lots of different layers in terms of meaning. I’ve also had so much positive feedback from this painting. The more I look at it, the more I feel like it symbolises quite an important moment in my life. I feel like I can find freedom in that.
Addy: Amazing.
Salomé: My friend walked in and saw it and said, “I just want to follow that path.” [gestures to the centre of the painting] It's actually a river. She was like, “I can just imagine myself walking down that path and disappearing.” I was like, “Okay.” (laughs) I feel like a lot of my paintings have many layers.
Addy: Omg. (laughs) How do you know when a painting is complete?
Salomé: Usually I can tell if something's not right by just looking at it. I take a lot of time to just step back and look at my paintings from afar. I don't know if other people do that. It's really helpful to just look. Then there’s that moment where you say, “Oh, I think it's done.” How do other people know?
Addy: Some people have said that they feel like it's never really done, even when they submit it for an exhibition, they feel like it's not finished.
Salomé: Really? Okay.
Addy: Some people say, it's just when they're tired and they don't want to work on it anymore.
Salomé: That's funny. (laughs) I love that.
Addy: I feel like everyone's approach is so different.
Salomé: Yes, of course.
Addy: Do you ever go back and change things?
Salomé: No, I don't usually revisit a painting. My grandmother always tells me that once a moment has passed, you'll never find it again. She also tells me to keep all my best works and not to sell them. (laughs)
Addy: I think that's really good advice! You might never see a work again if it goes into a private collection.
Salomé: That's true, isn't it? That's very sad. My works are like my babies. Before I started to work with galleries and auction houses, I actually had loads of works already. I had stacks of them, like big canvases, and everyone kept telling me, “Why don't you show them?” “Why don't you sell them?” I would say, “I just can't.” I have such an attachment to them. They used to be at the side of my studio, stacking up, until one day I realised I didn't have space to put them anymore. That's how it all started really. Otherwise, I’d never let them go. (laughs)
Addy: I think it’s natural for you to have an attachment to your works. Your studio is so cute by the way.
Salomé: Thank you. (laughs) It's such a princess room.
Addy: It has such a clear aesthetic. I feel like it fits your paintings as well.
Salomé: I think my room seems quite sweet, but my painting are actually quite dark.
Morph by Salomé Wu
Addy: But visually they're very peaceful and delicate.
Salomé: Then when you look closer it’s like, “Fuck.”
[laughter]
Salomé: I think that's also how I keep the room in balance. Some paintings are quite dark and intense, whilst the room is quite cute.
Addy: Yes, the contrast works so well. Last question! What's next for you?
Salomé: What's next for me? I don't know. I think this lockdown in particular has prompted me to reevaluate the things that are really important to me. Also, certain friendships and connections that I have. I feel like I'm progressing a lot emotionally.
I almost want to just stay away from humanity for a while. I’ve been thinking about maybe just going somewhere for a short while, to make work in solitude. I really want to do that.
I also have some really exciting shows coming up. One with Changing Room Gallery in Soho, it’s going to be a group show. Another one with a curator called Joel Moss. That's going to be in a church, which is so exciting. I love churches. (laughs)
I'm going to make loads of works, but after that I just want some time where I have very little human interaction, just for a little while. I think it would be beneficial. I'm thinking that I'll just get a shed somewhere and paint in the garden or something.(laughs)
Addy: That sounds so nice.
Salomé: I would really like that.
Addy: I'm excited to see the works that come from the shed.
Salomé: Thank you, I hope it will happen. A lot of the time, I choose to play it safe. I really want to just do something crazy for a bit. (laughs)
Addy: I mean, why not, right?
Salomé: Exactly. I'm only young once.
Offering It to the Sun by Salomé Wu
Addy: Yes, so true. Okay, so at the end of interviews, I like to do something called a rapid fire round 🔥🔥
Salomé: Yes, of course.
Addy: Here we go! Cubism or naïve art?
Salomé: Naïve art.
Addy: Judy Chicago or Cindy Sherman?
Salomé: Cindy Sherman.
Addy: Painting or installation?
Salomé: Painting.
Addy: Daisies or lilies?
Salomé: Lilies.
Addy: Instagram or TikTok?
Salomé: Instagram. I don't have TikTok. (laughs)
Addy: Dresses or jumpsuits?
Salomé: Dresses.
Addy: Dogs or cats?
Salomé: Cats.
Addy: Beer or wine?
Salomé: Wine. (we stan)
Addy: Same! Favourite film?
Salomé: The Colour of Pomegranates.
Addy: Cool, I’ve never heard of that one.
Salomé: It's really great.
Addy: Hidden talent?
Salomé: I’m double-jointed, a little bit.
Addy: Lol. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Salomé: That's an interesting question. I don't know, I would want to heal people. I would love to be able to do that.
Addy: Oh, that's really nice. Nobody’s picked that one before.
Salomé: Really?
Addy: Yes. That's so kind.
Salomé: I'd heal myself first because my finger is fucked.
[laughter]
Addy: Final question! What is the last song that you listened to?
Salomé: Take This Waltz by Leonard Cohen.
Addy: Amazing. Thanks so much Salomé! This was really fun.
Salomé: I really enjoyed it. Thank you.