Emma Lau: A Quiet Mind II

A Quiet Mind II – solo exhibition by Emma Lau

Exhibition: 14th-29th August, 1pm-6pm
Opening Reception: 15th August, 6-9pm

Lower Gallery of the Toronto Centre for the Arts
5040 Yonge Street, Toronto ON, M2N 6R8

Emma Lau was born in 1979, London, England. She has lived in London, Hong Kong, and Toronto, having immersed in both The East and The West. Lau’s art exhibition presents paintings that make visual her meditation experience. She also examines how the act of meditation changes decisions made within art-making. Her work is primarily within abstraction using acrylic on canvas. The scale of her work varies from small canvases to canvases as tall as she is.

Lau’s experience with meditation started in 2009. She had read a lot of spiritual books and books on Eastern philosophy and they all emphasized the importance of meditating as well as reading – that it was not enough to simply have the knowledge from reading – one must meditate too. In 2009, she found a group that believed, as she did, that the way to achieve a sustainable world peace was through individuals experiencing their inner peace and the way to this was through meditation. Through this group, Lau was eventually invited to Thailand in 2010, Buddhist monks who have mastered meditation guided her to meditate at a deep level. This had a profound effect on all aspects of her life and subsequent artwork.

Emma Lau meditates before each painting session. The meditation that precedes the beginning of a new painting is especially important. After meditation, she begins to paint. Part of her mind is still in the depths of the meditation and that affects the composition of the painting. She paints in abstraction, but there is an element of description to her work. As though of a place familiar though never visited. Sometimes there is a sense of an opening or gateway, perhaps to another dimension or a deeper level within meditation.

At the least, she hopes people enjoy the experience of the exhibition and viewing the paintings. At most, Lau hopes people (who do not yet meditate) may be inspired to try meditation some time in the future. She hopes people further question the belief that there is something greater in existence than what we currently perceive.

This exhibition is part of the Northbound Gallery Program presented by North York Arts.

Website: https://www.emmalauart.com/
Instagram: @emmalauart @northyorkarts
NorthYorkArts event: http://www.northyorkarts.org/project/lau/

Exhibition: 14th-29th August 1pm-6pm
Opening Reception: 15th August 6-9pm
Venue: Lower Gallery of the Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge Street, Toronto ON, M2N 6R8

Contact: Emma Lau
E-mail: emmalauart@gmail.com