Ida Tong

After painting with oil and acrylic for many years, I now delve into mixing all media such as oil, acrylic, soil, glue, photos, magazine pictures, feathers, oil pastel, glue, gel, recycled materials, and whatever I feel that is appropriate for each particular painting. There is a tremendous freedom to explore and experiment in mixed media, something that I would never consider before, and now I am free from traditional paintings. It is like shedding old skin, getting rid of old habits and restrictions – a new way of playing, composing, and seeing.

Currently, my paintings are depicted from everyday life and our worldly issues, such as religion, greed, aggression, our relationship with indigenous people, and violence against children, girls, women, and common people. Although these are serious matters, I consciously focus on the beauty and peaceful outcome, a non-radical approach. Instead of seeing absurdity, I look for divinity, from differences to similarities, and negativity to positivity. Believing that I am a realist, not a surrealist, I will continue creating images on canvases to reflect on our global community, raising social consciousness from these concerns.