Armada (6)

Armada is part of a series of composite paintings which Ce Jian started in 2016. The initial idea came from a technique known as “dazzle painting,” which was invented by the British during World War One to protect ships from being hit by German torpedoes. The concept behind dazzle camouflage is to essentially transform a three-dimensional body via abstract geometric painting into a two-dimensional image, as perceived deceptively by the eye, such as through the enemy's periscope. Jian's current work revolves around the questions touched on by these potential parallels: the material body and real space in relation to virtual bodies and spatial illusions in painting. The works in Armada deal with the illusionism, camouflage and the dissolving shapes of the ships, which appear cubist and flat as a visual surface, but are in reality huge, threatening physical bodies. At the same time, seeing them as a combinable series helps her to overcome the classic singular tableau – thus opening her painting toward a more site-specific strategy.