Clem So Clem So : Tracing The Intangible

My work is an on going investigation into my Chinese identity, but also the feeling of loss, a numbness of something not quite there.
I can be a person at cross-purpose with myself, a dual identity that reveals itself in the texture of my work, but at the core, a true sense of self transcends and binds all that has come before, into one cohesive visual whole.

Through a combination of the traditional and digital process, I am able to peel back and reveal hidden layers of abstracted texture and subtle gestures of narrative transmitted as compelling portraiture and installation work.

This desire to connect with my ancestral past feels intangible but it is there nevertheless and I want to convey that. My parents travelled from the South of China, laying down roots here in Liverpool, England in late 1957, the city where I was born and my work touches on the diaspora and this cultural conundrum.

The aim of my work is to entice you with a simultaneity of narratives and to nurture your soul with a virtual feast of visual flavours. My desire is for you to stay awhile and converse with my ancestors and perhaps reflect, reminisce about your own family connections. Where am I from? Who am I really? What are all the conditions that caused me to exist in my present form?

My current work sees me unravel my outer shell and burrow deeper into the underbelly of my own identity and the link between my past, present and future. This is reflected in my illustrations, which begin with the flow of Chinese ink, bleeding, layering and merging with photographic elements such as food, ghost money and terracotta warriors, suggesting, connection, memory, culture and the afterlife.

Clem So successfully completed a one year Foundation course at Blackpool Art College, studied 2 years in BA Graphic Design and Illustration at the Camberwell School of Art and Crafts and has a degree in BA Fine Art with 1st Class Honours at Plymouth University.

View my website http://www.clemso.com/

My Location

Telephone: 07854 474 840
Email: artist@clemso.com
Website: http://www.clemso.com/

Profile Details

My News

Devon artist to appear on BBC Two’s Show Me The Monet Series 2  / <span itemprop="startDate" content="2012-07-09T00:00:00Z">Mon 09 Jul 2012</span>Devon artist to appear on BBC Two’s Show Me The Monet Series 2 / Mon 09 Jul 2012

Devon based artist Clem So will appear on BBC Two art programme Show Me The Monet on 26 July at 3 pm. From an initial entry of 3000 artists, amateur and professional, Clem So made it through to the final 150 and has ...

My Events

Clem So at True Identity Exhibition, View Art Gallery, Bristol / <span >Thu 15 Nov 2012</span> to <span  itemprop="endDate" content="2013-01-26T00:00:00Z">Sat 26 Jan 2013</span> <span>(2 months)</span>Clem So at True Identity Exhibition, View Art Gallery, Bristol / Thu 15 Nov 2012 to Sat 26 Jan 2013 (2 months)

Clem's work with be on show at the View Art Gallery, Bristol as part of the 'True Identity' Exhibition from 15th November 2012 -26th January 2013 View Art Gallery, 156-161 Hotwell road, Bristol. BS8 4RY Clem will h...

TRACE : The work of Alice Leach, Kate Marshall &amp; Clem So / <span itemprop="startDate" content="2011-09-04T00:00:00Z">Sun 04</span> to <span  itemprop="endDate" content="2011-09-10T00:00:00Z">Sat 10 Sep 2011</span> <span>(1 week)</span>TRACE : The work of Alice Leach, Kate Marshall & Clem So / Sun 04 to Sat 10 Sep 2011 (1 week)

This year In conjunction with both Devon Open Studios and Totnes Festival, established local artists Alice Leach, Kate Marshall and Clem So join forces to put on a new exciting art show called TRACE at Birdwood House Gal...

Clem So : Losing Face / <span itemprop="startDate" content="2011-04-26T00:00:00Z">Tue 26 Apr</span> to <span  itemprop="endDate" content="2011-05-22T00:00:00Z">Sun 22 May 2011</span> <span>(4 weeks)</span>Clem So : Losing Face / Tue 26 Apr to Sun 22 May 2011 (4 weeks)

The Exeter Phoenix Bar Gallery, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS Tue 26 Apr - Sun 22 May 2011 Gallery Opening Times: MON - SAT: 10am-5pm SUN: 11.30am-5pm. Entry is Free. Clem So’s images ebb with the flo...