In the first few weeks of Jiaxin Nong’s pregnancy, before she was even aware of the transformation that was happening inside her body, the artist experienced a series of mysterious and strangely hyperreal dreams. It was almost as though visions from her past were materialising in front of her eyes… Rewinding backwards through high school and her childhood, Jiaxin’s surreal dreams seemed to be based on a series of vividly conjured forgotten memories, pulling her back to a time where as a young child she would play games with her parents.

It was as though her body and her subconscious mind knew that change was coming. That a new life would be quite unexpectedly entering her world. That a cycle was about to repeated. That a new beginning had arrived…

As her body slowly changed and transformed, so did Jiaxin’s paintings. Earlier works are defined by large, loose, sweeping gestures pulled across the canvas in bursts of dynamic energy. Now her mark-making became smaller and more contained. As her pregnancy developed, Jiaxin’s paintings became more intimate and detailed. Her softening into motherhood reflected in her new softer, paler palette.

The evolution of this body of artworks documents a journey. A metamorphosis. A creative birthing and a literal birthing. These paintings are imbued with the hopes and dreams of motherhood. They are soaked in wonderment and anticipation. They conjure the fantasy world into which an expectant mother escapes as she wonders about what will come next. They evoke the struggle and at times fear that all new mothers feel. They represent the transcendent refuge which all creatives turn to. They represent new life.