Bio

Helen Mak is a self-taught Chinese-Canadian artist based in Toronto. Her work blends traditional Chinese shan shui (landscape) painting with abstract expressionism, influenced by her experiences as a second-generation Chinese-Canadian. Mak explores the complexities of growing up with both Eastern and Western teachings, using dreamlike landscapes to envision a world where these cultures intersect. Her paintings examine themes of belonging, displacement, and the tension between tradition and modernity, with nature and the environment playing a central role. Through her work, Mak invites viewers to reflect on identity, culture, and our connection to the world around us.

Artist Statement

Bouquet explores nature as a space that holds emotions, with no boundaries between what’s felt and what’s real. Its moving energy and impermanence reminds the viewer of the fleeting yet profound moments that connect us to the natural world. Inspired by the fluidity of Chinese shan shui and abstract expressionism, Helen Mak’s intuitive approach to painting reflects the symbiotic relationship between the self and the environment.

Bouquet invites the viewer to play with the spirituality of nature. Each mark, texture, and gesture of the painting echoes the presence of life, revealing the landscape to be not only a physical space, but a surreal manifestation of emotion and spirit.

The work's layers of texture evoke transformation: a convergence of time, movement, and sensation. As viewers immerse themselves in the piece, they are meant to feel the delicate interplay between growth and decay, stillness and flux. It becomes a mirror, reflecting the observer’s inner world and offering a chance to pause, breathe, and acknowledge the interconnectedness of all life. Through this process, Bouquet shows the viewer how the natural world can be both a place for quiet reflection and a constant, evolving source of vitality.

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