《蝴蝶之影 — 趙綺婷畫展》
The Shadow of Butterflies, 2026 — Elaine Chiu Art Exhibition
《蝴蝶之影》呈現藝術家趙綺婷創作道路上的重要轉折——從描繪城市景觀與公共記憶，轉向探索家庭敘事與內在情感地景。過往，她以記錄香港城市紋理與集體記憶見稱，被視為「香港城市畫家」。在本系列中，她以更抽象的形式語言，回望母愛、成長與時間流逝的複雜層次，並重新審視女性在家庭角色中的情感重量。
系列的靈感源於一次探望外婆的旅程。返程途中，母親一句「好久沒有覺得自己還是一個小朋友」成為觸發點，使藝術家意識到女性在家庭中長期承受的無形壓力。她因而以繪畫作為與記憶、脆弱與愛的誠實對話，將私人經驗轉化為普遍性的情感語彙。
作品中反覆出現的「格子」結構，如同承載回憶的像素盒子，既延續她對城市紋理的敏感，也象徵家庭記憶的碎片化與多層次性。早期作品色調較為陰鬱，具象的室內空間與盆花意象呈現她初次直視母愛時的猶疑與不安。隨着創作推進，她重新調整自己在家庭中的角色，並在舊影像與逐漸模糊的照片中重新捕捉情感的核心。蝴蝶因而成為貫穿系列的象徵：生命短暫、姿態輕盈，卻能留下深刻印記。
作品以水彩為主，利用其透明與流動性，呈現「相」的易逝與「情」的延續。色彩在格子間跳躍交織，如同人生五味，也如同母親與外婆以自身的光照亮下一代的方式。
《蝴蝶之影》不僅是藝術家的個人回望，也是對女性生命經驗、家庭情感與記憶形構方式的當代思考。透過在抽象與具象之間的游移，她為母愛提供了一種更開放、更複調的觀看方式。
The Shadow of Butterflies marks a significant turning point in Elaine Chiu’s artistic practice—from depicting urban landscapes and collective memory to exploring the intimate emotional terrains of family, womanhood, and remembrance. Previously celebrated as a “painter of Hong Kong’s cityscape,” Chiu now turns inward, employing a more abstract visual language to examine the complexities of maternal love, growth, and the passage of time.
The series originated from a journey to visit her grandmother. On the return trip, her mother remarked that she had not felt like “a child” for a long time—a simple sentence that revealed the emotional weight borne by women within familial roles. This moment prompted Chiu to revisit her own experiences of growing up, using painting as a medium for honest dialogue with memory, vulnerability, and love.
The recurring grid structure throughout the series functions as a repository of recollection—pixel-like compartments that echo her sensitivity to urban textures while symbolizing the fragmented, multilayered nature of family memory. Early works are darker and more figurative, depicting interior spaces and a central potted plant, reflecting her initial hesitation when confronting maternal love. As the series progressed, she renegotiated her roles within the family, discovering through old videos and fading photographs that while images may deteriorate, emotional resonance grows sharper. The butterfly emerges as a key motif—ephemeral yet luminous, leaving a lasting imprint.
In the exhibits, watercolor becomes the primary medium. Its transparency and fluidity articulate the tension between the transience of appearances and the persistence of feeling. Colors shift and collide within the grid, evoking the intertwined “five flavors” of life and the quiet, steadfast ways her mother and grandmother illuminated her world.
The Shadow of Butterflies is both a personal reflection and a contemporary meditation on women’s lived experiences, familial bonds, and the construction of memory. Moving between abstraction and figuration, Chiu offers a nuanced, multifaceted lens through which to contemplate the nature of maternal love.
