The artworks in Ocean Views for the Aesthetic Traveller were created in the latter part of 2013. This series emerged as a natural extension of an earlier body of work, Me and Mu Chi’s Six Persimmons, which involved a deep study of early Chinese ink painters from the Sung dynasty (1127–1279 AD).
Throughout my practice, I have drawn inspiration from Zen Buddhist aesthetics, particularly the expressive, spontaneous energy found in traditional flung ink painting. Another formative influence has been the American Action Painters of the 1940s–60s, whose dynamic gestures and immediacy resonate strongly with my own process.
In this series, I sought to translate the vitality of flung brushstrokes into three-dimensional relief using silver, gold, copper, and reflective holographic materials. The meditative process behind this technique—paired with the lustrous and ephemeral quality of the materials—helped crystallize a central realization: what is, can be anything. Perception is not limited to the eye alone.
The sea, ever-shifting and alive, became a metaphor and a subject—its energy transformed into forms of immediacy and suchness. All works are rendered on handmade Japanese paper, a fitting medium given its traditional use in ink painting and its sensitivity to both material and gesture.
“Seascape 31” – Adriano Gemelli – 920mm x 620mm – Relief copper, reflective hologram and mixed media on handmade Japanese paper
“Seascape 63” – 920mm x 620mm – Relief copper, reflective hologram and mixed media on handmade Japanese paper
Installation View
“Seascape 04” – 920mm x 620mm – Relief copper, reflective hologram and mixed media on handmade Japanese paper
“Seascape 12” – 920mm x 620mm – Relief copper, reflective hologram and mixed media on handmade Japanese paper
“Seascape 27” – 920mm x 620mm – Relief copper and mixed media on handmade Japanese paper
“Seascape 57” – 920mm x 620mm – Relief copper, reflective hologram and mixed media on handmade Japanese paper
“Seascape 43” – 920mm x 620mm – Relief copper and mixed media on handmade Japanese paper