Salomé Wu:“Where the Long Shadows Fall” – The Lovers
2020
Signed on reverse
Oil on canvas
60 1/4 x 36 1/4 inches

Where the Long Shadows Fall – The Lovers, centres on two figures who spring from a rich source of blue, facing each other surrounded by a divine glow and bright red flowers. The pair appear engrossed in each other, shielded from the outside by their warmth and mutual affection.

Detail from “Where the Long Shadows Fall” – The Lovers, 2020. Salomé Wu
There is an ethereal quality to the work as the figures float in an undefined space, the flowers wilting into the background through Wu’s delicate application of paint. The work appears to capture a moment of suspended animation that entwines the two figures together forever. This is typical of Wu’s practice which examines otherworldliness through translations and ever-evolving reinterpretations of a mythology, formed from her observation of time, fragility, and the interplay between reality and the unseen.
Wu’s composition is dominated by confident, fluid lines which give form to the figures. The curves of the figures and curls of their hair are replicated in the painting’s background, dominated by wisps of paint that lend the painting a calligraphic, expressive quality. Wu reinforces these expressive qualities through her limited colour palette. Her bold use of red invigorates the canvas with a sense of intimacy, tempered by the cool blues.
Studio






B. China1996
Biography
Born in 1996, Salomé Wu gained a BA from Chelsea College of Arts, London before graduating in 2020 with an MA in Fine Art, Printmaking from Camberwell College of Arts, London.
Wu’s practice incorporates various mediums including painting, installation and performance. Her work examines otherworldliness through translations and ever-evolving reinterpretations of mythology.
Her work has been exhibited extensively in the UK. Wu lives and works in London.