Starting from 2024, Bouie Choi’s practice has shifted from explicit cityscapes toward more intuitive and introspective visual narratives—in her own words, “searching for the inner light and anchors in the spinning world.”
Not that she has dismissed her beloved city’s landscape and pressing issues; rather, her lens has deepened and expanded. The urgent rhythms and structural friction of Hong Kong are not abandoned, but are instead metabolized into a universal quest for endurance. By turning toward organic elements like postal systems and liminal thresholds, Choi transposes the specific weight of urban survival into a broader psychological topography. Her move inward is not an escape from reality, but a profound recalibration—proving that to look deeply at the self and nature is simply another, more enduring way of bearing witness to the world.
Aurora 朝霞
2024, acrylic on wood, 151.5 x 60.4 cm
In ancient times, there was a saying, “朝霞不出門，晚霞行千里” (one does not leave the door when there is aurora, one can travel a thousand miles when there is evening glow). “朝霞” refers to the reflective light on the clouds in the morning, which has been used by peasants since ancient times as an indicator for forecasting rain throughout the day.
This painting raised a question of what are invisible and absent in present time. It contemplates the missing elements such as the source of light, the objects to be fished or airdropped, a true shelter that can protect us, and the ultimate destination of our path.
The tree grows alongside the heartless fence, symbolically bridging together fragmented moments to form this landscape. I imagine that the tree represents Aurora, the goddess of dawn, who brings us genuine strength and hope to confront the challenges in the upcoming times.