Hong Kong-born artist Annysa Ng studied under watercolour painting master Kan May-tin before she relocated to New York a few years ago, where she is now based. Tipped as one of the top 10 contemporary artists to watch back in 2008 by the The Sunday Times in the UK, she has since returned to the home of her birth to show off her latest work. In her latest exhibition, Eyes Closed, Ng reflects on Hong Kong’s somewhat ambiguous identity via featureless silhouetted figures, dressed in traditional Chinese costumes but with the addition of particularly un-Chinese Elizabethan-style collars.

Your work seems to be very sensitive to the notion of identity. Do you have something to say about history?
We can’t really evaluate history, yet we are being influenced by it. It’s a kind of reflection without answers. You can’t really analyse [recent events] until a hundred of years later. When you are living in it, it’s hard to comment. It’s all very nebulous to me.

Is that why you keep your subjects faceless and featureless?
All my figures are featureless and emotionless. In my opinion, it’s hard to comment on Hong Kong’s identity and history and I’m somewhat unwilling to do so. I try not to reveal my emotions. So, I want the faces to be blacked out.

Your intention to merge Chinese and Western costume is evident in this series. But why did you pick the Elizabethan collar specifically? Any symbolic meaning there?
If I am to show the character of the [silhouette] figure, costume is a strong element. Most of the Chinese costume is from the Qing Dynasty – it’s when the Opium War took place. When it comes to English costume, the most striking element to me is the Elizabethan ruffle collar. I think the collars give a feeling, vaguely, of control and constraint, despite its charm. It’s not a strong statement of feminism. It’s not intentional but I’m always conscious about the suppression of women.

What about this work titled Searching? What are these spiritual scripts in the background?
I came across them in a Daoist book while [I was] researching. What first captured my attention were the lines of the mystical characters. They are, to me, a visual arrangement. The dots above are star patterns in Chinese astrology. The figures in front are Chinese deities who are collecting herbs. Daoism is interested in the studies of medical recipes, a way to cope with the unknowable future. Magical spells and medicine can give us a sense of relief. Actually, every human being is searching for that. This applies to the situation in Hong Kong: we are still searching for our direction.

What are the usual reactions from your viewers?
Some people saw my paintings and asked: “Why don’t you draw the faces as well?” Then I thought: You’d just seen the main point [of the work].

Interview: Winnie Chau

Eyed Closed is at Blindspot Gallery until June 4.