A Party that No One Can Attend , 2022

Love and loneliness in the time of separations

Irene Chung

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

1,500.00 USD

Money back guarantee

We plan to ship within 72 hours

The Back Story

A Party that No One Can Attend

Love and loneliness in the time of separations

This painting is inspired by the paradoxical feeling of intimacy and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when people could no longer attend loved ones' birthdays in person but the wishes were still present. Recently, the feeling of disconnection came back to me as I just graduated from college this year and moved away from my family and friends. I suddenly realized the discomfort associated with adulting. The arbitrary perspective of the flipped table portrays the surreal feeling in this painting, while the texture-heavy cake on the table depicts the tangibility of joy in our life.

*this painting comes with a floating frame

The Creator

Irene Chung

Specialization/Major

Art – Illustration

Graduation Year

2024

Location

United States

About

Irene Chung is an Illustrator based between Taipei and Providence. Coming from a background of health science and journalism, Irene couldn’t deny her passion for art and therefore decided to hone her artistic skills at RISD. She is drawn to illustrating scenes that celebrate the love and joy. In her free time, she is watching romantic movies, reading at a coffee shop, or traveling to find inspiration.

Go to Irene Chung's page

Features

Imperial

Metric

Measurements (Width X Height X Depth)

18 X 24 in

45.72 X 60.96 Cm

Weight

2 lb

0.91 Kg

Materials

Acrylics on Canvas

The Process

This project is a color study done in my Graduate Studio at RISD. By using only two major colors, the scene looks surreal compared to taking a tricolor approach. The texture of the pieces of cake that are closer to the audience portray the tangible part in our life, but looking afar where no one is coming to the celebration, the feelings of loneliness and hard to get overwhelm this work. I hope this painting could be relatable to the audience, as some of us might have similar experiences during the pandemic where the city was in lockdown and travel was not possible.