For over 20 years my abstract works on paper have indirectly referenced the environment, images of nature and architecture. My monotypes are based on a collection of images from actual places either stored in my memory or from personal photographs and sketches. They capture a world in constant change. Through the intuitive process of monotype printmaking, each image is created on a plastic printing plate, using inks and crayons. The images are then transferred onto paper through an etching press, resulting in a unique print. This process which I have developed through the years, combines my painting and printmaking background, as well as my interest to explore the world around me beyond representational imagery.
February 16 - March 18, 2017.
In Points of Abstraction, Astrid Ho explores images of various architectural interiors and exteriors in abstract compositions such as the Hearn Generating Station, and the Liverpool, England Train Station. The subjects of her work are based on personal photos taken from her phone in the summer of 2016 as a passive visitor of the locations. She sees formalist and abstract compositions in the everyday. See more.
My abstract works reference images of nature and the environment. In-Flight Views is a new series of monotypes on paper, which reference nature from an aerial view. The images are based on snapshots taken during flights to/from Thunder Bay, Vancouver and New York City, between August and November 2013. They explore distilled views of passing moments in time. Prints were printed at Open Studio. Read more
My mother gave me various objects during Chinese celebrations such as the Lunar New Year or my birthday under the lunar calendar. At first I interpreted the objects as having profound meanings in Chinese mythology, and that these plastic, sprayed “gold” forms were given to me by my mother as a way to instill Chinese tradition. But the intention of these objects were merely kitsch, and my mother intended them to be whimsical gifts. Their interpreted meanings became the focus of my work, and I seek to find the narrative associated with these objects. Read more
I gratefully acknowledge the support from the Ontario Arts Council through the Access and Career Development Grant for this project. The prints in this exhibition were created at Open Studio, and portions of this project were printed in collaboration with master printer, Jill Graham.
See Globe and Mail review about the exhibition (2010).
This is a series of print installations focusing on images based on the small gifts that my mother gives me. They are her way of instilling traditional Chinese values and beliefs. Having immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong at the age of five, her gifts are symbolic of the life that we left behind. They are both familiar and foreign. This series of prints attempts to reconcile my Canadian upbringing with the traditions and values of my Chinese background—as perceived by my mother’s ready-made gifts. Read more
Past Stories, Present Sense, group exhibition co-curated with Suzanne Morrissette at Harbourfrount Centre. Artists are David Cheung, Brenda Joy Lem, Morris Lum and Emma Nishimura. June 20 - September 20, 2015. Photo by Thomas Blanchard.
Past Stories, Present Sense, group exhibition co-curated with Suzanne Morrissette at Harbourfrount Centre. Artworks by Emma Nishimura and David Cheung. June 20 - September 20, 2015. Photo by Thomas Blanchard.
Past Stories, Present Sense, group exhibition co-curated with Suzanne Morrissette at Harbourfrount Centre. Artworks are by David Cheung and Morris Lum. June 20 - September 20, 2015. Photo by Thomas Blanchard.
Past Stories, Present Sense, group exhibition co-curated with Suzanne Morrissette at Harbourfrount Centre. Artworks are by Morris Lum and Brenda Joy Lem. June 20 - September 20, 2015. Photo by Thomas Blanchard.
A Collection of Prints: A Selection of Work from Members of Open Studio, November 2012 - February 2013
The vitrines of Harbourfront Centre on January 28 - April 15, 2012. Group exhibition curated by Patrick Macaulay with eight artists including Tara Cooper, Tom Ngo, Marie De Sousa and myself.
Broken Bowl #2, Astrid Ho, lithography on washi with handmade box, 1/1, 5.5” x 5.5” x 2.5”; bowl, 2007; box, 2011. Group exhibition, Constructed View, Harbourfront Centre, 2012. More
A print project collaborating with over 15 visual artists and writers, exploring images and text that represent community.