September 8 - 29, 2018

Spoke Art San Francisco is pleased to present preludes, a solo exhibition by San Francisco-based artist Helice Wen. For her second solo exhibition with the gallery, Wen will exhibit new drawings, paintings and photographs exploring the patterns of everyday life.

“In music, the prelude is an introductory piece; the smaller motif that will appear repeatedly through the whole act,” Helice Wen explains. Creating a visual prelude, Wen introduces the viewer to patterns throughout her everyday life. From the wink of a candle to the unfurling of a flower and its eventual death, the artist explores the beauty of these small, fleeting moments that can be overlooked.

Incorporating her traditional training in Chinese watercolor and calligraphy, Wen’s work displays both a tightly controlled command of her medium alongside fluid and serendipitous mark making. Exhibiting her photographs for the first time, we are given a behind the scenes view into Wen’s artistic process. The artist’s widely varied practice from carefully photographing her subjects to delicate drawings and richly colored paintings offer the viewer a small glimpse into intimate moments and recollections of memories.