Tracie Cheng | When Light Breaks In

NAVA Contemporary is pleased to present, When Light Breaks In, a new online exhibition of paintings by Tracie Cheng.

In the moments between dusk and dawn, one can revel in the changing colors of the sky. It begins with a deep, inky darkness, and eventually gives way to wisps of pale pinks and purples. These intimate hours are where Tracie Cheng has found herself countless times, nurturing her children. Although her boys are not so tiny these days, those early years of sleepless nights, cradling a piece of her heart in the thick quiet, serves as the inspiration for this recent series of paintings. When Light Breaks In references the slow and steady shift from night to day alongside the complexities of parenthood, filled with exhaustion and cracks of brilliance.

“There is something sacred about being up at any and all hours with a small human that depends fully on you,” states Cheng, “the sacrifice is real, and the joy is overwhelming.” It is with this sentiment that Cheng created these works. There is an invitation into the quiet of her home, to sense the suffering of many a sleepless night, and honor the wonder of a child new to this world. More than just a commentary on motherhood, these paintings transport you to an intimate moment of a baby syncing their breath to yours while watching the colors outside subtly shift into light. They offer a moment to consider how precious it all is.

Conceived in two parts, three additional larger artworks were created for this series 6 months after the initial collection was completed. The joy and transformation Cheng experiences through her children continues to serve as inspiration for her practice as a whole. “I am who I have always been and still yet this new being in the making.”

Tracie Cheng lives and works in Connecticut. She holds a degree in architecture from the University of Texas at Austin. Cheng’s work has been exhibited internationally, including New York, Shanghai, Vancouver, and Miami. Her art was featured on the cover of Vanessa Huang’s book, Quiet of Chorus, and has been included in Design Sponge, Luxe Interiors + Design, Design Milk and Vogue UK.