How to be quiet, when the world is so loud? Where do small objects find their place in a large empty room? How can an object or material be itself, and also remind you of something else? These are the kinds of meditative questions that the artworks of Su-Mei Tse inspire.

Often centering on nature or fragile man-made materials, Tse’s photographs, objects, installations, and videos thoughtfully reconsider the ways that physical entities and images meet. A photo of an ear is placed in a bird’s nest resting on an antique table; seven rectangles of paper-thin porcelain are wrapped in tissue and placed on the ground before a large window; two red strings intersect differently in each of several brass plates. Tse, who is trained as a classical cellist as well as an artist, spoke with ArtAsiaPacific during a recent exhibition at Kiang Malingue gallery in Hong Kong. The resident of Luxembourg and Berlin, born in 1973 of Chinese and British descent, described a fascinating practice that explores the relationships between things, words, and images, via what she calls her “poetical view.” Read about her practice in our upcoming May/June issue.