'Serotonin', 48x60, Acrylic on cigarette foil on board, 2019. Sold Growing up in the 80's and 90's meant that (for those in the know) we were exposed to a myriad of transformations, new technologies, cultures and shifts in art, music styles, fashion and lifestyles. It was a time when (in accordance with mental health institutions and schools of psychology) 'being positive', 'awakening the giant within' and the 'laws of attraction' were being promoted and heralded as the way to be and think. Think positive! The invention of the Atari, Commodore 64, the Apple Macintosh, Windows 95 (PC computers), CD, VCD and DVD players - meant that consumer mindsets and habits had to change. I, for one, was on board with this. It was new, fun, interactive. But I was (and probably still am, in most circumstances) an introvert (with the learned exception of when I'm performing music, writing or engaged in sports). This meant that I would be okay sitting down by myself for long periods of time either tinkering with these new fangled contraptions, or just listening to music or playing board games with one or two close friends. This meant reading books, comics, encyclopaedias, drawing or working at house chores alone. Learning new things alone, was a norm. When you grow up like this, you find fascination, curiosity and interest in the most simplest of things : A piece of rock sheared off a mountain or hill. In the contours and designs of a specific leaf, or the forms of moss and lichen. The textures of paint on asphalt roads, or in the cracking and peeling of paint from weathered walls - All serve to inform the inner tapestry and visual language of an introvert. In other words, and introvert is somebody who is comfortable attending to his/her inner worlds. Yes, there exists a world inside us. One that begs to be questions, prodded, understood, made sense of, ruminated upon, tested in the external 'real world' its validity, theory or otherwise. A way of being that extroverts usually regard as being 'moody' or 'socially awkward'. Extroverts don't take into account these inner worlds as severely or instinctively as introverts do. For most introverts, they do not have a choice. It's not something you can turn off, or on, like a light switch or an oven. In short, extroverts do not recharge or rejuvenate in the face of solitariness. Being alone is not the same as being lonely. While some encounter discomfort, struggle and chaos being alone - I find calmness, peace, serenity and comfort. Just mediating and navigating my inner world brings about order and organization that's needed in times of chaos and turmoil. I think it's one of the main reasons why I choose to be alone on most days, over the need to be surrounded by other people. One cannot escape being with oneself, forever. There will be a time when all we have, are ourselves to contend with. The question is : Do you look after yourself like you would someone you love and cherish? Or do you criticise, blame, judge, reduce your inner self to shreds? And if so, why? 'Entropy', 48x48, Oil on aluminium, 2023, Sold Coming to terms with one's mortality, limitations, biases, needs and shortcomings, is an intrinsic problem and conquest. I applaud those that get down to do the dirty work. For one can only run and hide for so long. Everything that we experience in life is recorded somehow on a cellular level. It's what we make of it all; that matters. It's about perception and understanding concepts and patterns. First you acknowledge it. Then you accept it. And then you let it go.
And there's a lot of work to be done in the world with regards to this. Extroverts tend to like group settings or experiences that involve lots of people. It lifts them up. Generally labelled as brash, loud and gregarious. In certain aspects I carry the extrovert characteristic : In sports or when performing music or in writing. However, I believe that in order to be confident, we must master a skill. Without mastery of an art form, there's no point in braggadocio. The analytical, organisational and critical part of me is loud and clear on this one. I'm superseded by a voice that tells me to 'think before I speak' or 'learn and master what is important to you'. It's valid. The world loves extroverts. This is evident in our social media feeds, in the financial world, in business, entrepreneurship and in the art world (to a certain extent). However, for all the numerous and overly publicised extrovert behaviour, there exists a considerable - if not equal amount of introverts. Those who quietly toil away, chisel at, who contemplate, reflect, think, write about and ponder silently - their existences, choices and words. It was introverted bankers and financiers who pointed out fallacies and shortcomings, way before a stock market or housing bubbles crashed. It is those who have loud inner voices and consciences, that see things that others don't. Sometimes we all move too fast, don't we?
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'There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen.' - Rumi The new oil on aluminium works seek to combine 2 distinct styles that I've been working on for the past 6 years or so. They are : (1) The cityscape paintings and the (2) Oil on aluminium abstract experiments (namely, the Surface Tension, Terra Firma and Particle Series of works). I've always wanted to paint cityscapes on aluminium composite panels. What a challenge! Thankfully, 2023 (after many murals - which are great experiences) brings this intrinsic calling to realization. In making the works (there are others, which I will slowly parcel out on the socials) I am inured by errors in judgement, limitations and insight which make the work all the more human. The works are failable, immersive, raw and immediate. There's a sense of urgency - the piece almost falls apart. But it doesn't. It's not there yet, and at the same time it has arrived. A delicate balance. A quiet strength. One can very quickly go from - This is okay (not bad) to complete destruction. Aluminiums are very unforgiving surfaces, repelling paint and reacting in quite unconventional ways. We've definitely got a risky thing going on here. 'Elixir' (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, KL), 48x48 inches, Oil on aluminium, 2023. Sold 'Untitled ACP04-2023', 48x48 inches, Oil on aluminium, 2023 This monologue only happens to the best of us. When we are at the precipice of understanding everything, yet oddly in unfamiliar territory. We still don't know what exactly it is that we're searching for. It's a place where experience meets wonder. Where realism dances with abstraction. Where strength meets pliability.
It's where structure meets chaos - beckoning more questions. It's disruptive. A shifting of perspectives. A new way of looking at things. These are concepts. Brought into the world through a desire to form, build, create, cajole, ossify. It is the calling that needed to be heard. It's difficult for me as an artist to leave the marks that were laid down - alone. Because it's final. It cuts off all other possibilities. But it has to be done. It's about instilling discipline into the process. It's about trusting that I have done my best. That we've reached the end. But of course, that never happens intrinsically. 'The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.' - Marcus Aurelius 'Turpentine', 48x48 inches, Oil on aluminium, 2022 (Sold) As I make these works I can't help but think about light, particles and the way consciousness affects these things on a molecular and atomic level. The 'Double Slit Experiment' has shown us that light behaves and changes its nature from particles to waves - depending on whether we observe them or not. From recent global experiments with plants, it has also been observed that our frequencies, intent, sound waves and thoughts affect the behaviour of living things. That is to say, in my own personal practice; my consciousness affects the work. For example, the type of music I play in the studio : Influences my moods, which in turn, influences the work, and how the oil and mineral spirits - in the beginning - inert substances, wait patiently for an energy source, a murmur, which will determine its course in nature and the unfolding of its purpose. In life too we are inert beings. Awaiting a cause and mobility towards a reason, a purpose and upon a resolution, we return to a state of awaiting. A cycle that repeats and replenishes itself, fulfilling its optimum state of being. Like a dance, a performance. A dream. So the question is, why fight it? This state of flow and being. This thing called life. The work aims to realize and actuate these important states of being, as well as thought processes which exist in nature and in the observable universe. Allowing the materials to become as they wish. Consequences of letting go fully and accepting that what it needs to become, it will so be. For me as an artist, it is a difficult thing to do. I like to work on things. Constantly tinkering. Why is that so? The work aims to discuss this, to ponder this reaction in myself and in all of us. 'Supernova', 48x48 inches, Oil on aluminium, 2022 (Sold) I began making aluminium works at the end of 2019. Constantly evolving the work through experimentation, the results intrigued me. With ‘Particles’, I have let go of the need to have things opaque and allowed the mediums transparency to show through. I wanted to highlight the reflective quality of the aluminium panels, finding a balance between form and suggestion. Instead of working on the floor (like before), for this body of work I made all the works at waist height : 30 inches. At this elevation, I found more control over the striations and in the medium. The balance between momentum and deliberacy are the elements that define the work, yet this mathematical and scientific process (to me), also sums up life and its myriad of choices. As an artist and as a student in the university of life, I am passionate and curious about these topics. With knowledge and understanding, we are able to cultivate and curate our own existences. We have access to a lot of knowledge which isn't taught in schools or in higher learning establishments. The unseen laws and philosophies which have worked for a millennia is available to all who seek it and to test in their own lives through practice, training, faith and belief. For example, earths gravity is such, that an apple falls down instead of up. Consequently, trillions of bacteria and cells work in unison and in harmony to create the human body as we see it. We are the shells in which consciousness resides in.
It's those unseen, immovable yet crucial forces in the universe that informs my work. I hope you enjoy the works and what meaning(s) they bring to your psyche - That we are all moving parts in a larger framework. Surface Tension
A Solo Exhibition at G13 Gallery 6th - 20th March 2021 Artist Statement Surface Tension is a scientific term that is used to calculate the properties of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force. Without it, the world in which we live would be vastly different, and the works which you see would not be possible. For artist mediums too, surface tension is required to allow paint to adhere to surfaces. I set out to make these works on aluminium at the beginning of 2020. Developing the work through my experimentations with various mediums and surfaces, the results intrigued me. With these recent works, I have let go of the need to have things opaque and allowed the mediums’ transparency to show through. I wanted to highlight the reflective quality of the aluminium panels, finding a balance between form and suggestion. Instead of working on the floor like before, for this body of work, I made all the works at waist height, 29cm. At this elevation, I found myself more in control over the striations and in the medium’s transparency. The balance between force and momentum versus cohesion and deliberation are the elements that define the work, yet this mathematical process (to me), also sums up life and its myriad of choices. Psychologically, we are all inclined to decide based on our experiences and knowledge. That is why (for example) someone living in Germany in the 1930-40s vs. someone who lived at the same time in America - will make different relationship or socio-economic choices. Each person is as much of an amalgamation of his/her upbringing, and their genetic code. But with good habits, proper tools, and knowledge, one can process and/or act out patterns most beneficial to the individual and society at large. As an artist, as a thinking individual, and as a student at the University of Life, I am very passionate and curious about these topics. With knowledge and understanding, we can cultivate and curate our existence. It is imperative that we do it on our own accord and not be led by external forces (for example, the mainstream media). The choice is always in your hands. Nothing grows in the comfort zone. Knowing and accepting the dynamics of our lives allows us to take control of it. To be aware, and not to react without having a purpose. It’s the ease of gathering and accumulating data that has allowed humankind significant progress. We have access to a lot of knowledge - which isn’t taught in schools or higher learning establishments. The unseen laws and philosophies which have worked for a millennium are available to all who seek them and to test in their own lives through practice, training, faith, and belief. For example, the earth’s gravity is such that an apple falls instead of up. Trillions of bacteria and cells work in unison and in harmony to create the human body. We are the shells in which consciousness lives in. It’s those unseen, immovable yet crucial forces in the universe I ask and want you to consider. I hope you enjoy the works and what meaning(s) they bring to your psyche - that we are all moving parts in a larger framework. |
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