Something in Nothing:

Jigsaw Circuit

2011-09-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Last year I made a few of these videos. cutting out different Formula1 circuits with a jigsaw...why? because not all boys turn into old men. :)

Work-in-progress: Kuala Lumpur Map

2011-07-14T01:44:00.000-07:00

Hello....

This is the first time i will be posting a work before its completed, but i NEED YOUR HELP. I am collecting hand drawn maps from anyone and everyone in Kuala Lumpur*. If you are from KL, or have spent some time here, could you please send me your hand drawn maps of the city. focus on any area you want. draw the area around your home, or your workplace, anywhere you are most familiar with. don't worry if its correct, and please feel free to add in any landmarks you wish. ..

if possible, please draw your maps on blank pieces of paper, scan them in (or take a good clear photo of it) and email it to me: vincentDOTemailATgmailDOTcom

Thank you!

Day 31: After a much needed break away from this city, I return to you with this map. Special thanks to fellow visual artists of kL I met at a recent gallery opening. With over a hundred maps collected, it is really starting to take shape. Especially happy when the roads start to meet between maps; like in the mess of Jalan Duta spaghetti junctions.... Question is; how long more do I have to work on this map until I have explored every corner of the city? Dare I say it is at least 40% done? Tiring, but satisfying, the main reason I am still doing anything at all.....

* in case some of you are not familiar with KL city, its the capital of Malaysia, a country in the South-East region of Asia. It is a relatively small city with the center of about 20-25km in diameter. Covering 11 constitutions: Bukit Bintang, Lembah Pantai, Seputeh, Titiwangsa, Setia Wangsa, Wangsa Maju, Kepong, Segambut, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras and Batu.

GHOST: by Roslisham Ismail @ Ise

2011-06-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

In April 2010, I was involved in a very interesting project initiated by visual artist, Roslisham Ismail @ Ise. Like many of Ise's previous endeavors, this sound installation involved quite a bit of people - from within and outside the art scene here in Kuala Lumpur. I was co-curating this project with (now regional curator for VWFA) Eva McGovern; and the installation was housed in an abandoned double-story terrace house in the city center.

A little background on this project: Ise produced a number of collages during a period of insomnia, 10 of which were selected as a starting point for this project. These collages were presented to various groups of people (artists, curators, bloggers, musicians, art educators and nursery children) in private viewing sessions where discussions of the works were held (and recorded). The audio recordings of these discussions were then edited into soundscapes that were presented to the public, to replace the collages.

The week long exhibition was punctuated by musical performances by DJ Asung (Jakarta), DJ Dan MacKinlay (Sydney) and a special performance by local post-rock band, Deepset. In hindsight, this project was a successful social collaboration. Special credit have to be given to Mr Bullet - for his generous creative and technical contribution; Mr Bob** - for all the great photo-documentation throughout the entire process; and Ms Jiji - for her smile and people skill, especially little people :)

next up; Shape, Colours, Quantity, Scale, a solo-exhibition by Liew Kwai Fei.

**all photos by MagnusCaleb

meLayu (to wither)

2011-05-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

*please click on image to be redirected to YouTube post.

This was an old idea that I kept in the sketchbook for ages; but when VWFA curator, Eva McGovern, invited me to be part of Tanah Ayer: Malaysian Stories from the Land, a group exhibition at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space in Bandung, I thought that it was time to finally produce this work. In the exhibition, this work was presented as 2 lightboxes and a 26" LCD monitor. The video presented in the center was an animated sequence of time-lapse shots of the withering hibiscus (or bunga raya, Malaysia's national flower); looped back and fourth, and overdubbed with breathing sound.

Unfortunately, I can't claim credit for this ingenious title, that came from Roslisham Ismail@ Ise. I couldn't think of a better title than this, so terima kasih, Ise! Other people I want to thank for helping me with the production of this work: Perez OlSkool, Nazim Esa and Sharil (Rythmatix).

The Future of Exhibitions: It Feels Like I've Beem Here Before

2011-04-13T01:54:00.001-07:00

This was a fun project of 3 artists (Jason Wee from Singapore, Roslisham Ismail@Ise and myself from KL) and 2 curators (June Yap from Singapore and Eva McGovern from KL). The exhibition was held at Earl Lu Gallery@ LaSalle School, in collaboration with the Insititute of Contemporary Arts and Singapore Arts Council.

For this show, Ise and myself collaborated to create You're Late!, an installation with video projections, karaoke sessions, disco lighting, and performances by funky-retro band, The Pinholes; followed by the ever-crowd-pleasing band, The Great Spy Experiment. Oh, and lots and lots of beer. In short, we blew our budget on one wild party and thrashed the gallery - a day before the official opening.

A week prior to the opening, we collected/created daily CCTV-footage of the installation process happening in the gallery. These footages - including the private party - were later compiled and exhibited in a video piece entitled The 7-Days of Creation*, edited by PerezOlSkool.

*i will be posting the video up as soon as possible..

Hair piece for Milcah

2011-04-11T01:07:00.001-07:00

Made out of human hair and framed in double panel glass, this work from way back was made for my hair-stylist/friend, Milcah. I am only posting up 2 of 4 panels because I am not completely pleased with the other half. But before I could complete it, Milcah disappeared (to NY, apparently). *where are you?! :)

Rarely Romantic

2011-04-11T00:27:00.001-07:00

Another small work that I have kept under dust for awhile. I made it because it reminds me of white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, hammocks, banana pancakes, bikinis and wooden shacks they call a hotel...

Electric Sander with 1' wire

2011-04-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

Although I am still not sure what to make of this, yet I found it interesting enough to post it up (besides, its been too long since I last posted anything). I have a few more ideas for this power tools series (coming up), which I will post up as soon as I am satisfied with it. Small works that will hopefully turn the bigger wheel.

The Other Vincent Leong

2010-03-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, I was invited by Junk magazine to put something in for their UOX PLAY event at BB Plaza. Not to sound too narcissistic, but this idea started with Junk's e-invite that linked me to another Vincent Leong they found on the web. I never Google my own name, so I found it amusing to find so many other people online with the same name. To push this joke a little further, I proceeded to 'steal' the other VL's photographic works and present it as mine at the UOX PLAY event.
p/s: if the other Vincent Leong is reading this, thanks for your work, and sorry for the temporary identity theft, but cool name. :)

Electronic Endeavours

2009-03-09T03:51:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of works I've done in the past 3 years that I have not posted up yet. Most of these experiments were produced for specific exhibitions.

First of all, let me try to explain where I am coming from with these pieces. A few years ago, I was starting to feel bored with the straightforward way I work, and how the works are then limited to my own lack of hands-on skills. I wanted to venture out into more technically complicated works (some may call this 'new media') - particularly with common electronic devices that produce light, sound and even wind. This is an issue interesting to me; to stimulate these senses in the appreciation of visual arts.

However, knowing what I want without knowing how to get it is my life story. So i begin with a grand idea, and little by little the idea disintegrates in my own hands, leaving behind what is left of the initial concept. Another problem with this new fascination is that I tend to get so preoccupied with the new material that I forget about the conceptual reason for using these readymades in my work.

1. Boredom #01 (2 plastic bags & a fan) - 2006

After the Adaptorcons, I wanted to create other works that needed electricity. At that time, I was drawn to the common industrial floor fans. Something about the simplicity of its design and obvious function attracted me to it. Using 2 supermarket plastic bags (one from Bangsar Village, and the other from TMC-Teng's Mini Market Centre), my boredom then lead me to draw faces on them and attach them to the fan.

check out the results:

2. Subway Xpress - 2006/7 @ Gwngju/Seoul; Korea

At the beginning of winter, I was invited to Gwangju to participate in the 2006 Cultural Contents Creation Workshop. During my one-month residency there, I found an acrylic safety mirror that allows me to manipulate the size of video-projections. But the problem was what to do with this idea of projection? As the month comes to an end, again I was faced with the same problem of focusing too much on the material and fall short of the reason to do it. At the exhibition, I projected the front and back view of the local underground train system - shot simultaneously. Using two sets of projector+mirror dome, I was hoping to cover the entire room with one unified motion. The footage I shot in the train turned out quite nicely, but reflected off the mirror surface, the final projection had compromised its quality.

3. Doolby Surround Sound - 2009 @ Osage Gallery, HK

10 artists,mainly from South-East Asia, were each assigned a space of roughly 25 sq m in the beautiful warehouse gallery of Osage, Kwun Tung. All artists were paired up with a curator in developing a new comission for the Some Rooms exhibition. Tintin Wulia (Indonesia) and I had the pleasure of working with Eva McGovern.

With this piece, I wanted to engage with the issue of technology in art again. By using lo-fi/mono megaphones, I wanted to re-create the sophisticated Dolby Surround Sound, that is synonymous with the development of stereo sound used to enhance the cinematic experience.

Working in collaboration with Eugene Chin of Pertama Music, KL; the sound was recreated by finding and recreating the different sound/notes that were used in the original sonic commercial. After going through hundreds - if not thousands - of pads (that's what they call a particular digital sound quality), we settled on two types of strings, two different laser sounds, the rumblings of a train and some cymbals. Each megaphone is then assigned a sound and playbacked on a 10-sec loop (an existing feature of the megaphone). A projected blue screen is also left on a 10-sec fade-in/out.

check out the video:

Thanks to everyone at Osage Gallery HK, Eugene Tan, Eva McGovern and Eugene Chin (Pertama Music).

*documentation by Osage Gallery, HK.

Socketron

2009-02-15T00:57:00.000-08:00

Sometime in April 2008 (sorry for being lazy with postings), I was suppose to submit Socketron for a show entitled; Art Multiple Exhibition at Ke Center, Shanghai. Unfortunately, something went wrong with my DHL courier and the work was stuck with the Chinese Customs until a few weeks after the exhibition ended. My first attempt to submit a work for China, and this was what happened. I'll be extra careful the next time.

For Socketron, I've added electric mosquitoe repellents and UV light bulbs to my usual array of sockets and night lights. I think I've also found a perfect subsitute for the head - a battery charger. Next time. Hopefully that will change the design more drastically.

Tropical Paradise RP830 (Jakarta)

2009-02-09T23:34:00.000-08:00

I know. I know. I was suppose to stop producing these wallpapers by now. But when Bandung-based curator, Agung Hujatnikajennong, offered to exhibit it for this year's Jakarta Biennale, i couldn't resist. Jakarta's 13th Biennale was its first international Biennale, but rather than focusing on the usual assortments of big-wig artists from around the globe, the curatorial team decided to focus more on artists under-40 from the South-East Asian region; and also some European artists who have spent some time working (mainly at art residencies) in this part of the globe.

Placed within one part of three zones/arenas of JB'09, Galeri Nasional Indonesia housed Tropical Paradise RP830 (Jakarta). With 3 walls to cover, measuring up to a total of 75m sq, we finished it in 3 days. 3 layers of colour done with more than 4 dozen cans of spray paint and 15liters of emulsion paint. Repeating the stencil 183 times! I wouldn't have been able to finish it if it wasn't for three extremely hardworking assistants; Nik, Dias and Andrea. Thanks, guys!

even though they got a little mad towards sunrise on the last day of work! :)

For the 4th installment of this series, i've used icons like Bali Dancers, Barong, Garuda, Bajej, Teh Botol, Mega Mendung, Wayang, Punk and Chickens; to represent the usual cliches of Indonesia's national identity. The colours were decied when I made my first visit to Indonesia last August. Somehow this combination of pink+lime green was commonplaced in that country. With its high contrast, it sort of feels Indonesian to me: glaring, loud and chaotic.

In hindsight, this was an experience I would not forget soon. Sure, it was tiring in trying to complete the work in a matter of a few days. Double the space with half the time I am used to working with. But I had great support from my three assistants and from the curatorial team - even though I am sure they were waiting restlessly for me complete my work before they can install the other works into the gallery (I tend to get very messy with this work:)

Thanks to everyone at RuangRupa, Jennong, Nadia, Ise, Jakarta Arts Council and Galeri Nasional Indonesia.

Run, Malaysia, Run!

2008-05-25T00:45:00.000-07:00

*1min screening version made for The OneMinutes (2009)

Made in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th Merdeka (Independence), Run, Malaysia, Run! was initially made for Selamat Datang ke Malaysia - a travelling exhibition curated by Beverly Yong, for Gallery 4A, Sydney and VWFA, KL in 2007. Recently, this work was also part of The Independence Project at Gertrude Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne. In August 2008, this work will participate in a Rumah Air Panas curated exhibition at Stella Maris School, KL.

Gallery 4A, Sydney. June 2007
*rotating video projection below Yee I-Lann's MALAYSIANA series.

Gertude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne. April 2008
*video was presented on a plasma screen with 9 potraits.

Run, Malaysia, Run! is a 4-min single-channel video recording of Malaysians of different ethnicities running around in circles. In its full version, the image is projected from a rotation device placed in the center of the room. *depending on space, video might also be screened from a monitor.

The video begins with a single runner, but accumulates more runners as the video progresses. This work makes references to marathons, jogathons, Big Walks and other such community-based activities that are ubiquitous in Malaysia’s constant attempt to promote an interracial society. Focusing on the act rather than the objective, every participant strives towards a unified direction, but the end is irrelevant as everything goes around in circles.

"As a country searching for its identity, multi-cultural Malaysia can often seem to be running in circles. With the mélange of national costumes, religions, cultures vying for official recognition and equality, the parade becomes like a whirlpool, with each culture racing around an empty center." Gertrude, Melbourne. 2008

This work could not have been made possible without the help and contributions of Penjanabebas, Valentine Willie Fine Art, MoonFX, Jiji Ishak, Faisal, Selvi, Raechel, Abang Azizul, Haskaran, Viknes and Sharon. Above all, nothing is possible without the love and support of my family.

The Exhibition That Was

2007-10-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Opening VWFA's new Project Room in May 2007, The Exhibition That Was is an installation of painted shadows, documenting the activities involved in the installation of an art exhibition. This work highlights and plays off the various components that make up a typical art exhibition - the nature of installation art, physical aspects of an exhibition space, the people involved and the installation process as the show comes together - I hope to provoke audiences to think about the wider aspects surrounding an art object, not just as a display of finished products but the process and developments involved.

With the position of the lights unchanged, viewers walk into this empty white cube with their projected shadows falling at the same angle as the painted shadows. By doing so, I hope the audience recognizes their own physical presence within this installation space based on the relationship between both theirs and the painted shadows.

This project was made possible by Bombay Sapphire.

Tropical Paradise MR20 + Party Like You Are Back Home

2007-10-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

The third (and final) installment of the Tropical Paradise series: MR20 (Singapore) was done in Sculpture Square, following a month-long residency in April 2007. The motif of this design consists of Sir Stamford Raffles, the Traveler's palm, Tiger Beer, Singapore's national flower Vanda Miss Joaquim, the Singaporean girl and the lion from the nation's code of arms.

In conjunction with the opening of the exhibition, an event-performance was conceptualised to invite "non-Singaporeans working in Singapore" to attend the opening. Party Like You Are Back Home was an attempt to juxtapose the image of a country perceived by holiday-makers and migrant workers. Food, drinks, music, lucky draw, t-shirts, orchid garlands; were all given away in hope to attract as many visitors as possible to this event.

At the end of of the day, this endeavor would not have been possible without the help of friends and family.

Tropical Paradise G929

2007-04-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

The second installment of the Tropical Paradise series was done for NumThong Gallery's 4 Young Contemporaries. Spent a week in Bangkok installing this piece, with the help of a very good friend, Wasan Riaoklang. I had such fun doing this, and I am very pleased with the result. I suppose (like in all of my previous works) there are always details I wish I could change, but that is the lesson I am learning: decisions have to be made, and you just have to live with the results. Live and learn, I suppose.

For those who might not be familiar with Thai imageries; the design consists of Muay Thai boxers,elephants, Buddah, Thai architecture (Sala Thai), Thai angels (or u might recognise them as dancers) and Red Bull (yes. its from Thailand). *and tuktuks - but i think its quite hidden.

While visiting the temples in Bangkok, I realised that Thailand has a very long history in wallpaper designs. There is even an entire room in the Grand Palace that is HANDPAINTED WALLPAPER! amazing! i admire Thai craftmanship, and there is no way I will ever be able to match that. But I suppose this work is not about that. Its graffitti/stenciling. Its about speed. Its about convenience. Issues that are so relevant to contemporary urban living.

But to be honest, I am quite tired of this series. At the moment, I am preparing for the third installment of this series here in Singapore (wish me luck!) Like I've said after the first Tropical Paradise AG32; I really don't know how much further I can stretch this series. It is time to move on.......but I hope you'll enjoy this piece as much as I did making it.

Shake

2006-11-15T02:14:00.000-08:00

I meant to upload this video earlier, but never got around to it. It was done for the 3 Young Contemporaries at VWFA in 2005. I hope you get the idea of this video despite the bad sound editing, but i am still learning. Please be patient with me. :)
Anyway, SHAKE is a collection of images I found in the local Star newspaper. I think it shows how important the public image is for Malaysian people. To see our leaders spending all their time attending ceremonies and press conferences, just to have their photo-friendly images. And what does all these handshaking mean? Does it show unity and agreements? Are the people in the photos as happy as they seem?
Malaysian politicans are the true celebrities here. Who cares about Siti and Mawi when we have DrM-Pak Lah drama? Recently, I've noticed in NST that whenever there is a national crisis (e.g corrupted police/politicians) on the front page, u can almost be sure that our PM is somewhere attending some happy ceremony.

No Cheating!

2006-06-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute little work i think was sweet enough to be in Maya Gallery's Miniature show, opened last Tuesday. I am still not sure of how it should be displayed. As a deck? Spread out in a fan? Framed? Kept in its box? I dunno. I think its sufficent to be a very private work that one can keep in his/her pocket. Not too fragile (if kept in the box as a deck). Saying nothing much, but still gets my message across of what I think about gambling. At the end of it, I think I had fun taking my time cutting everything out. To remove, to reveal.

Tropical Paradise AG32

2006-06-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

I was quite happy how this piece turned out. It was for the 3 Young Contemporaries review show at VWfa which opened last week. Although I have to admit that my craftmanship can be improved (as always), i think the idea of repeatition allowed some mistakes. Corners are harder to tackle.

In case you can't figure out the images; its all the cliches of exotic life in this part of the world. Of dancing women to kampung scenes. A local artist said that he painted these kind of images because it connects with our shared memories of childhood, but not all of us are from kampungs. I can only see these images as something that our tourism ministry uses to sell the Malaysia-Truly-Asia image.

I set out to stencil wallpaper since the wondermilk shutters last year. and i think i might have worn out the idea. Its the basic idea of repeatition and grid. and I am getting quite tired of it myself. its starting to be too easy. but now it seems the audience are catching on. i think i should stop.

How to be Bruce

2006-05-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

**please click on image to be re-directed to video on YouTube**

Done in London in 2004, this is probably the one work I am most proud of. Its a scene from Way of the Dragon (1972) in which Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris battled it out in the Coliseum in Rome. Although the video below might not be the full version, but I think you'll get the idea.

Short but significant career, Bruce Lee's influence span from Hong Kong's male youths in the 70s to the Afro-Caribbean brothers living it up in Peckham and Lewisham today! Although the story line and acting might not be the best, we all watch Bruce Lee's film for the same reason: kick-ass kung fu! A graceful dancer and a master of choreography, Bruce Lee is probably one of the most influential performance artist in the past century. So much so, that even a few red and blue dots with flying arrows across a white screen is enough to remind us of it.

(TITLE)

2006-05-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of the first video work i've done. I suppose its part documentative. Its the kind of life I felt I was living in as a student in London. Meeting new people in new places, that sometimes it all feels so...empty. Hollow. Too much to take in, i suppose. And most of time, u forget what u were talking about, who you've met, where u've been..etc. Conversations repeated. People you met twice. Familiar places you've never been to before...its all a blur.

The Amazing Newspaper - with JiJi Ishak

2006-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

This collaboration with Jiji Ishak was done in 2004 for the first edition of Gallery Without Walls; a gallery/project-space in the centerfold of Off The Edge magazine. While most of the methods of reusing old newspaper are true, the text are not. The work just seem to need some trivia to make it feel more factual, but neither of us could be bother to do our reseach. So what? Most people simply believe what they read in newspapers anyway. Its always fun to work with Jiji!

*please click on image to read text

Everybody's Photographs

2006-04-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

A work from 2004. I wanted to empty out everything that makes us who we are; our identities, memories and choice. Perhaps if we look past all that, we are not so different from each other. Even what we cherish as personal and unique are shared by people all over the world. What makes you so different?

The Fake Show

2006-04-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Fake Show@Reka Art Space, Kelana Jaya, February 2006. As I have conceived the concept of the show and created every work in this exhibition, I considered this as my first solo show; but it was publicized as a curated group exhibition with 9 artists+collectives who did works around the subject of fakeness and fakery. All the artists, profiles and artworks are my creation.

INNER REFLECTIONS #69 by Chua Li Khor

Dedicated to Malaysia's number one purveyor of exaggerated inner-spiritual expression: Jolly Koh. He is so influential in shaping Malaysian art, that many of us still believe that the only artistic expression is pushing some paint around and make pretty colours. Can't art be more than decoration? *incidentally, i still think the Apple Abstract screensaver looks like Jolly Koh's work.

PISS TAKE by Rizal P. Dasar

In contrast to Chua's whimsical spin-off, this is a more direct copy of Redza Piyadasar's work. I suppose I wanted to salute Piyadasar as the 'Father of Conceptual Art' in Malaysia, while at the same time draw this connection of Western art philosophy's influence and relevance in contemporary Malaysian or Asian art. While doing my research on Piyadasar, what I found weird was that Marcel Duchamp was never mentioned in any writings on Piyadasar.

T-SHIRTS by 1,2, Milk

Knock-off wondermilk stuff! I tried not to do a work directly about piracy, especially NOT pirated DVDs and CDs. But anybody can make t-shirts these days. And these guys promote DIY. So why not?

WOMEN REPRESENTED BY MEN by Annie Wan

I am not sure how many countries have beer advertisement posters like these? But its the best image of an advert I can think off which radiates fakeness. Its also suppose to be phasing out. So it might soon be one of those collectible items from the past. And I've preserved it in oil paint forever and ever! Hurrah to paintings! I would also like to make a note that this painting was commissioned to Nazim Esa.

STUDIES FOR PRODUCTION OF FRUIT by Britney Partiswarah
FRUITS IN A WOODEN BOWL by Celine Ooi

This was my way of dealing with the space. The gallery doubles up as a teaching space. A bowl of fruits just seem to be the most widely accepted subject matter in a drawing-class environment. Engaging with the same subject matter from three different perspectives, Partiswarah, Ooi (and James Ho's Farmer of Fraiser's Hill) focused on a single subject - the bowl of plastic fruits placed in the center of the teaching room.

By presenting studies and design plans of its models, Partiswarah acknowledged the manufactured quality of the plastic fruits presented. On the other hand, James Ho's series of photographs idolized the perfection of the manufactured fruits and appropriated it into his image of the stoic and noble farmer.

THE FARMER OF FRAISER'S HILL by James Ho

I think I have to highlight these pictures.. The work was suppose to be by an artist, James Ho. In contrast to Partiswarah's (wannabe) technical drawings, I tried to imagine other methods one might be able to 'produce' this object before us. Maybe I should believe in the fantasy that these plastic fruits were real, and re-create them in glossed over image of the working labourer. I particularly like this series. And it was fun working with (the real) James, and Nazim under the hot sun.

12.07.03 by The Anti-Corruption Avengers

Shot with a mobile phone camera, this video records an act of bribery between a traffic offender and a policeman. The true intentions of this conversation and its slight gestures are distorted in the translated subtitles from Malay. What we say is not always what we mean; and how we wish to be portrayed may not necessarily be who we really are.

CONTEMPORARY ART for SALE'S FINE ART SPECIALISTS

And last but not least, the 'fine art specialists'. I know its not a new idea for a performance, but I had to do it. Aren't they much nicer to look at than naked men splashing paint around?

From faking exisiting artists to professional promoter girls selling the show as 'fine art specialists', I think the subject matter was quite specific for Malaysian audience. Especially with the amount of piracy and counterfeits almost everywhere here. I was hoping to evoke thought over emotion.

At the end of it all, I am still not sure if it was an absolute success or a complete disaster. I am not sure if people got it. I think alot of them didn't care. But there must be a reason why conceptual art never took off since Piyadasar in the 70s. Idea becomes the art. We must celebrate the fact that we, above all other animals, can rationalise. The ability to think logically! Not surprising the show didn't sell. But at least inspire?

+wondermilk shutters

2006-04-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

I want to be a graffiti artist! But i can't tag like them. But i can cut stencils. :) These were fun to do. And i didn't mind doing it for free. It was an idea I wanted to try: stenciling wallpaper. Would love to do more of these. But seem to have difficulty coming up with designs.

Planes

2006-04-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

With a title like "The Power of Dreaming: Taman Sari, Gardens of Delight and Identity", curator, Laura Fan really sets it up to be a spectacular curated-exhibition @ Rimbun Dahan 2005. Something Malaysian art scene desperately needs. But I was dissapointed to find out that this 'curated-exhibition' just meant bringing ur work one week before opening, arrange it, and the curator will try to write something which vaguely links the works together. I suppose the other artists are used to these kind of 'curated-exhibitions' as some of them just gave old works.

But Planes are 12"x12" concrete blocks stacked up to block a doorway. Quite like the idea of these airplane formations cast in concrete.

Love/War series

2006-04-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Also part of the 3 Young Contemporaries 2005 show, these three lightboxes are my toys. I loved making them. I like that its pretty wrapping paper. Cut the same wrapping paper and paste it exactly on the same place on another. And I like the comedy in such a tragic issue. I am still pissed-off at what is happening in Iraq today. I read it in the papers, I watch it on the news, I talk about it. But people are still dying. Bombs are still blowing up. But I can just turn it off. Fold the newspaper away. Forget about it. Life goes on. Its entertaining! We love catastrophes!... especially when its someone else's. Plus, we use political subjects in our art so that people will take it seriously, right? :)

Suicide Lovers

Car-boom!!!

Operation Iraqi Love (O.I.L)

installation view

Robots

2006-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Multiwayertron. 2005

This is a work I like to show people. So, i suppose its a good work to make my first posting with. These 'robots' were made for the 3 Young Contemporaries 2005 show @ valentine willie fine art gallery, Bangsar. Its a simple idea which came to me in flash, and was produced even quicker. They are made up of nightlights and electrical adaptors which sort of reminds me of Legos and Transformers. I suppose I wanted people to go "Hey, I can do that myself!" Of course u can. Art is no longer simply about labour. Labour is cheap! Value thought!

Adaptorcon. 2005