Chan Hampe Galleries

For all Art and Culture-lovers, here are some exhibitions happening right now till August of 2012.

Danger Dragon (1996) by Vincent Leow

Resembling Imaginary Creatures 

Solo exhibition by Vincent Leow

Singapore’s leading contemporary artist Vincent Leow (b. 1961) is a pivotal figure in the alternative art scene in Singapore. Leow stands as a central figure in the history of the ‘art collective’ in Singapore as he is one of the early members of The Artists Village (TAV), founded in 1988 by the iconic Tang Da Wu (b. 1943).

His practice parallels the development of contemporary art in Singapore; and as a painter, he is regarded as a remarkable imagist. Leow’s source of inspiration stems from mythology, folktales and fairytales abridged with realities, which are employed as conceptual devices to explore the notion of the familiar and the foreign.

In this exhibition, Leow presents a line-up of whimsical new paintings, which incorporate recognizable silhouettes of animals, humans, and otherworldly creatures, painted with gestural brush strokes through suggestive spontaneity. This new body of work highlights a narrative of fictional speculation, which invites the viewers to project their own interpretations of the subject.

These works were executed during the artist’s teaching residency in Sharjah, UAE. Living amongst the political turmoil in the Middle East over the last two years heightened Vincent’s awareness towards a global affliction, which motivated him to paint an alternative reality. Deeply affected, Vincent wished to negate from what he read in the news or saw in the media by representing his ideas in an ambiguous pictorial form, conveying a perceived innocence on the precipice of destruction, through the medium of paint, its application process, and its ambiguous elements.

Journey of a Yellow Man No.11: Multiculturalism, 1997 (2012) by Lee Wen

New works in the gallery by Lee Wen

Exhibition period 27 July – 21 August 2012
Lee Wen (b. 1957) is a Singaporean performance artist recognised for his work concerning social identity and best known for his Yellow Man performances. Painting his own body with bright yellow poster paint, he expresses an exaggerated symbol of his ethnic identity as a citizen of Singapore. He is also a member of TAV and part of the Black Market performance collective.

In 1988, Lee left behind his banking career to enrol at the Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts at the age of 30. He expressed himself with painting and various non-traditional media, having been influenced by performance artist Tang Da Wu and other experimental TAV artists Amanda Heng and Vincent Leow. In 1990, Lee went on to study at the City of London Polytechnic and it was there that Lee developed his practice as a performance artist. He went on to create the Journey of a Yellow Man series involving mixed-media, installation, performance and painting. Lee’s work quickly gained international recognition and he was included in the Kwang Ju Biennale (1993) and the 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial in Australia (1999).

In conjunction with his practice, Lee has contributed as an arts educator at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, Hanoi University of Fine Arts, University of Ulster (UK), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Mexico City), and Musashino Art University (Tokyo). On 21 October 2005, Lee was presented with the highest cultural award in Singapore – the Cultural Medallion – for his immense contributions to the development of contemporary art.

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