Catmasutra - The Enlightened Series

One (2007)

A little entry of my next exhibition, Catmasutra - The Enlightened Series. It's an extension of the Buddha series, which has been a recurring theme through the years. It will be held at Artoholic Gallery at Joo Chiat Road in June. I guess it's a kind of natural progression, moving into specific themes for my solo shows as I go along. The annual Catmasutra exhibition at Utterly Art will probably be the only one that is "open-ended".

Cat's Sutra(2006)

For the Enlightened Series, I'm presenting the cheeky Catmasutra cats in meditative and mystical settings, with foundational ideas based on Asian philosophical traditions, notably Buddhism, Zen and Taoism. The trademark eyes-wide-shut and ear-to-ear grin of the Catmasutra cats symbolize the spark that we all have; all we need to realize this is to be present in the here and now, and not caught up in past or future. The spark is always there, half a breath away;)

Cat Om (Aug 2005)

One of the first ideas that crop up (haha nope, it's not another Buddha painting), was "Wu Xing" or the 5 elements or phases in Chinese thought - Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood. Everything moves and changes - that is the universal truth. We are all living in a constant process of beginnings and endings. Every moment, if you stay still enough, is a letting go of the old and a rebirth of the new. It's unstoppable, from our breath to feelings, thoughts to mental images. They arise and fall away, sometimes naturally, and sometimes we try to hold on to things that have already ended. Either way, there is always an opportunity to learn something new haha ;)

Peace Accord II (July 2005)

So if we are able to see the different cycles (whatever they might be), we can be more attuned to the process of creation and harmony. Sometimes, you wonder why we are so caught up in little things that really don't mean much at all haha! So here's the productive cycle or cycle of life based on laws of mutual support, and restraint. Through the adjustment of Wu Xing, we can maintain or recover normal conditions as we turn the wheel to another cycle of change.


Water nourishes trees and produces wood. Wood acts as a fuel for Fire, which burns to produce ash (earth). Earth produces metal deep within its core; metal collects water and the cycle repeats... And so it goes... ;)

View slide show of these paintings at Artoholic Gallery website

;)