5/21/08

Singapore Art Exhibition - The Enlightened Series - Earth

The earth element was a little more difficult to conceptualize. 'Earth' is a great transformer that serves as a transition between elements. It is both yin and yang, its energy moving inward and centering, drawing all things towards its core, bringing harmony, balance, rootedness and stability. It is associated with earth tones, and yellows, and qualities such as patience, thoughtfulness, hard work and stability. I included in the painting the quality of change, of seeds with the potential to grow below ground, and seeds being scattered above it. The cat lies unperturbed by the cycle of things from the invisible to the visible, secure in the grounding of the roots, and safe in the open palm...


Given today's climate, it has become imperative that we become more aware of our environment and that we take a little more care with Planet Earth. It's getting hotter and hotter, the sea level is rising, the weather patterns are changing, and we are all a part of the problem and the solution. Haha I received a mail in recycled brown envelope from the National Environment Agency, with a tagline reading "Fight Climate Change, Conserve Energy, Save Money". About time the govt launch a campaign! Hopefully, with the 'Save Money' tag, more Singaporeans may begin to sit up and pay attention, and be drawn into the larger environment issue, especially with the recent spate of natural disasters and the tragic loss of lives.


Just saw 'Accuracy of Death' starring Takashi Kaneshiro, and the movie really ends splendidly, tying the whole movie together. So go catch the movie (most women will automatically go watch... maybe it's the dog)...When the Shinagami (the God of death), was asked by the woman he visited what he thought about death, the answer was "nothing special". The woman responded that even though that is true, as we all must die, life is very important to the person who lives it. That got me thinking when I was in Takashimaya today, which is very rare as I don't go to town on Saturdays (too many people). It's like a mad house as if branded stuff are being given out for free, wth queues appearing everywhere. People are lining up just to be able to be in the store to browse at bags and purses! Everybody seems to be lost in their own worlds; to every person, his or her life is so important. Yet, every other person is a stranger and they're almost meangingless to each other. Perhaps, that's why people don't normally see eye to eye. Most people think they're right when little things of conflicts crop up. So many isolated worlds... and yet we are one. We are everything and nothing. We, as everything, can begin to change the world and the only way to change the world is to change ourselves. Just by making a simple commitment to recycle stuff, we're actually changing ourselves and in turn, we're changing things... For better or worse, there's always a choice.


For all the 5 elements' paintings, I devised a "seal" haha that refers to the I Ching, and an abstraction of the Catmasutra emblem/logo based on the ancient Chinese Seal script, together with the Chinese character for the element, and the artist's signature. I'm quite fascinated with the seal script, the way it mimics nature . Earth is represented by three broken lines.

CATMASUTRA - THE ENLIGHTENED SERIES
4th - 19th JUNE 2008@ ARTOHOLIC GALLERY
422 joo chiat road

Opening Hours:
monday-friday: 12pm - 7pm
saturday : 10am - 9pm
;)


5/20/08

Singapore Art Exhibition - The Enlightened Series - Fire

There was quite a bit of research that goes into these 5 paintings. I was looking for ways to represent the five elements, and in a way, imbue the paintings with the qualities of each element. Fire is an element that is filled with energy, resonating with qualities of dynamism, strength and persistence. It is very active and vibrant, and it moves outward, expanding with the potential of going into full bloom, energised by the colour red (which is associated with extreme luck). It is associated with fame and good name, and the way of making one visible in the world. It is the flame that provides warmth, creativity and enthusiasm. And there's the fire from the heart as everything external is a reflection of the internal. And for strength and solidity, the abstraction of a stone statue of Buddha meditating, igniting the flame of fire.

As it is, the 5 elements are more phases or dynamic states of change, and as always, balance is key. An excess of fire can also burn in the destructive cycle, resulting in aggression, impatience, anger or impulsive behaviour. Our sense of self or the way the world plays out for us is a play of patterns. Each stage is always a phase, transient and ever changing; when we're caught up in it, we never believe it to be so. ;) haha It's only when the phase has taken its turn, that we look back and realise that it has passed. And with that, we get older and hopefully wiser ;) wahahahaha... More on the other paintings soon...

CATMASUTRA - THE ENLIGHTENED SERIES

4th - 19th JUNE 2008
@ ARTOHOLIC GALLERY
422 joo chiat road

Opening Hours:
monday-friday: 12pm - 7pm
saturday : 10am - 9pm

Paintings will be displayed till 19 June 2008


;)

5/7/08

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... ;)