Raymond Yap, Submerged Form 1, mixed media on aluminium panel, 61 x 46 cm, 2017
Titled The Calm Before the Storm, Element Art Space’s first exhibition upon its re-opening at Gillman Barracks is aptly named to entice the audience of what is to come. Composed of five artists from China, Singapore and Indonesia, the gallery is staying true to its roots to introduce exciting artists and works from the region. The showcase focuses on abstraction, which continues to increase in prevalence due to a response to, and a reflection of, the growing abstraction of social relations in an industrial society. The artworks created may be seen as a marriage influenced by old concepts paired together with a fresh terminology—ultimately a creative rebirth of learned aesthetics.
Bill Zhao (Zhao Xu) is more prominently known as the owner of China’s Poly International Auction. His interest in art started young and he had his first solo exhibition in 1994. His recent abstract works are focused on movement and contemplation similar to the principals of Chinese calligraphy.
Chong Yanhong’s works explore the ever-changing landscape of Singapore and the underlying structures of architecture in their different phases of construction. Chong adopts a different method and approach in the presentation of her work. In her recent practice, photographs are printed on sheets of paper and then applied to the canvas by a transfer process. Using common spaces as her subjects such as, a concert hall, an auditorium, a stadium, and also interiors, she alters and enhances visual and architectural space while leaving some familiar elements that remain in a deconstructed terrain.
Laila Azra is a mixed media artist known for her multi-layered and intricate abstract canvases. Laila views painting as a passage to explore her roots and identity by finding and realizing her personal voice and purpose in life. Issues surrounding culture and life encounters thus remain a common theme. Her gestural paintings are built-up through layers of acrylic paint on canvas overlaid with threads, liquid latex and thick streams of paint–a multifaceted layer of place, space and time. Laila Azra’s compositions are sparked by a personal experience at a universal level. She imbues paint with emotional resonance yet at the same time restricts those emotions within the confines of her often indefinable and mysterious forms.
Raymond Yap Poh Tiam is a recipient of the Selina Cheneviere Fellowship (Major Award in Painting) from the Royal Academy Schools in 2001, Fenton Art Trust Prize & David Murray Travel Scholarship in 2000, and the Drawing Prize (Highly Commended) from the Wimbledon School of Art in 1998. His works explores the idea of using modern media to create fine art.
Venue: Element Art Space, 22 Lock Road #01-35, Singapore 108939
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 7pm
Sunday 11am – 6pm. Closed on monday and public holidays.
When: 8 Jul - 19 Aug 2017, 11AM - 7PM
