Faris Heizer: The Man Who Eventually Moved Solo Exhibition

Cuturi Gallery is pleased to present The Man Who Eventually Moved, a new series of works by Faris Heizer (b. 1998, Singapore). In this collection, Heizer delves into themes of stillness, routine, and comfort found in the mundane.

Heizer’s creative process is introspective and deeply personal, starting with an emotional response that he gradually fills in with scenes from everyday life. Layered over with thin glazes of acrylic paint and dry brushwork, his fuzzy rendering creates scenes, as if emitted through a softened, dream-like lens. His works echo a sense of quiet endurance; figures are often depicted in solitary states, enveloped by the gentle interplay of light and shadow.

Central to this series is Last Legs (2024), a wooden bench imprinted by a seated silhouette. This sculptural piece serves as a metaphor for how time and stillness weave a person’s presence into their surroundings, melding identity with space.

The tenderness seen in Heizer’s sculptural work extends to his paintings, where light caresses the figures, highlighting their stoic acceptance of life’s routines. This captures the wistful serenity Heizer experiences when light from street lamps creep into his room at night, creating a space where time slows down and the world outside muffles into silence.

This sense of contemplative tranquillity continues in works like Birdsong (2024), where a figure stands seemingly disconnected from reality, surrounded by pigeons encapsulating the tension between isolation and the ever-present life around us. Similarly, Man and Mouse (2024) depicts a figure caught between the past and present, half in shadow and half bathed in light, with the presence of a mouse faintly squeaking in the distance. These works illustrate Heizer’s belief that the world is never truly silent; even in its quietest moments, there is a subtle, persistent hum of life.

The Man Who Eventually Moved reflects on the understated resilience of individuals who accept their circumstances while continuing to move forward. It meditates on the weight of the past that lingers, the familiarity found in daily routines, and the process of embracing change.

The exhibition will be on view at the gallery from 14 September – 19 October 2024.