Artcommune proudly presents an electrifying showcase of artworks by Singapore’s first abstract expressionist artist Wong Keen. Featuring 30 works dating from the early-90s to the current period, Lotus Transformation explores how Wong Keen approaches the subject of the lotus through a rhythmic and resplendent battle of forms and colours.
For Wong Keen the lotus affords multitudinous dimensions for painterly interpretations; its versatile form provides an ideal vehicle for his multi-faceted expression of gesture and colour. In the past three decades, Wong Keen has rigorously delved into the subject across different mediums including oil on canvas, acrylic on rice paper and acrylic on canvas.
Born in Singapore in 1942, Wong Keen’s prodigious talent in painting was evident in his early years. As a young boy, he took drawing and painting lessons under eminent pioneer artists Liu Kang and Chen Wen Hsi and held his first solo exhibition at the then National Library of Singapore when he was only 19 years of age. He subsequently moved to America in 1961 after being accepted by the Art Students League in New York.
Having exhibited internationally since his youth, Wong Keen’s art has captivated audiences with his splendid, intriguing blend of Asian and Western elements. His artistic oeuvre has been lauded as an embodiment of cross-cultural confluences; inspired by the elegance and expressiveness of Chinese ink painting and calligraphy, as well as his fascination with the Abstract Expressionist style. In addition to private patronage from around the world, his works are also collected by the Singapore Art Museum, Resorts World Sentosa and The Fullerton Hotel.
Venue: artcommune gallery, Blk 231, Bain Street. #02-43 Bras Basah Complex S180231
When: 24 Apr - 3 May 2015,
