Sister Water, Brother Sun

Mauro De Giorgi and Billy Soh’s joint exhibition Sister Water, Brother Sun, showcases their experimental collaborations with nature in the use of water and sunlight as artistic materials. In this newly developed body of works created during their time as NPE Artists in Residence, mythology, geometry and the nature of the photographic medium are explored. An exciting framework of novel interdisciplinary techniques have pushed the boundaries of Mauro and Billy’s creative practice.

Stone, water and metal are transmuted into representations of gods and mythical creatures in Mauro De Giorgi’s collages on canvas. With reference to sacred geometry, mythology and Peranakan colour palette as seen in traditional tiles, the collages’ geometric and abstract shapes take on symbolic significance that is further reinforced in carefully woven layers of rice paper and sumi calligraphy ink. Mauro’s newest works created at NPE are a continuation of his artistic quest in capturing the beauty and mystery of the natural world, and reflects his interests in the mythological and the mystical.

Whereas Mauro painted with water, Billy Soh printed with sunlight: he exposed sensitised calligraphy paper to sunlight, creating a series of photograms, and through this simplified the process of image capture back to its most basic form. In doing so he sought to question contemporary methods of photography that utilise the camera as a means to an end in point-shoot documentation, which he believes compromises the essence of the captured subject. At NPE, Billy thus returned to the roots of photography and explored the capture of light using a minimal selection of materials imbued with historic significance, such as traditional rice paper and cyanotype chemistry. By taking away the camera, the practice of photography was simplified and made raw. The resulting artworks reflect the ephemeral and unpredictable nature of light in flux.