Tang Hong Lee, Nature’s Spectacles 10, oil on canvas, 46 x 91.5 cm
Known for his vibrant landscape paintings with their bold gestures and colours, Malaysian artist Tang Hong Lee presents a new series of ten oil paintings for his fourth solo exhibition in Singapore at Momentous Arts gallery.
For this new series of works, entitled ‘Nature’s Spectacles’, Lee has made a deep enquiry into his creative process to explore nature’s spirituality and its mystical power in all its splendid forms and colours. Enthralled by the deep forest and primeval jungles, the life forms and exotic sounds that inhabit the natural environment, Lee’s artistic intention is to portray the rigor and energy of the transformations that take place in nature and to bring those fleeting moments into view. The viewer’s curiosity will be piqued by the mystery and spiritual potency of nature, as communicated by the artist’s dramatic verve and imagination. Lee’s richly gestural technique lends an immediacy that engages the viewer on an emotional level in a way that is both introspective and spiritual.
Tang Hong Lee, Nature’s Spectacles 12 ,oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm
Lee’s new series marks a shift in mood and a return to the abstraction that dominated his artistic practice from 1999 to 2004, with a strong focus on composition and technique. The evocations that Lee brings to his paintings border on the surreal and bring to mind the masterpiece Tiger in a Tropical Storm (1891) by French painter Henri Rousseau, who is admired for his technique and disconcerted composition.
In his 30 year career, Lee has explored various facets of the landscape in different ways, from the representational to the abstract. As a colourist, Lee enjoys exploring colour in all its nuances, embracing both its emotional and expressive qualities. Indeed, composition and colour can be seen as the hallmark of Lee’s work since his early paintings of anchovies back in 1998, with their political undertones.
Tang Hong Lee, Nature’s Spectacles 8, oil on canvas, 91.5 x 91.5 cm
Lee taught fine arts at the Kuala Lumpur College of Arts for two decades before turning to painting full time. He has won several awards for his work, including the 2000 Anugerah Insentif Pamera Terbuka from Galerie Shah Alam and the Philip Morris Honourable Mention Award in 1999. He has exhibited in Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, and his works are in several private collections. He currently lives and works in Malaysia.
Opening: 16 July at 3pm, please Rsvp to momentousarts@gmail.com
Exhibition Dates: 16 – 29 July 2016
Venue: Momentous Arts, 1557 Keppel Road, BLK C, #02-11, Singapore 089066
Hours: Mon to Fri 12pm – 6.30pm, Sat 12 – 6pm, Sun by appointment
Website: www.momentousarts.com
