"Inscribed Spaces" is a visual art exhibition by artist Mr. Anthony Chua Say Hua @ Forth Gallery. It is the 6th solo exhibition by the artist. A total of 20 paintings in Chinese ink on rice paper will be displayed . The show aims to showcase a fresh interpretation of old shop house spaces located in the preserved sections of Singapore such as Chinatown, Geylang and Joo Chiat. Through the structural arrangements of the painterly elements such as Chinese ink brushstrokes, the artist will like to address the gaps in the formation of one’s memory of spaces with a history. Say Hua conceptualises spaces by the play of background-foreground relationship and innovative use of material. In particular, recognizable parts of buildings were pushed to the edges of the painting which created tension between fields of gestural mark-making with the depiction of architectural elements. By applying such modernist strategies into edging out the lines that barely depicted the architectural forms, the artist has managed to convey a sense of ambivalence. The economy of lines, the abstractions dominate yet define spaces of the past – thus acknowledging the symbiotic relationship between past and present.
The paintings will demonstrate the artist’s experimentations using various materials traditionally used in Chinese ink medium such as pigments and coloured inks on different rice papers & various aspects of ink effects to depict urban landscape and buildings in Singapore, specifically the older parts of the town such as Chinatown.
Forth Gallery is chosen as it is located in Chinatown which enables viewers to relate the physical site with the painting’s subject. The lyrical use of the Chinese ink brush marks for depiction of wall surfaces, windows, ceilings and more is a break from the traditional Chinese ink landscape where such marks are solely for depicting trees and mountains.
Through the free-flowing use of lines, the juxtaposition of surfaces and marks on the surfaces, both tourists visiting the show as well as local audience will be able to appreciate the play of these elements to reference the surrounding old buildings that the works are based on. For professional audience such as artists, museum curators and art students, Say Hua’s paintings will demonstrate the effective use of a traditional medium towards an exploration of contemporary concerns and contribute towards an academic understanding of an expanded interpretation of the medium.
This new series of works by Chua Say Hua will contribute greatly to the language of contemporary ink painting in Singapore as well as the region. Many local artists such as Lim Tze Ping, Hong Sek Chern and the late Chua Ek Kay have been unique in expanding the Chinese ink landscape painting practice. Here, Say Hua’s experimentation has extended the use of the traditional medium in ways beyond what ink painters in its place of origin can achieve.
