Mulan Gallery is proud to present a group exhibition showcasing a compendium of 12 contemporary works from nine artists from now till 6 June 2012. By turns meditative and exhilarating, this varied selection of paintings and sculptures offers a glimpse into the minds of these artists working in both Asia and beyond today.

The fervent, interlocking rhythmic brushstrokes in the works of Kamol Tamseewan meld abstraction and traditional portraiture, chaos and harmony, veering on abstraction with its pure scale, while fellow Thai artist Jirapat Tatsanasomboon’s pop-style paintings effortlessly interface a dialogue between traditional iconography and Western modernity, problematising the East-West dichotomy in contemporary Thai society. Local artist Ee Shaun’s distinctive, humour-laced paintings, on the other hand, offer a heady glimpse of the non-linear continuum world of pop.

Spanish artist Fernando Suárez’s celebrated horse paintings offer beautiful meditations on dynamism that temporarily immobilise the pure rapture of the moment and movement, while wabi-sabi laced sentiments colour Japanese artist Kaz Orii’s timely tonal contemplations on the fragile place of nature in the wake of rapid urbanism.

In contrast to the bewildering floating world of fellow Chinese artist Lu Peng’s hypersaturated, hyper-condensed, absurdist and often theatrical imagery, Lin Hairong’s paintings of childlike figures etched in subdued tones and simple compositions evoke a quiet sense of nostalgia. Koek Chwee Kim’s feminine, seashell-inspired sculptural forms also offer an intimate counterpoint to a chaotic imagery of modernity, whilst the dreamy, playful sculptures of award-winning Chinese artist Zhang Hua immortalise pure moments of unadulterated joy, particularly in childhood.