TAKSU invites you and friends to an exhibition of twelve contemporary artists from across the globe.

Agathe de Bailliencourt
(b. 1974, France; lives and works in Germany)

Accepting imperfection and impermanence is key to understanding Agathe de Bailliencourt's work. She utilizes disorder, spontaneity and urgency to attain a freedom untainted by reasoning and restraint. Agathe's drawings and paintings are built spontaneously upon the process of leaving marks - scribbles, doodles and large bursts of primary colours. Over the years, Agathe has endeavoured to expand beyond her initial framed medium of paper or canvas. She embraces the idea of working spaces, and being out of a frame. The resulting installations often give an impression to grow as a continuum with no end.

Agathe de Bailliencourt graduated from Ecole des Beaux-Arts Cergy in 1995, and Ecole Boulle Paris in 1998. Since then, Agathe has been exhibiting in various venues in Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, Berlin, Yogyakarta, Hong Kong, India, and New York. Agathe de Bailliencourt had also been commissioned by various corporations and institutions, be it limited-edition merchandises Converse (limited edition shoes, 2007), Comme Des Garcons (limited edition T-shirts, 2004); as well as wall painting and permanent installations: National Art Council (2006), Graf Osaka (2009), Freies Museum (2010).

Fauzulyusri
(b. 1974, Kedah, Malaysia)

The work of Fauzulyusri has been consistently strong over his decade-long career, with 6 solo exhibitions and countless group exhibitions to his name. His ability to pragmatically push his painting in new directions while maintaining a vocabulary of individual mark-making has arrived at a mature expression. A rougher surface than linen, the jute's heavy woven thread compliments the kind of signature surface scarring, loose irreverence and layering that have become fundamental to the structure of Fauzul's images. Viewer can easily dissect the image into layers that build the picture, not only in terms of traditional spatial depth from thin paint on raw jute to a dense top application, but also as a device in creating texture within the painting to enliven the surface. It animates the isolated figures and forms so that they appear to float, masked and cropped collage-style by the dense upper surface. While it is easy to read Fauzul's paintings as the games and dreams of a child, Fauzul's geometric abstractions also have the urbanity of graffiti, of scuffed and scarred walls and that sense of decay of contemporary life.

Fauzulyusri graduated from UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia in 1999, and has been exhibiting in various venues in Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Singapore, and UK. Fauzulyusri ‘s artworks are in the public collections of Balai Seni Lukis Negara (KL), Bank Negara Malaysia (KL), Kementrian Pembangunan Wanita dan Keluarga (KL), Maybank Finance Bhd (KL, Malaysia), among other institutions.

Froilan Calayag
(b. 1982 in Manila, Philippines)

"As a child, I saw images on wall, in coffee stains, in the clouds. My child's eyes saw magical things everywhere, beautiful things that dwelt only in the powerful world of my imagination. Many years have passed, and I did not see those things anymore. I looked at the wall and they were blank, they told me there was an end to everything. I looked at the coffee stains and all they told me was how many days I had been sleepless, working, working, working. I looked at the clouds, they did not reach out to me, they only told me I could not fly. I saw that there was nothing I could nourish the beauty and joy that I had inside me as a child. I wondered where all those things had gone. Until I discovered that through my art, through my creation, I could bring back those things in my childhood that I have been longing to see again."

Froilan Calayag earned his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts at the Technological University of the Philippines. He was the grand prize winner at the 2004 Shell National Students Art Competition, finalist at the 2006 Metrobank Art and Design Excellence, and finalist at the 2009 Philippine Art Awards.

Joe Fleming
(b. in Ottawa, Canada)

Canadian artist Joe Fleming has been exhibiting locally and internationally for over 15 years and is represented by Newzones Gallery in Calgary, Elissa Cristall in Vancouver and Gallery TAKSU in Singapore and Malaysia. His painterly process involves aggressively distressing surfaces (mostly wood panel and plexi glass) then rebuilding them with flat graphic devices and brightly coloured enamel hues. Fleming's work is included in many corporate and public collections including: Pricewaterhouse Coopers (Malaysia), HSBC Bank, Australian High Commission, Canadian High Commission (Kuala Lumpur), the Edmonton Art Gallery, the Museum of Civilization (Hull, Quebec) and the Holocaust Museum (LA).

Joe Fleming completed his formal education from Ottawa School of Art in 1979 and Sheridan College of Applied Arts in 1986. He conducted lectures and workshops in various universities in Canada since 1993 to 2009.
 
Justin Lim
(b. 1983 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Justin Lim examines the connection between existence, religion, politics and its relation in our contemporary social context. Using painting as a medium, he continuously represents and questions the human capability to distort the truth.

Justin Lim completed his postgraduate studies in 2006 with the Master of Art (Fine Art) programme by The Open University UK conducted at Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore after obtaining a BA(Hons) Fine Art majoring in painting. He has exhibited widely in Malaysia and Singapore in various solo and group exhibitions. In 2007, he was the Artist-In-Residence at TAKSU, Kuala Lumpur and was awarded the 2008 Malaysia-Australia Visual Artist Residency at Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia. He has also exhibited at the 2009 Asian Art Biennial at the Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and will represent Malaysia at the 2001 Asian Artist Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center, USA.

Lynyrd Paras
(b. 1982, Philippines)

Much of Lynyrd Paras' inspiration comes from his immediate surroundings. The frenzied, chaotic corner of Manila where he resides and works seems to infuse his art with a certain edginess and raw truth. As much as he strives to apply more formal techniques and creative processes gleaned from practice as well as his education, Paras' art still remains a statement about place and the realities and issues that exist in it.

Lynyrd Paras graduated from College of Architecture and Fine Arts, Technological University of the Philippines, Manila in 2005. He has exhibited in various cities in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as participated in various residency programs in the region.

Ng Joon Kiat
(b. 1976, Singapore)

Landscape painting is a well established genre in the art histories of various cultures. While landscape paintings vary greatly in their conceptual motivation and use of formal techniques, they often have a few assumptions in common, including the thinking that gravitational force acts from the top of the painting towards the base, and that the pigments should always fuse with the painted surface. Ng attempts to challenge these assumptions in the works presented in Garden City.

Ng Joon Kiat obtained his Diploma in Fine Art (Painting) from Lasalle-SIA Singapore in 1997 on NAC Arts Grant, Georgette Chen Scholarship, and Ericsson Scholarship; before pursuing his Bachelor of Art in Fine Art from RMIT (Australia) in 2001, and Master of Arts in Fine Art from University of Kent (U.K.) on a full Shell-NAC scholarship in 2002. He has since then continued his practice, participated in various group exhibitions in the region, and executed several solo exhibitions in various venues in SIngapore, among which are: National Museum of Singapore (2007), TAKSU Singapore (2008), and Jendela @ The Esplanade (2010). Ng Joon Kiat is currently part of the academic staff in Nanyang Technological University's School of Art, Design and Media.

Olan Ventura
(b. 1976, Philippines)

The second of the Ventura trio of brothers is known as a sensitive portrayer of his own personal, domestic life, where his wife and child figure prominently in his work. The piece chosen for this exhibit represents a very different take on domesticity, perhaps one that links the child in the artist to the subject matter. With an underlying vulnerability, the subject matter ceases to be toys, or even striking examples of pop art, but instead become statements about our own fractured sense of isolation and helplessness.

Olan Ventura graduated from Fine Art program from University of the East in 1998. Olan Ventura was the recipient of Juror's Choice Award in the 2005 Philippines Arts Award. Since then, Olan has exhibited in various galleries in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Samsudin Wahab
(b. 1984, Malaysia)

Samsudin Abdul Wahab's paintings intuitively bridge the local / global dialogue, picking up on a collective awareness informed by the internet, profusion of international magazines, comic sub-culture and its fusion with indie industries, desktop graphics and graffiti.

Samsudin Wahab graduated from UiTM Seri Iskandar Perak in 2005, and from UiTM Shah Alam in 2007 with BA (Hons) in Fine Arts, Majoring in Printmaking. He has exhibited extensively in various spaces in Malaysia and Singapore, and was awarded Malaysian Emerging Artist Art Award in 2009. Among several Artist Residency programs that Samsudin participated in are: Rimbun Dahan Malaysia (2009), TARP KL Malaysia (2009), and Mumbai, India (2010).

Tony Twigg
(b. 1953, Australia; lives and works in Australia & Philippines)

Fascination with space as a medium is evident in works by Australian artist, Tony Twigg. Often referring to his art works that are created with enamel paint on timber as "constructions", his lattice- like works show his attentiveness to the space that surrounds structure. During his last decade spent travelling through Asia, Tony's work has developed into an engagement with objects, as he describes them, 'objects found beside the road'. He feels that he can read the language of these objects that crosses the national and cultural boundaries of our region. Most of his works incorporate found objects or found materials and he readily acknowledges the hand of an anonymous collaborator in their making. He sees truth in his found materials that he says, "are facts that come after the facts of history; they are the facts of life".

Tony Twigg studied painting in Australia and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Visual Art from the College of Fine Art, Sydney. As his work developed he incorporated elements of film, video and performance into his installations. "Learning to Swim" presented at The Art Gallery of New South Wales and "A Shadow in our Tree" at the Queensland Art Gallery both developed historical narratives that he also told in his short films, notably "A Passion Play" that represented Australia at the Cannes Film Festival. When Tony began exhibiting in Manila in 1996 his work was abstracted. He continues living in both cities and in 2005 he began exhibiting with TAKSU. Since then his work has been seen in group and solo shows in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Trine Olrik
(b. 1967, Denmark; lives and works in London, U.K.)

"Fragile cardboard cityscapes echo the fragmentary and ephemeral. Uninhabited, the intricate complexity of Trine Olrik's spaces "carry" a weight of the air that passes in their midst, reciprocated by the sense of the lightness in these impoverished urban forms" (Robert Luzar)

London-based Trine Olrik graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 1993 with Bachelor (Hons) in Sculpture, and from Royal Academy Schools London in 1996 with Masters in Sculpture. Since then, she has mounted three solo exhibitions in Copenhagen and in London; and took part in several group exhibitions in Europe. Trine is the recipient of prizes from 1996 The Royal Academy Reynolds Club, and 2010 The Open West Cheltenham. Her works are in the collection of Copenhagen Councils Art Trust (2008) and various private institutions in the UK, Los Angeles, Denmark, and France.

Umibaizurah Mahir
(b. 1975, Malaysia)

To Umi, clay is akin to life: unpredictable, but with many possibilities. Working with clay has taught her that depending on the complexity of form, outcomes can either be full of surprises or just pure disappointment. The process is ongoing, and intuition plays a big part in choosing the medium and materials that she works with. Clay, to her, is a form of vehicle for communication between religion and people across cultures. Umi's clay pieces, adorned with unusual objects found around the environment, seem simple and playful. In fact, they penetrate deep beyond the superficial layer of experience and explore various issues that relate to human perceptions.

Umibaizurah Mahir received Bachelor in Fine Arts (Hons) from MARA University of Technology in 2000. Since 1997, she has participated in exhibitions in various spaces in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, and Pakistan. Umibaizurah represented Malaysia in the 2009 Jakarta Ceramics Biennale. She was among the Top 10 Winners of The Young Contemporaries 2006 by The National Art Gallery Malaysia, and was awarded Top 5 Winners for her collaboration with children in making clay sculpture at the Tokoname City Culture Hall, Aichi, Japan. Umi's works are collected by various institutions and private collectors: National Art Gallery Malaysia, Petronas Gallery Malaysia, Asia Arts Network Seoul Korea, and Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection, Malaysia.