WONG KEEN

FLESH MATTERS

This is the first major exhibition by Wong Keen devoted exclusively to showcase one singular series, titled ‘Flesh series’, which started in 2012 during an artist residency in Caochangdi, Beijing. Over the last six years, Wong radically transformed his style, combining the painterliness of his earlier work with a fresh use of nudes, beiges and fleshy tones and sinuous lines that took these canvases into new and unexpected territories. 

FLESH MATTERS at Artspace@Helutrans will present over 25 new paintings and 15 works on paper and collages, illustrating Wong’s compelling mastery and virtuosity as a painter. The series is considered one of the most accomplished in Wong’s painted oeuvre over fifty years. The accompanying exhibition catalogue includes full-colour illustrations and an essay contributed by Ms. Lee Chor Lin, former Director of the National Museum and the CEO of Arts House Limited. ​

The New York-trained artist first embarked on the visual discourse of flesh and meat during an artist residency in Beijing with Galerie Urs Meile in the summer of 2012. His dynamic exploration on the subject has since evolved into a magnificent series characterised by highly stylised images of the burger, the butcher shop, and the nude, which he dramatises through various strategies and mediums. The treatment of human flesh as synonymous with animal flesh manifests as a recurring motif through which he could constantly reinvent forms and techniques to synthesise his formal explorations of two different subjects: the nude and the meat. His paint handling techniques have been refined to convey the structural expression of meat — colour, texture, density — and his composition often aims at a liberation of objects and meanings from familiar contexts.

Jointly presented by

artcommune gallery and

The Culture Story

Artspace@Helutrans

Singapore

12–22 July 2018