CATHARSIS, currently on showcase at Wei-Ling Contemporary gallery in Kuala Lumpur, consists of five large-panelled paintings, which encapsulate Malaysian contemporary artist Ivan Lam's years of experiencing, understanding and accepting the depths of excruciating pain.
Dealing with debilitating health matters throughout his life, Lam felt the only way to "end" his suffering was to embrace it wholly. Each painting presents an almost scientifically-precise anatomical drawing of a body part, which had tormented him in the past — the skull, the inner ear, the pelvis, the skin and the heart.
His personal library is filled with art literature, which is rivaled only by books on human biology, where he scoured for his research. From colour coding of the nervous system, to the Latin names of various organs, the visuals in this new series bring a familiar feeling, mimicking the aesthetics of scientific anatomy illustrations, albeit with a twist.
The drawings come into play with the eloquent strokes of pastel crayons; a never-before-used material in the artist's nearly three decades of practice. However, it's a deliberate choice of material as it transports him back to his childhood; something he'd always been tempted, yet hesitant to explore because it catapults him back to a harrowing past.
Unable to afford crayons due to his family's limited finances, Lam was left to his own tools, namely sticks and leaves, to draw on the ground. He hasn't looked back since. Reminding us of gratitude, the artist muses: "The heart has no crayon. You couldn't stain your past or be angry at the situation. It was still the best thing that could have happened."
MEDITATIVE PROCESS
Despite the sombre theme, nuances of pastel colours combined with Lam's signature resin coat gives an inspiring aura — a duality that he's acutely aware of. To "lighten" the mood, Lam's dry wit is perfectly injected via an electric switch added to each side, complete with pertinent instructions which culminated into the title of the piece: Press here to time travel, Press here to teleport, Press here to appear, Press here to disappear, and Press here to reappear.
As a way of identifying the sources of pain of each body part, Lam placed donut-shaped moulds (cast in resin and painted scrapes from his artist palette) onto the exact locations where pain was unbearable.
This act of "paint-pointing" as he's labelled it, is a meditative process of self-awareness. It's perhaps through this gesture that Lam's true revelation has arisen, resonating with the legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo's words: "At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we can think." Much like her, it was also through agony that Lam has discovered the true meaning and cathartic quality of painting.
This series is particularly meaningful to this artist as it brings him full circle to the lightboxes, with which he launched his first solo exhibition in the country back in 1999. It has taken him 23 years to return to this medium, which was in itself ahead of its time. Concluding, Lam says of the series: "To seek the clarity of the past, so that I can be ready for the future, while working in the present."
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in 1975, Ivan Lam has earned a reputation as one of Malaysia's leading contemporary artists for his continuous ability to push the boundaries of his art practice. Unafraid to take risks and never content to lean on the familiar, he's constantly posing himself new challenges through experimentation with techniques and mediums, taking his art practice to the next level.
In so doing, he has evolved into an artist of critical acclaim who's answerable only to himself. The artist consistently strives towards conceiving and actualising new concepts and ideas. Lam has also been recognised for his achievements, and his impressive canvas has been collected by reputed institutions in Malaysia, Europe and the United States.
The enigmatic Lam was the first and only Malaysian artist selected to present a one-man project at the inaugural Art Basel Hong Kong in 2013, and was the first Malaysian artist commissioned by Louis Vuitton for their collection in 2014.
In addition, he was one of four Malaysian artists to represent Malaysia at the country's first-ever National Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia in Italy in 2019.
Catharsis by Ivan Lam
Where: Wei-Ling Contemporary, 2nd Floor, Wei-Ling Gallery Annexe @ Brickfields 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
Admission: FREE
Opening hours: 10am – 6pm (Tuesday-Saturday). Closed on Sundays and Mondays. The exhibition is open by appointment only.