Fragmented reality
Seah Zelin freezes fragments in his exploration of the past and present.
WALK into Taksu in Kuala Lumpur now and you will see aluminium plates perched precariously on the pool water surface. They wobble only as hard as the water beneath them swirl, like strong undercurrents that are silent yet deadly.
The first of Seah Zelin’s installation works to be set up in a pool, it is a clever allusion to the metaphorical shaky ground beneath our feet in this country.
His solo show at Taksu, Hit The Ground And Blossom, is the gallery’s last show for the year.
It comprises this installation piece and 10 paintings in hues of red, blue and gold, which is a rather bold and unexpected departure from his usual monochromatic palette trademark.
“I have moved on from that stage in my life where I was constantly asking questions. Now I seek for answers,” says Seah, who is also a fine art lecturer.
The new- found vibrancy in his works seems to reflect a certain self- awareness stemming from a careful examination of one’s self.
“To me, my works are more personal now than before. I look back at myself from a third person point of view and discover how external influences shape my practice and set me apart from the rest,” he says.
Does a more colourful canvas really reflect the answers he seeks? It might be too early to tell, but this journey is just beginning.
The Restoration Series, a collection of fragmented still life images, takes its reference point from works by Dutch Baroque painter Jan Davidsz de Heem ( 1606- 1684). Considered one of the greatest painters of still life in the Netherlands, he is arguably best known for his pronkstilleven creations ( translated as “ornate or ostentatious still life” from Dutch).
In many of his works in Hit The Ground And Blossom, Seah draws heavily on the style of these intricately detailed still life paintings that were all the rage in the 1640s.
Some, like his Vase Of Flowers, is a reproduction of de Heem’s work; while other, like his Blue And White vases series, merely borrows the format and symbolism portrayed in these works.
“I have always been fascinated by the arrangement of Baroque painting and how it captures the here and now. Pronkstilleven, in particular, represents the ‘ mature’ stage of Baroque painting development. Its dynamic composition and painting technique represents a benchmark of Western art to me,” explains Seah.
Closer to the present, he draws on artists who are still practicing – like Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei’s Dropping A Han Dynasty ( 1995).
Last year, Seah, 35, was the youngest Malaysian artist to participate in the inaugural Start Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery in London.
It ended up being an instrumental part of his artistic development this year.
“It made me ponder on the vast possibilities of communicating in a variety of ways with viewers coming from different backgrounds,” he says, after observing that symbolic elements sit differently with different people.
Out in the wide world, there is often a wider gap to bridge compared to people living in your own backyard. And there is no ‘ common language’ you can rely on, so you have to find new ways to communicate through art, he says.
On a superficial level, more colours means more permutations. Artistically speaking, the possibilities are endless.
He also showcased his works at Art Stage Singapore this year, under the Taksu gallery.
Hit The Ground And Blossom gets its name from the practice of quickly uttering these words ( in Chinese) should you accidentally break a vase or glass, especially during the festive season. It is not dissimilar to how some people believe that you will be cursed with seven years of bad luck when you break a mirror.
However, the Chinese believe in a counter effect. In fact, the consequent streak of bad luck can be not only be countered with these words, but you will be blessed with good fortune. Talk about a turnabout!
To Seah, this body of work reflects his interpretation on how things can be deformed, transferred and restored.
“Like the lost and found of different values in the digital age we now live in,” he says.
Hit The Ground And Blossom is also a personal examination of the future status of objects once collected as cultural relics or kept as historical evidence.
The fragmented blue and white porcelain he features in his works is additionally an attempt to challenge the viewer on the perception of cultural migration.
“It is a subject close to my heart as an Asian artist who practices Western ideologies, and being part of the Chinese community in a Muslim- majority country,” says Seah. “My works therefore reveal the crash, transformation and restoration between the different ideologies in our world and their influences.”
Hit The Ground And Blossom is on at Taksu, 17, Jalan Pawang, Keramat in Kuala Lumpur till Dec 31. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm ( Monday to Saturday). The gallery is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Call 03- 4251 4396 or visit www. taksu. com for more information.