Going black and white
Raw Art Space in KL rolls out a monochromatic spread for its inaugural exhibition.
GALLERY founder and artist Tey Beng Tze isn’t worried about leaving out colours at KL’s Raw Art Space’s inaugural show called Think Ink 01. The group exhibition, featuring six artists, is a full-blown black and white “inkscape” experience.
Think Ink 01 might be a small show, but through its 30 works, gallery visitors can look forward to a diverse range, including monochromatic ink washes, woodblock printing, DIY comic book art, Chinese ink on paper and abstract, freestyle calligraphy.
“Think Ink 01 is the first in a series of exhibitions, featuring different artistic approaches using ink as the sole medium,” says Tey, 34, who is part of the show with his ink-splashed acrylic on canvas works.
“Not everything has to involve (US filmmaker) Wes Anderson’s colour palettes. Black and white isn’t always stark and moody. You can make the works very lively, there is just so much you can achieve with black and white,” he adds.
Think Ink 01’s line-up also includes KS Yuen, Nigo Chong, Roz Azzaree, Will
Win Yang and Stephanie Yong.
Tey, who organised the show, picked the artists from recommendations and his own discoveries (through Instagram).
“Nigo and Roz are self-taught (artists), but the lack of formal training doesn’t really matter. There is a lot of freedom and adventure in their works. On the other hand, KS Yuen, a person trained in typography, also has an experimental edge and he is willing to push things,” says Tey.
Comic book artist Yong, who has a background in digital animation, isn’t somebody you might find in an art exhibition, but Tey reckons it is important that Raw Art Space (formerly Findars) keeps its shows open-minded.
“Yong’s Codex Satura will be exhibited as an artwork series, and also made available as a comic book,” says Tey.
Despite working on tight budgets, Tey is hoping that Raw Art Space will be a hub for multi-disciplinary art exploration.
“This experimental exhibition is our start. Raw Art Space isn’t about big gallery pretensions. We want to work with people who want something different when it comes to art, it’s not that complicated,” concludes Tey.
Think Ink 01 is on at Raw Art Space, 8, 4th floor, Jalan Panggung in KL till June 29. Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 7pm. Facebook: Raw Art Space. Call: 017-698 7618. The exhibition will be launched tonight at 7pm, with a deejay set by DJ Oddjob. Free admission.