H U R T | N E E D | U N D O | L I V E |
R E S I S T
HURT|NEED|UNDO|LIVE and RESIST was my second solo exhibition presented in two parts at The Back Room, Kuala Lumpur from August to October 2022.
The show presented a selection of about 80 works I made between 2018 and 2021. The works were deeply personal as I began them after I moved from Kuala Lumpur to my hometown Kota Kinabalu.
What started out as an exploration on spritual themes and religious iconography through a queer lens, the works eventually became a way for me to deal with loss and grieving, as during that period I lost five members of my family, including my mother.
The show encompassed three main series of works:
1. Triptychs, which were acrylic paintings I made on wooden cutting boards. Inspired by my Catholic upbringing and religious iconography that I saw during various visits to Hindu and Buddhist temples and shrines when I lived in Kuala Lumpur, the works came out of a desire to explore spiritual themes in my work.
2. Red & Gold, a continuation of the series of paintings on HIV medication packaging I started in 2016.
3. Talismans, which were various iterations of works inspired by talismanic objects that I started making in 2016.