“Everything is…” (2019) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 42cm x 39cm
“Everything is…” (2019) ( front and back) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 42cm x 39cm
“Together/Flesh & Bone” (2020) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 35cm x 40cm
“Together/Flesh & Bone” (2020) (front and back) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 35cm x 40cm
“Resist” (2019) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 25cm x 43cm
“The Realisation” (2019) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 42cm x 43cm
“Tattoo” (2020) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 68cm x 59cm
Detail from “Tattoo” (2020)
“The Diver” (2020) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 25cm x 47cm
“The Background Dancers” (2019) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 46cm x 21cm
“Hide” (2020) Graphite and acrylic on HIV medication packaging 34cm x 21cm
“The Pantomime” (2020) Acrylic on HIV medication packaging 56cm x 59cm
“Sextet (in Red)” (2020) Acrylic on HIV medication packaging 96cm x 48cm
Detail from “Sextet (in Red)” (2020)
“The Acrobat” (2020) Acrylic on HIV medication packaging 55cm x 40cm
Detail from “The Acrobat” (2020)
“Gemini (in Red)” (2020) Acrylic on collage of cigarette box packaging and cardboard 56cm x 42cm
“Octet (in Blue and Gold”) (2020) Acrylic on mounting board 54cm x 54cm
“The Whisperer” (2020) Graphite on coloured paper 43cm x 30cm
“The Conjurer” (2020) Graphite on coloured paper 42.5cm x 30cm
“Janus” (2021) Graphite and acrylic on paper 102cm x 101cm
“The Multitudes” (2020) Graphite and acrylic on paper 106.5cm x 100.5cm
Detail from “The Multitudes” (2020)
Detail from “The Multitudes” (2020)
“The News” (2021) Graphite and acrylic on paper 59.5cm x 42cm
“The Virus” (2021) Graphite and acrylic on paper 59cm x 42cm
“The Glove” (2021) Graphite and acrylic on paper 59cm x 42cm
“The Aftermath” (2021) Graphite and acrylic on paper 59.5cm x 42cm
Exhibition poster for "RESIST"
"Let's Play" (2020) Acrylic and graphite on HIV medication packaging
Preparing collected HIV medication packaging for gluing
Gluing the HIV medication packaging
Study and source image used for "Together/Flesh & Bone" (2020)
Underpainting for "Resist" (2020)
Underpainting for "Hide" (2020)
"Untitled" (2020) | Acrylic and ink on paper
Study for an articulated figure on tracing paper, with drawing in acrylic and graphite
Study for a sleeping figure
R E D & G O L D I I
The series of paintings that made up Red & Gold II were made between 2019 to 2021. They comprised figurative works painted on HIV medication packaging and paper. In a way, they are a continuation of the original Red & Gold paintings I made in 2017. You can read more about that here.
To accumulate enough of the packaging material to make these works, I sourced them from a friend who worked as a liaison for an HIV outreach organisation in Kota Kinabalu. With the permission of his clients, he helped me collect hundreds of boxes, explaining to them that the boxes would be used for my art project. My friend was very careful to remove all the stickers that would identify the clients by name.
In the end, I ended up with hundreds of these boxes. I was very moved by the sheer amount of it. Each one represented someone who was going through the same daily pill regimen as I am. I’m still ambivalent about this feeling… I wish it wasn’t so but at the same time I feel comforted knowing that I’m not alone.
When the COVID pandemic happened, that feeling intensified and pushed me to create the last four paintings: “The News”, “The Virus”, “The Glove” and “The Aftermath”.
The Red & Gold II paintings were shown in my second solo show “HURT | NEED | UNDO | LIVE” and “RESIST” at The Back Room KL, from August to October 2022.