“Triptych: The Sign” (2019) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Gilded” (2019) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Flower” (2019) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Vigil” (2020) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Resistance” (2020) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Scream” (2020) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Changed” (2020) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Naked” (2020) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
“Triptych: The Unyielding” (2020) Acrylic on wooden chopping board 30cm x 57 cm
An installation at the HURT | NEED | LIVE | UNDO and RESIST exhibition featuring the "Triptych" series. The installation, co-designed by Sharon Chin and myself, also features a table containing offerings brought by gallery visitors. It was inspired by discussions we had about the work finding inspiration in religious iconography during my visits to various shrines and temples in Kuala Lumpur.
"Triptych" at The Back Room KL
"Triptych" at The Back Room KL
"Triptych" at The Back Room KL
"Triptych" at The Back Room KL
"The Unyielding" in progress, seen with the original draft
"The Gilded" takes inspiration from a tin of pastilles
Preparing the underpainting for "Triptych"
Underpainting for "The Flower" in progress
Underpainting for "The Flower" in progress
"The Naked" in progress
"The Scream" in progress
A rejected "Triptych" works
A rejected "Triptych" work
A rejected "Triptych" work
A rejected "Triptych" work
T R I P T Y C H
Triptych was a series of acrylic paintings on wooden chopping boards that I bought from a popular chain store selling various household items. The material didn’t mean that much to me but I was intrigued by the form of the triptych because of its significance in Christian art and ritual.
Being ex-Catholic, queer and naughty, I wanted to see how I could subvert the form by making what I would consider as my version of queer religious art.
Much of the imagery for the Triptych series came from looking at anatomy illustrations, Eastern religious iconography (especially Hindu and Buddhist), haute couture videos on YouTube, drag queen fashions, and the work of Sadao Hasegawa (1945-1999), a Japanese gay artist whose work I admire very much.
I wanted the works to be vibrant and colourful, strange and humorous, slightly kitsch and surreal.
Triptych was shown in my second solo show HURT | NEED | UNDO | LIVE and RESIST at The Back Room KL, from August to October 2022.