“… sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together..”
– Marilyn Monroe
In the presentation Things Fall Together, artists Yeo Shih Yun, Laudi Abilama and Chihiro and Yuuri Kabata come together in a profusion of emotion and exuberance that is underpinned by loss, longing, humour and irony. Yeo challenges and departs from preconceived notions of Warholian screen printing with her bold Screenpaintings, while Abilama celebrates the complicated genius and legacy of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew. Chihiro and Yuuri Kabata, artists from Japan who also happen to be sisters, explore notions of control and balance, while executing their wildly abstract works.
Each artist presents a nuanced and different way of looking at the world – whether it be through the medium of obsessive ballpoint ink markings or the calculated gaze of a senior politician. A surprising level of premeditation and discipline belie the works of Yeo and the Kabata sisters, something Lee Kuan Yew was well-known for during his term as Prime Minister, and later Minister Mentor to the Singapore Cabinet. Yet Lee was also something of an adventurer and changemaker – his bold ways of thinking helped to propel Singapore to economic and other successes. Apprised as a singular presentation, all these works fall together as a poetic statement on the complications and vagaries of the human condition, on the value of deviations from the norm and on the collaborative spirit that few seem capable of in these politically troubled times.
The Kabata Sisters
Chihiro Kabata
Japanese artist Chihiro Kabata creates enigmatic works which challenge and provoke the boundaries of the artist’s process. Using nothing more than a humble ballpoint pen, she creates swirls and flurries, reminiscent of delicate ink brushstrokes or the finest strands of hair. With an obsessive attention to detail and a jaw-dropping level of precision, her abstract works invite the viewer to pause, take stock and dwell on them at length, in deep contemplation. One can almost believe that her mysterious and intriguing Rorschach-like images can reveal our innermost thoughts and the answers to our deepest existential questions.
Yuuri Kabata
Self-taught artist Yuuri Kabata’s artistic process is a precise, disciplined and controlled one. She assigns “fixed rules” to each painting at the outset and then executes each work in conformity to its own preset rules. Yet one would be hard-pressed to discern any hint of rigidity or constraint when viewing her works, with their seemingly free and random drips and swirls. The works have been created so that they work in combination as a quadriptych, although they work equally well as standalones and may be purchased individually.
Laudi Abilama
Who was the late Lee Kuan Yew? Founding father of modern Singapore? Iron-fisted authoritarian? Internationally renowned statesman? Loving grandfather? In capturing’s Lee’s likeness through a combination of silkscreen printing and acrylic painting, Lebanese artist Laudi Abilama charges headlong into the myth behind the man. From touches of knowing humour in a curled, pursed lip, to a furrowed brow, tight and corded with the worries of the world, Abilama’s renderings prompt deeper thought into this intriguing politician and all that he stood for. With a nod to Andy Warhol-esque irreverence, Abilama’s colourful orchid flowers creep over Lee’s face, mottling it into something otherworldly and alien.
Yeo Shih Yun
Singaporean artist Yeo Shih Yun’s deeply cerebral and critically-acclaimed works need little introduction. A favourite of institutions and renowned collectors, Yeo’s work in Chinese ink abstraction is as multilayered as it is accessible. In this Screenpaintings series of works, Yeo marries the techniques of screen printing and painting to create one of a kind works, in which the screen printing technique is re-imagined as a kind of artist’s paintbrush. Yeo’s preoccupation with abstract gesture and materiality recall the emotive processes of Jackson Pollock’s action painting, but her nuanced and methodical approach in the physical execution of these works points to an oeuvre which is distinctively her own.
Collaborative Works between Yeo Shih Yun and Laudi Abilama
3 collaborative artworks have been made especially for this showcase, which commemorates the historic 2018 Trump – Kim Summit held in Singapore. Here are some details of the works, which will be unveiled fully during Art Week:
All works listed here are available for purchase, please send enquiries on pricing to contact@pluralartmag.com
Artists Chihiro Kabata, Yuuri Kabata, Laudi Abilama and Yeo Shih Yun were to have exhibited their works at the INSTINC booth at Art Stage 2019. We are very pleased to announce that they have now found a new home at PLOT, 23 Teo Hong Road, S(088332). You are warmly invited to attend the following events:
Panel Discussion 3 – 4 pm, Saturday, 26 January 2019
Opening Party 7pm – 9 pm, Saturday, 26 January 2019
Dance performance by Chiharu Kuronuma (Japan) 8 pm, Saturday, 26 January 2019
Daily Opening Hours 12 pm – 8 pm, Saturday 26 January 2019 and Sunday, 27 January 2019.
P & U will be on hand to show you around and answer your questions about these very cool works!
A small selection of works by Yeo Shih Yun and Laudi Abilama are also available at Gajah Gallery, in its latest show, Monumenta. Read more about Gajah’s dramatic rescue efforts here.
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This project Things Fall Together is a collaboration between Plural Art Mag and INSTINC. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Plural.
