10 July 2023—The Banquet opens at Hearth by Art Outreach
The Banquet, a solo exhibition by Amien and produced by Kelly Limerick, is a glorious feast of digital paintings and immersive experiences. Rendered in soft, wisp-like brushstrokes, the paintings feature figures such as celestial beings, deities, monsters, and personifications of perfectionism, whose appearances draw on Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Thai cultures and mythology. From the artist’s perspective, these figures represent the concepts of the id, ego, and superego in Freudian psychology, as well as our natural inclinations towards hunger, desire, and perfection.
Interestingly, these dramatic, sweeping compositions feature food-related details, with various figures hunting creatures, sitting surrounded by meats, or painstakingly plating dishes. This culminates in a painting featuring the artist’s embodiment of perfection—a glowing figure wrapped in white—being served and dismissing those dishes; a poignant reflection on how creatives tend to be overly critical of the fruits of their labour.
It’s also an incredibly immersive experience, as the paintings are accompanied by moody techno music by weish, woodwork by Liuyang of Un Studio, paper and print objects by Mandy Tan & Derrick Ng, and ceramics by Rei of Un Studio. Another thing that blew our minds was how viewers can scan a QR code and use AR to project digitised sculptures of the food in the paintings onto the accompanying arrangement of ceramics. Talk about a treat for the senses!
Check out our photos below if you’re curious about this whimsical show.
The Banquet runs at Hearth by Art Outreach, 5 Lock Road till 16 July 2023.
The artist AMIEN in front of two of his paintings. Aumirvasati, 2023, Giclee print on cotton rag paper, 50 x 50 cm. The painting depicts a nude green-skinned woman with flowing black hair, clutching a red apple as she lounges in a large, black shell–making us recall The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. In front of her lies plates serving a large, fanged fish head and a few slices of meat. AMIEN, Simir, 2023, Giclee print on cotton rag paper, 50 x 70 cm. The painting features a towering monkey-headed figure with glowing golden eyes, shrouded in wisps of smoke, with a hand reaching out for a dish of what looks like roast chicken. Sakar, 2023, Giclee print on cotton rag paper, 90 x 37 cm. Probably one of our favourites for its dynamic composition, this painting depicts a silver-haired individual drawing a katana and slaying an iridescent-scaled creature. We loved how the colour palette predominantly features shades of black, beige, silver, and red, with the contrasts in colour evoking a sense of tension and drama. Aunhir Mesa, 2023, Giclee print on cotton rag paper, 90 x 90 cm. The composition features a gaping black hole at the centre, with numerous figures and creatures in the foreground rushing to either avoid or escape it. Adopting an existential tone, the painting wants us to consider what notions or ideologies are central to our lives. (Left) The artist showcasing how the QR scan works. Aiming the screen towards a ceramic object will cause a dish that’s been featured in the paintings (in this case, the thigh of a bird-like creature) to appear on the object. (Right) A selection of ceramics by Rei Un Studio in front of Yrasa Idun, 2023, Giclee print on cotton rag paper, 92 x 50 cm.
