地皮 Skin of Land l 2022Wool Feilt and Synthetic Fiber on Burnt and Washed Topography Maps135 x 102cm
地皮 Skin of Land
2022 l Skin of Land Series l Winner of UOB Painting of The Year, Malaysia
Victoria Theatre, Singapore
The term "地皮" - Skin of Land, is often used in Chinese to describe a commercially valuable site. Here, I have extended it to refer to the exhausted natural resources in a form of an animal hunted and killed for its skin.
Many things that are not visible to the naked eye mark the map, such as contour lines, varying symbols and colours. These artificial symbols shape the framework of human society. Topography is rewritten as society change and develop over the years. I admire the way topography is recorded, but I also lament the way the land has changed due to human development.
Out of my will, I cut and reorganize maps, burn and wash them, like dismembering my prey with a higher perspective. The final product is a 'skin' that has undergone a lot of holes and has been tamed by me. All the identifiable words on the map were burnt, and the distinction between human dwellings and nature is indistinguishable.
The only clear thing is the endless burnt holes that appear like city lights or the dapples of a beast. The gap in the middle is a primaeval forest behind my house, an area planned to be removed for development. This small area on the map, when you are in it, is a boundless green. I ended up isolating the 'animal skin' like an island with a mix of animal hair and synthetic fibre as the boundaries. After all my work was delicated to those animals that were forced to stray and wander in between, including people.
Many things that are not visible to the naked eye mark the map, such as contour lines, varying symbols and colours. These artificial symbols shape the framework of human society. Topography is rewritten as society change and develop over the years. I admire the way topography is recorded, but I also lament the way the land has changed due to human development.
Out of my will, I cut and reorganize maps, burn and wash them, like dismembering my prey with a higher perspective. The final product is a 'skin' that has undergone a lot of holes and has been tamed by me. All the identifiable words on the map were burnt, and the distinction between human dwellings and nature is indistinguishable.
The only clear thing is the endless burnt holes that appear like city lights or the dapples of a beast. The gap in the middle is a primaeval forest behind my house, an area planned to be removed for development. This small area on the map, when you are in it, is a boundless green. I ended up isolating the 'animal skin' like an island with a mix of animal hair and synthetic fibre as the boundaries. After all my work was delicated to those animals that were forced to stray and wander in between, including people.
2023 ART SG, Richard Koh Fine Art, Marina Bay Sand Singapore
Installation view.
Where Have All The ( ) Gone l 2021Collage of burnt and washed topography maps framed with Tru Vue® Optium Museum Acrylic®
210 x 67cm
210 x 67cm
This Land is ( ) Land l 2022Collage of burnt and washed topography maps framed with Tru Vue® Optium Museum Acrylic®
205 x 67cm
205 x 67cm
_U_U_ _ l 2022Collage of burnt and washed topography maps framed with Tru Vue® Optium Museum Acrylic®
68 x 68cm
68 x 68cm
TANJ _ NG MAL _ _ l 2022Collage of burnt and washed topography maps framed with Tru Vue® Optium Museum Acrylic®
56 x 56cm
56 x 56cm
- Media & Press -
TRU-VUE.COM, April 2023THE AESTHETICS OF PRESENTATION: A REFLECTION OF RELATIONSHIPS AND ROLES IN ART, written by Zudfadhli Hilmi