Delusions– Gan Tee Sheng by studio 25

DELUSIONS GAN TEE SHENG

ISBN 978 - 981- 11- 4007- 5 PAPERBACK

978 - 981- 11- 4008- 2 E-BOOK

TAKSU is a leading contemporary art gallery and specialist in Southeast Asia. Representing selections of fine art with distinctive urban edge, we are at the forefront of contemporary art in this region. TAKSU works to forge a platform for established and emerging artists to share their pool of creativity and knowledge through its residency programs and exhibitions. Encapsulating the true meaning of the word TAKSU; divine inspiration, energy, and spirit. Suherwan Abu Director, TAKSU Galleries

Graphic Design Jeffrey Lim / Studio 25 Printer Unico Services

outside cover; cropped Sofa / Oil on Canvas 130 x 163cm / 2017

Artworks & Images ÂŠ 2017 Gan Tee Sheng

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delusion

oil on canvas / 182 x 118 cm / 2016

landscape 3

oil on canvas / 64 x 99 cm / 2016

rhythm

oil on canvas / 130 x 163 cm / 2017

rhythm 2

oil on canvas / 130 x 163 cm / 2017

delusion

oil on canvas / 163

x 260 cm / 2017

d e l u s i o n s o f l a n g uag e , d e vo t i o n , a n d a s pac e b e yo n d t h e t r e e s

*ni hao how are you? wo bu hui jiang hua yu I cannot speak Mandarin

I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t easy communicating with Gan Tee Sheng. We were based in different countries, at the mercy of technological devices to speak to each other, and above all, had a gaping gulf between us in the form of language; Gan only speaks Mandarin, and I have yet to expand my conversational skills beyond the basics of *ni hao and wo bu hui jiang hua yu. Ludwig Wittgenstein’s quote, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world,” had never rang truer. Language does indeed limit. We’ve all seen it feed the formation of social groupings, or how it has denied many an individual the opportunity to progress. But what the Austrian-British philosopher’s words don’t reveal is that language is also malleable and that its potency lies within every single one of us. With effort, we can all learn to speak the same lingo. And, it is through the personal that we assign meaning. Which is what transpired for this essay on Gan’s exhibition, Delusions. Bringing 12 oil paintings together, it’s a series that’s characterised by ethereal depictions of landscapes and objects, with an airy and fragmentary quality permeating throughout. Gan – who, like me, enjoyed the kindness of a friend who double-hatted as translator – revealed that Delusions embodies his thoughts and reflections on all things tangible. Or all things real, material, or factual. “Most tangible things in life are only passing and transitory, similar to intangible themes like love and feelings,” he adds. Let’s look to Gan’s painting of a wedding gown to begin to understand this. The dress stands stoically at the centre of the composition, and devoid of a human figure, what’s instead present is a palpable sense of impermanence – as if the sentiment of love could be washed away by the simple graze of the artist’s brush. This can be likened to the use of language, of course. We can utter words of love and easily retract it with a few choice words. The same goes with thoughts. We can shift the negative to positive, the darkness to light. Gan’s works in Delusions can generally be seen in this light. And whilst the works may not point to specific events or situations in the artist’s life, they do herald his larger effort to make sense of the world and himself. “When I paint, I am conveying my individual views on society, my own life, and trying to record my own situations and thoughts,” he explains.

Previous works also functioned similarly, but Gan feels that he has hit a milestone in terms of visual expression – he’s at a better stage now than before. This is linked to his own life milestones. Earlier works – those from circa 2011, for instance – bore much darker themes and signalled a broodier time in the artist’s life, but whilst Gan admits to still being in “an experimental and explorational phase”, much of the chaos and obstacles of yore have been tackled by a newfound belief in Christianity. This religious devotion has been a life-changer for Gan. ‘Darker’ works from his studio were disposed of, along with many of the artist’s own negative thoughts. This gargantuan change hasn’t been easy, though. “I’m still trying to break through,” says Gan, adding that art is his vehicle to convey this personal journey. His very own language, so to speak. There’s absolute sense in this. After all, Gan does rehash a long list of artists whose works have played a role in his own artistic makeup – Salvador Dali, Balthus, Francis Bacon, Alberto Giacometti, Kiki Smith, Julie Mehretu, Mark Bradford, and Anselm Kiefer – but you’d have difficulty finding exact visual cues of these artists’ own visual terminology in Gan’s works. Gan’s paintings are uniquely his own, and they are deeply personal. All this segues nicely into Delusions’ forest settings – metaphors for Gan’s present state of mind – and a specific work, Delusions 2. In this two-panel painting, a ghostly apparition of a bed lies amidst a forest of trees and the contrast between the man-made and nature is representative of material comforts versus inner might. It’s a key piece in the series and Gan’s own words on Delusions 2 encapsulates much of what the entire series stands for: “The bed is a common commodity that we have all grown accustomed to and which we are comfortable with. It’s a form of attachment. The forest, on the other hand, is associated with longevity and vastness for growth.” This refers to Gan’s own mission to leave the comfort of his ‘old ways’ behind in search for what lies beyond the trees. “I am trying to rethink what all these things mean to me and how to move on to the next phase in my life after embracing religion,” he admits. We can’t predict the visual devices that will be used at Gan’s next artistic juncture, but what we do know now is that, in respect to Gan’s works, the earlier quote from Wittgenstein may not be a truism after all; the artist sees no limit to the language he’s etching out in paint, and to audiences, it seems there will be no limit to the discovery of Gan’s visual language. Can you speak Gan? Delusions is a fine starting point to learn. r a c h e l

j e n a g a r a t n a m

singapore, june ‘17

delusion

oil on canvas / 200

x 340 cm / 2016

landscape 2

oil on canvas / 60 x 100 cm / 2017

landscape

oil on canvas / 100 x 200 cm / 2017

growing

oil on canvas / 170

x 200 cm / 2017

midnight

oil on canvas / 122 x 92 cm / 2017

GAN TEE SHENG (b.1984) Kluang, Malaysia EDUCATION Diploma in Fine Arts Dasein Academy of Art SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2016 Art Stage Singapore International Art Fair Singapore, G13gallery Art Busan International Art Fair Korea, G13gallery Art Kaohsiung International Art Fair Taiwan, G13gallery ART EXPO MALAYSIA Kuala Lumpur 2015 EXTREME PORTRAIT PART I Galeri Chandan Art Gwangju International Art Fair Korea Contemporary Propulsion - Influence and Evolution G13gallery Art Kaohsiung International Art Fair Taiwan , G13gallery 2014 ART EXPO MALAYSIA Kuala Lumpur LOCALS ONLY! TAKSU KL CATALYSIS HOM Art Trans Tales From The City G13gallery 2013 ART EXPO MALAYSIA Kuala Lumpur Duo: The Storyteller HOM Art Trans Figurative Trajectories G13gallery 2011 The Garden of Hidden Desires Wei-Ling Contemporary Gallery, KL The Malaysian Rice Plates project KLCC Convention Center, KL UOB painting competition 2011 exhibition Kuala Lumpur 2010 Artriangle lll National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur Absolut18@8 exhibition Wei-Ling Gallery,Kuala Lumpur 2009 Young & New Part III Exhibition Matahati gallery Blank Page Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur 2008 Bangun Lost Generation Space

DELUSIONS GAN TEE SHENG

ISBN 978 - 981- 11- 4007- 5 PAPERBACK

978 - 981- 11- 4008- 2 E-BOOK

SOLO EXHIBITION 2017 Delusions Taksu, Singapore 2014 Withdrawn Taksu, Kuala Lumpur AWARDS 2016 UOB Painting of The Year 2016 Young Guns 2013 UOB Painting of The Year 2011 Malaysian Emerging Artist Award (MEAA) 2011 RESIDENCY 2014 Fukuoka Asian Art Museum Residency 2013 HOM’s Adopted Artist-in-Residence (A-Res) KUALA LUMPUR

17 Jalan Pawang 54000 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia T +603 4251 4396 F +603 4251 4331 kl@taksu.com SINGAPORE

43 Jalan Merah Saga #01-72 at Chip Bee Singapore 278115 T +65 6476 4788 F +65 6476 4787 sing@taksu.com

_ ISBN 978 - 981- 11- 4007- 5 PAPERBACK

978 - 981- 11- 4008- 2 E-BOOK