Abstraction in Three Mediums

'Abstraction in Three Mediums' will explore the boundaries of abstract painting in various artistic practices—stretching the limits of the medium of painting, challenging its conditions and working methods. This exhibition will feature works by three artists based in Singapore including Laila Azra, Chong Yanhong and Raymond Yap.

Laila Azra's gestural paintings are built-up through layers of acrylic paint on canvas overlaid with threads, liquid latex and thick streams of paint--a multifaceted layer of place, space and time. Laila Azra's compositions are sparked by a personal experience at a universal level. She imbues paint with emotional resonance yet at the same time restricts those emotions within the confines of her often indefinable and mysterious forms.

Chong Yanhong’s works explore the ever-changing landscape of Singapore and the underlying structures of architecture in their different phases of construction. Chong adopts a different method and approach in the presentation of her work. In her recent practice, photographs are printed on sheets of paper and then applied to the canvas by a transfer process. Using common spaces as her subjects such as, a concert hall, an auditorium, a stadium, and also interiors, she alters and enhances visual and architectural space while leaving some familiar elements that remain in a deconstructed terrain.

Raymond Yap completed his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in fine art at Wimbledon School of Art and Royal Academy of Art Schools. He is interested in the nature of paint and painting and the potential of gloss paint as a medium for fine art. He continues to explore and experiment, balancing control and serendipity to achieve work that is unusual and unique. Yap is currently a full-time lecturer at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).