A+ Works of Art (d6-G-8 d6 Trade Centre, Jalan Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 51000) 10 October – 2 November 2019

nrm. curatorial project

A+ WORKS OF ART is pleased to present AL/linum, a solo exhibition by emerging artist Luke Heng. Making his debut in Malaysia, the exhibition brings together the union of two series of works that deal with the perception and manipulation of spaces within a painting. Heng’s subject is forms as markers that demarcate spaces. The exhibition exudes the notion of being monumental and oblique, sleek and detail-oriented, and it maintains its distance from any standard aesthetic response or conventional display, with Heng creating changes in illusiveness or cycles of illusions.

“Having conceived the larger oil paintings that deals with the spatio-temporal, which was a continuous development of the Non-Place series, the small-scale digital prints came as a form of counteraction to what the larger oil paintings are doing.”

– Luke Heng

Luke Heng Non-Place 2019 Oil on Linen 200 x 150cm (image courtesy the artist and A+ Works of Art)

Luke Heng Non-Place 2019 Oil on Linen 130 x 330cm (image courtesy the artist and A+ Works of Art)

Luke Heng Non-Place 2019 Oil on Linen 130 x 360cm (image courtesy the artist and A+ Works of Art)

In recent years Luke Heng’s practices have developed in two distinct trajectories, with the first being his painterly works that engage on a philosophical level and preoccupation with the perception of painting and its results; and the second being the more conceptual thread that emphasises materiality and the process of materialisation, as evidenced in his wax and steel creations.

Guided by his interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine – stemming from the fact that he comes from a family of Chinese physicians –, Heng also picks up ideas and concepts from the I-Ching (Book of Changes) whereby yin and yang philosophies govern his thoughts and compositional effects during his process, informing his manipulation of choices in his works to maintain a sense of visual harmony. These influences reflect the artist’s views on liminality and boundaries, witnessed in the abstract variations in his artworks: a misty narrow strip or two in an otherwise plain-looking canvas, or rectangular steel bars bound within translucent wax slabs.

AL/linum presents an immersive environment built on shifting intellectual and emotional states to grant access to imagery and information beyond the reach of abstraction, within Heng’s fusion of paintings and digital renderings; becoming a contemplative refuge for chanced neutrality and mediated encounters.

About the Luke Heng

Born in 1987, Singaporean artist Luke Heng is interested in the dialectics between painting, object, and picture making. His practice revolves around the conceptualization and physical manifestation of painting. His works respond to the history of painting, drawing upon various other art forms to influence his approach and process, constantly questioning the possibilities of a painting.

Heng’s first solo exhibition, The Waiting Room, was held at FOST Gallery, Singapore in 2015. Followed by a solo exhibition at Galerie Isabelle Gounod in Paris the following year. His last solo outing, After Asphodel, took place at Pearl Lam Galleries, Singapore in 2017. Heng has participated in group exhibitions, including Constitutent Concreteness at Mizuma Gallery (2016, Singapore), Peculiar Textures at Galerie Steph (2015, Singapore), and Primavera 3 at Galerie Frédéric Lacroix (2014, Paris, France). He was selected to participate in the Dena Foundation Artist Residency Program in Paris, France, supported by the National Arts Council, Singapore. Heng graduated with BA (Hons) in Fine Arts from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2013, which he attended on a scholarship.

About nrm.

nrm is a curatorial consultancy by Josef Ng, Andrew Ruff and Chris Moore.  @nrmpartners

Luke Heng Gnawing Bite 2018 Inkjet on aluminium composite 34 x 31 x 2.9cm (image courtesy the artist and A+ Works of Art)

Luke Heng Swallowing 2018 Inkjet on aluminium composite 34 x 31 x 2.9cm (image courtesy the artist and A+ Works of Art)