Arts Picks: Artist Ruben Pang's new works, online illustration workshop

Half of Ruben Pang's works in the show were made in Singapore and the other half in Olbia, Sardinia. PHOTOS: RUBEN PANG

True Solarization

Singapore artist Ruben Pang's latest solo show, True Solarization, is at the Primo Marella Gallery in Milan, Italy. But the good thing about the pandemic is that the art world has moved online, so fans of his work can check out the show digitally.

The 31-year-old, who moved to Italy last year after getting married, says half the works in the show were made in Singapore and the other half in Olbia, Sardinia.

He says: "I felt like I received paintings more than I willed them into existence. When I painted alone at night, I performed the paintings for 'ghosts' (I assumed there were spirits), so the selection of genres I curated for them ranged from truths that one is generally forbidden from articulating while alive, to ephemeral (as opposed to visceral or physical) directness of energy."

Some of the more eye-catching pieces are Heart, which looks like an X-ray awash in shades of red, and History Of Defensive Gardens, whose humanoid figure is reminiscent of British artist and poet William Blake's angelic figures.

The artist will also be showing three works with Yavuz Gallery at Art Basel Hong Kong, which is on this weekend (May 21 to 23).

These pieces, with their bright colours and repeated lines, feel more dynamic and energetic than the meditative pieces in True Solarization.

To see the works, go to Art Basel's online viewing rooms.

Where: Primo Marella Gallery and Art Basel Hong Kong online

Admission: Free

Info: Primo Marella Gallery's website, and Art Basel Hong Kong's website.

Unnatural Stories: Online Illustration Workshop

PHOTO: DAREL SEOW AND LEE XIN LI

The hoarding at Singapore Art Museum's Queen Street building sports a busily detailed mural featuring everything from Ah Meng the orangutan to kopitiam scenes to famous buildings.

The work is created by illustrators Darel Seow and Lee Xin Li. An Unnatural History combines their love of architecture, culture and nature and is the starting point for this workshop, which has moved online because of tightened Covid-19 measures.

The duo will offer insights into how they created the wall-sized mural and tips on how to put together visual narratives.

And if you are curious about the mural work, check out this website, which includes conversations with other artists and experts such as Robert Zhao, who creates fictitious works about natural history, and Dr Yeo Kang Shua, who has an interest in building conservation and the science behind it.

Where: Zoom

When: Saturday (May 22), 11am to 1pm

Admission: Free with registration

Info: Visit the Eventbrite website.

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