For The Time Being

Cuturi Gallery is proud to present For The Time Being featuring works by artist Vanessa Liem (b. 2002, Singapore). This marks Liem’s second solo show exhibiting a fresh body of work reflecting herself in variations of alien-like mortal figures in desolate spaces. Drawing parallels from her personal life, this series of highly figurative works are surrealistic depictions of the oppressive weight of existence, particularly hers.

Liem was always fond of altering human figures. Her fascination began when she started to experience fever dreams. She has found ways to exemplify those dreams through vivid and obscure visuals. In her previous exhibition, I Cried Bizarre, she formed human figures to resemble bright and shiny, slender mannequins focused on the external appearance. The plasticity of the bodies symbolised the emptiness within the characters. In contrast, the figures in For The Time Being are painted in a darker colour palette epitomizing a sombre state of being.

“For this series, I wanted to paint how a person felt, not how a person looked. These figures are variations of myself in states of anxiety, mania, vulnerability and numbness.”

Stay Still (2022) reveals a composition of two bodies stacked on top of each other in a secluded sanctuary acknowledging a state of comfort in desolation. Yearning for permanence in this solitude, Liem was consumed by feeling numb and desired for it to be unending.

Portrayals of isolation, comfort, intimacy, and vulnerability permeate the foreground and background of Liem’s works. Seeking solace in a familiar hideaway during times of apprehension, she took refuge in her sister’s bedroom furnished with red-coloured curtains and bedsheets. As sunlight slithers through the gaps and fibres of the curtains, the room starts to glow in hues of red, setting the backdrop of Red Room (2022). Being still in the solace, Liem reaches the point of acceptance of her mental state as the absent limbs from the torso on the bed symbolise her detachment from reality. The lack of limbs illustrates her as a helpless victim.

“By staying in seclusion and away from reality brings the question of whether this is self-care or self-sabotage?” Positive and negative connotations are seen sporadically throughout Liem’s works.

Arrival (2022) pivots from the notion of being subservient to her emotions and attempts to reclaim mental stability. Liem sets the three unified figures in an alternate universe. As she interacts with the foreground, the aurora lights crown the head of the dominant figure as devil horns to emphasize the temperament of animosity. Symbolizing the sentiments of rage and resentment, she endows it with the ability to shoot lasers from the eyes while two bodies latch onto its legs for stability and support. Liem describes how this scene unfolds as a reclamation of land or the domination of territory. This translates to the repossession of her mental well-being or the pursuit of a new haven. Much like this piece, Liem’s paintings often acquire dual interpretations.

For The Time Being, present works that confront us with Liem’s visceral emotions. Upon seeking escapism by situating herself in familiar and unknown spaces, she questions how this coping mechanism might lead her in circles of psychological destruction.

Vanessa Liem’s For The Time Being will be on view at Cuturi Gallery from 18th June to 10th July 2022.

Text by Renee Loh

Exhibition Catalogue