AN ARTIST’S PROCESS OF CREATION HAS A CERTAIN RHYTHM. AND THOUGH THERE IS AN INTENTIONAL CADENCE THAT FLOWS THROUGH AN ARTIST’S ACTIONS WHEN CREATING ART, THE OUTCOME IS NEVER THE SAME.

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PAINTER KHENG LIM SAIK’S PROCESS BEGINS BY STRUCTURING HIS ENVIRONMENT. HE PAINTS WHEN THE SKY IS DARK AND THE WORLD IS STILL. WITHOUT A SLIVER OF LIGHT PENETRATING HIS STUDIO WINDOW, KHENG TUNES INTO A SPECIFIC TYPE OF MUSIC THAT HELPS HIM GET INTO HIS FLOW: A VERSION OF BEETHOVEN’S 9TH SYMPHONY WITH A RUNTIME THAT HAS BEEN STRETCHED TO 24 HOURS. LISTENING TO THIS WELL-KNOWN WORK IN A DIFFERENT WAY CREATES A SOUND THAT IS STRANGE, ETHEREAL AND FULL OF SURPRISES. YET, IT TOUCHES HIS SUBCONSCIOUS AND PUTS HIM INTO A FLOW THAT PRODUCES SOMETHING THAT FEELS, TO THE ARTIST, TRUE AND NATURAL. THIS EXHIBIT SHOWCASES THE PRODUCTS OF KHENG’S ARTISTIC ENVIRONMENT, A CONTROLLED SPACE WHERE THE MOOD IS ALWAYS DIFFERENT.

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KHENG’S SUBJECTS ARE TAKEN FROM THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AROUND HIM, LIKE CHIMNEYS, COLUMNS AND OTHER SIMILAR FORMS WHICH HE STYLIZES AND ABSTRACTS. IT IS THROUGH THESE FORMS THAT HE TRANSLATES HOW HE FEELS AS HIS INNER SELF IS TRANSFORMED ONTO A CANVAS. THE VERTICAL FORMS THE PAINTER CREATED MAY SEEM GEOMETRIC, BUT THERE IS A BEAUTY TO IT THAT CAN BE SEEN BEYOND WHAT IS INITIALLY BEHELD.