WLG Incubator Young Artists Show 2024
I AM A PRAYER
The WLG Incubator was launched in 2020 as a platform to highlight and collaborate on projects with progressive artists who are critical towards shaping Malaysian contemporary art today. It was born out of the understanding that each artist deserves a safe space where they can discuss, experiment, and make art, within a supportive environment. The selection process consisted of research by curators to identify candidates which were then invited to share their vision, for further selection process. Upon interview, the confirmed artists, Lee Mok Yee and Ryan Naga, worked with their mentor Rajinder Singh for the period of 7 months, before the gallery opened its doors for visitors to discover the results of their dynamic process. Guest mentor Anida Yoeu Ali, gallery mentor Lim Wei-Ling, and Program Coordinator Amanda Ariawan also took part in the discussions.
Wei-Ling Gallery is proud to present ‘I AM A PRAYER’, a dual exhibition featuring solo works by Lee Mok Yee and Ryan Naga. This exhibition explores the deep-rooted and personal notion of home, spirituality, and the self through varied artistic lenses, interweaving cultural narratives, identity, and personal belief systems.
Lee Mok Yee: Rethinking the Self
In ‘I AM A PRAYER’, Lee Mok Yee reflects on the concept of home as an extension of the self, contemplating the body as a vessel for life’s experiences and beliefs. His works examine his roles as a man, partner, and son, using symbolic structures to represent facets of his identity. Drawing inspiration from Chinese rituals, Mok Yee reinterprets traditional aesthetics in his works, creating house-like forms that symbolise belief, family, and relationships.
One of the focal points in his exhibition is a sculptural exploration of Na Tu Kong, a traditional Southeast Asian spirit house, blending wood, bamboo, and incense. Mok Yee’s houses embody various aspects of his life, delving into themes of memory and sexuality through unique materials consisting mostly of found objects. His practice questions cultural and spiritual elements in a deeply personal and experimental way, extending beyond religious connotations and into broader cultural contexts.
Ryan Naga: The Search for Home
Ryan Naga’s work presents a different angle, exploring the collective experience of home through interviews and visual storytelling. His series of drawings feature pigeons, a symbol of homing, representing the universal search for a place of belonging. Ryan’s work also includes debossed writings, invisible to the eye but imprinted with memories and reflections collected from his conversations with the public about their personal perceptions of home.
By interviewing people and transforming their responses into visual narratives, Ryan plays with the connection between memory, data collection, and artistic expression. His minimalistic approach bridges the gap between the deeply personal and the universally familiar. His performance piece and printed textiles further expand this theme, integrating ritual, repetition, and the notion of home as a fluid, evolving construct— both personal and collective.
Together, the works in ‘I AM A PRAYER’ invite viewers into an intimate dialogue about the meaning of the self as home— both as a physical and metaphorical space. The exhibition title reflects the artists’ meditative process, where the act of creating art is akin to prayer, filled with repetition, devotion, dreaming, and desire.
‘I AM A PRAYER’ is featured at Wei-Ling Gallery and Wei-Ling Contemporary from 26 October – 23 November 2024.
Wei-Ling Gallery is located at No 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Admission hours are Tuesday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm.
Exhibition is open by appointment only. For appointments and further assistance, please contact +60322601106 or e-mail siewboon@weiling-gallery.com