Ivan Lam (b. 1975) has earned a reputation as one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary artists for his ability to push the boundaries of his art practice.Unafraid to take risks and never content to rest on his laurels, he constantly challenges himself by experimenting with new techniques and mediums in a bid to take his artworks to a new level.In so doing he has managed to reach greater and greater heights and each of his iconic artworks reflect a rare purity and honesty which are reflective in the works of artists who are answerable only to themselves.

Over the last decade he has charted new territory on the contemporary Malysian art scene with his mastery of printmaking and now his conquering of contemporary painting. He has exhibited widely in the local and international arena and has also garnered multiple awards in a 13-year career laden with solo and group exhibitions. His painting Three Buses received a final bid of HKD120,000 three times the higher estimate from Christie’s Hong Kong Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art auction in May 2008.
Ivan Lam is an innovator, a fearless explorer and an obsessive perfectionist-all qualities of a great artist in the making.

Chronology
Initially known as a printmaker he used the silkscreen as a means to create works that dealt with colour fields and reflected international issues.Seven years later,and having mastered the silkscreen with the back-breaking CMYK series(which unsurprisingly consists of only 10 pieces)in 2005,Ivan Lam was regarded as the country’s most relevant contemporary printmaker.

At this juncture, Ivan Lam made the bold move of shifting his focus from printing to painting.

The After all these years… series saw Ivan Lam creating a suite of only 12 paintings over a course of 3 years (2005-2007) and in giving himself the task of discovering a new approach through the use of synthetic house paints he was able to open up a whole range of possibilities in his art practice. These highly-acclaimed paintings laid the groundwork of what was to come and allowed Ivan Lam to display his fearless approach in tackling unfamiliar territory.

Panorama created between 2007-2009 were a a series of 9 paintings which saw Ivan Lam more confident with his new medium and giving in fully to the painting process.The works which dealt with everyday scenes allowed the viewer to be the protagonist of the panorama that was unfolding before their eyes .Each and every piece was undeniably fresh and powerfully heartfelt and the Panorama series saw Ivan Lam at the peak of his contemporary relevance.

Ivan Lam’s upcoming solo exhibition, Together Alone 2009-2011, will feature only 5 paintings.This body of work is in a realm of its own with Ivan pushing the boundaries yet again with his utilization of scale and monumentality as well as his experimentation of a myriad of new mediums and techniques. In his inimitable way, he has once again beaten the odds and triumphed coming through at the top of his game.

The works which are being presented at Art Stage are a preview of Together Alone Ivan Lam’s upcoming solo exhibition which will feature at Wei-Ling Gallery in March 2011.