… dan lain-lain

small pictures, large drawings … and others

Wei-Ling Gallery is pleased to announce ‘…dan lain-lain – small pictures, large drawings … and others’ by prominent Malaysian artist Anurendra Jegadeva (J. Anu) in his eighth solo show with the Gallery.

“The exhibition, of assemblages, also include larger drawings because that is the natural progress my recovery took. The collection of smaller pictures that fed on each other is my attempt to try and say bigger things. But not too much. For me, mostly, they are like little gems of indulgence and beauty, done purely for their own enjoyment.” – Anurendra Jegadeva

‘…dan lain-lain – small pictures, large drawings … and others’, one could say, is Anurendra’s post-operation ‘celebration’. The artist underwent a quadruple bypass surgery, stemmed he said, from “a fantastic ride of bad habits and good times which led to this impasse. 

During a slow yet steady recovery, the artist realised his condition, for the most part, prevented him from producing large scale works as they were arduous to hash out. And that is how his ‘miniatures’ were born. 

These smaller scale works show the more playful/ whimsical side of Anurendra – they are less curated than previous narratives which coursed through much of his past works. He took a step back, observed the World’s current situations and began making works as he deems fit. ‘…dan lain-lain – small pictures, large drawings … and others’ is his personal diary of the past year, of post-Covid and post-operation – his musings on how nerve-wracking current times are.

Anurendra’s unceasing obsession for details demanded an ‘economy of mark’ which gave an abstract attribute to each piece, and it prompted him to research various visual conceptualisations to creating that were unencumbered by the vexation of a major work which unavoidably corresponds to larger pieces.

To further expound his impish side and surrender completely to the quirkiness of story-telling, Anurendra uses crayons, colour pencils, collage, painted objects, 3-D reliefs, ornaments, miniature toys, stamps and a multitude of personal collectibles for his works.

The exhibition does include larger drawings in accordance to the natural progression of his healing trajectory. His ‘Agilan Thani’ paintings for example – large scale big brush paintings is his continuing search for heroes. “I stumbled on him one day on Instagram, tried to establish contact but with dismal results. I am hoping these works will get his attention. It was his monumentality which inspired the transition to making large works. It made me want to paint. His vitality is contagious even though we have not met. And he demands a big brush.”

‘…dan lain-lain – small pictures, large drawings … and others’, simply put, is Anurendra being thrilled about making things again.

‘…dan lain-lain – small pictures, large drawings … and others’, is featured at Wei-Ling Gallery from 6th December 2022 – 14th January 2023.

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

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Anurendra Jegadeva is regarded as one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary artists for his poetic yet provocative socio-political works. A narrative artist and a painter of stories, he believes in the enduring power of the painted image, and has worked consistently to forge an effective approach to contemporary and historical themes.

Based in both Malaysia and Australia, his works stem from a personal experience of, and response to his subject – be it the post-colonial realities of multi-cultural Malaysia, Asian immigrant life in Australia, or the war in Iraq on his TV screen, Anurendra Jegadeva deftly weaves an autobiographical layer into the complex realities he seeks to capture.

Through a diversified body of work, he examines the ironies in contemporary life and probes the issue of cultural integration vis-à-vis the fusion of modern and traditional values. In the process, Anurendra Jegadeva employs a panoply of narrative tools – recurring motifs, colour symbolism, the framing devices of temple carvers and stained-glass makers, as well as comic book artists – the vocabulary of a multifarious existence.

His 2017 solo exhibition ‘On the Way to The Airport – New Keepsakes’ was held at Wei-Ling Contemporary, and coincided with the publication of a monograph documenting his 30 year career. Inspired by his return to Australia, he draws attention to migration as part of current world issues.

His exhibition, ‘SCREAM INSIDE YOUR HEART – New Paintings from Solitary Confinement’ in 2020 was a series of paintings that revolved around the worldwide pandemic and how he dealt with it, both on a social and personal level. All the works presented in this show had an element of in-betweenness; to stay quiet or to voice out, to lockdown or not to lockdown, to pause or to carry on. These were dilemmas faced by every individual — an underlying feeling that haunts, as months went by living with the pandemic.

Anurendra Jegadeva was one of four Malaysian artists to represent Malaysia at the country’s first ever National Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2019.