Wei-Ling Gallery will present a much-awaited solo exhibition by the inimitable Ivan Lam.

Two years after his celebrated Panorama series, which saw Lam’s paintings going up on a billboard in the city, he will be presenting a series of only five paintings.
This series, titled Together Alone, will see the juxtaposition of images and themes that have taken precedence in his works in the past, with symbolism, optical theories and colour fields.

The monumentality of ‘Together Alone’ lies in the size of the canvases as Lam once again aims to stretch his works into another realm with the use of scale and the development of his technique.

This body of work demonstrates Lam at the cusp of his artistic practice as he has spent the last five years mastering the use of synthetic house paints in his works and in this body of work, he has experimented with and introduced a fresh new medium — resin — into the artistic process.

‘Together Alone’ will be a milestone exhibition as it takes contemporary Malaysian art into a new dimension.

Lam 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.

He has managed to reach greater heights and his 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 Malaysian 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 HK$120,000, three times the higher estimate from Christie’s Hong Kong Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art auction in May 2008.

Lam graduated with a BA (Fine art Painting) from Maine College of Art USA in 1998 and returned to Malaysia to begin his career.

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, having mastered the silkscreen with the back-breaking CMYK series (which consists of only 10 pieces), he was regarded as the country’s most relevant contemporary printmaker.

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

These highly-acclaimed paintings laid the groundwork of what was to come and allowed the artist to display his fearless approach in tackling unfamiliar territory.

Panorama, created between 2007 and 2009, was a series of nine paintings which saw 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 Lam at the peak of his contemporary relevance.

Wei-Ling Gallery is located at No.8 Jalan Scott, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-2260 1106/07, 016-913 6252 or e-mail weiling@weiling-gallery.com.
Wei-Ling Gallery is open from Mon-Sat (Mon-Fri,12-7pm, Sat 10-5pm. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Admission is Free.