How many faces does LKY have?

Potted plants demarcate a rectangle of pleasing green astro-turf, and light brown park benches sit facing a row of artwork by the artist y/x. You could be forgiven for thinking you had strolled into an artificial garden by accident.

However the breezy space of the venue stands in contrast to the subject matter of the paintings, displayed and depicted in a manner at once serious, meditative, even solemn. The exhibited artworks feature Singapore’s founding father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew (“LKY”) in close-up, intimate portraits. Each work appears a carefully studied portrayal of the man, bearing the characteristic creased forehead and steely jawline.

The free-standing, mammoth work “Light and Brilliance”, has on one side, LKY as a figure standing tall against a dimunitive landscape. Next to it is a panel of wood-carved hieroglyphics, which the artist has created to read as the title of the work. Both panels are encased in a wooden frame engineered to “open” and “close” like a book. The work itself offers up a plethora of meaning (whether or not consciously) provoking reflection on themes of leadership and authority, to be playfully “deciphered” by the viewer.

Another work, “The Willing Spirit of a Worthy Leader” contains whirling swirls of blue and black outlining a figure standing at a podium, facing a cluster of microphones. The sinuous mass of lines lend a sense of frenzied energy, fitting to the scene of the painting, but also perhaps the artist’s struggle to approximate the character of LKY.

It is hard to ignore the almost tangible sense of respect that suffuses this exhibition, and must be seen to be felt/ believed. The artist manages to bring heavy emotion to the fore of the canvas, in a time when words really seem not quite enough.

August 2015
Words for Esquire Singapore
Images courtesy of Bless Inc. Asia Pte Ltd