Sutures and Infinite Laughter: Ruben Pang

Press release
Primo Marella Gallery is pleased to announce “Sutures and Infinite Laughter” Ruben Pang’ second solo exhibition at the gallery in Milan, opening on Thursday May 30th at 6.30pm, turning the Claudio Silvestrin-designed-venue a vibrant hall until the end of July. 
As in the previous memorable experience of Zwitterion (2016), this exhibition maintains the ethereal combination of paintings, sculptures and music, comprising a body of twenty artworks as the result of twenty months of incessant evolution between Pang’s studio in Singapore and hideaway in Sardinia.  
Oil, ceramic, aluminium, alkyd, echoes of guitar-riffs and drums intersect once again to capture the viewers sights and refuses any reference point or a priori certainties. It as an invitation to meander into secret worlds and the open-ended interpretations they evoke. 
An imminent spectrum of strident contrasts recurs in Pang’s oeuvre: object VS subject, intimate VS uncanny, discipline VS hysteria. We are visually whiplashed into these oscillations through the aposematic colors (such as orange on black) that set the serrated attitude of the show. 
 Like a concept album, his personal shows tell a silent story and possibilities of reading are plenty. The following are an excerpt of his notes on the coming exhibition as guidelines for the visit: 

 

# [Watering the plants]

It is an active choice: choosing how you want to conduct yourself within the studio. My rule is that I will not sigh in the studio. I believe that is a kind of behavioral conditioning and will reinforce how I respond to stress. I believe that if you show up with the right mindset, the paintings will paint themselves and the music will materialize.

 

# [Bending time]

The luxury of having a studio is that one shortens the time between thinking about something and conceiving it. This paintings and music realized here often demonstrate the result of having a space where ideas do not remain solely ideas but get to be materialized and tested out immediately. Nevertheless, the triptych “Viper Learns to Articulate” tests a different approach: conceived in December 2017, it was finished in 2019.

 

# [Be vulnerable]

In 2016, my friend and mentor, Gilles Massot asked me to actively fall in love with things and people; to seek out the company and counsel of people I admire, to find muses, and to be enchanted by music. We are lucky to have someone care enough to pay some attention to our work… To sit with your mate and experience reciprocal empathy towards the ideas you put forward. The reward is being witness to magic-paintings that you’ve never seen before but recognize.

 

#[Infinite laughter]

The people who have spent time in my studio inspire me. They share certain qualities: their enthusiasm is infectious, they have a wicked sense of humor and laugh hard-the decay of the reverb of their laughter is the most common sound in the studio. Our technical compulsions and tragic experiments are balanced by an equal amount of hysteria and playfulness.

 

# [Gratitude]

I wake up thankful for the life that I have. I have a supportive family that has sacrificed their living space for my art practice since my formative years. My family has chosen to be part of my artistic life yet know when to give me space. They are emotionally supportive and are the bedrock from which everything else can be built upon.
 
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue featuring an essay and critical notes of Professor Adam Staley Groves, who had already worked by Ruben Pang’ side in the past and gained a deep understanding of the artist’s practice, perhaps deeper than the artist himself. 
Installation Views

Sutures and Infinite Laughter, Installation view at Primo Marella Gallery, Milan

Works
Back to Past exhibitions