Melissa Tan – Arc of Uncertainties

install shot 1-min install shot 2-min install shot 5-minRichard Koh Fine Art (RKFA) is pleased to present Melissa Tan’s solo exhibition titled Arc of Uncertainties at Artspace @ Helutrans, 39 Keppel Road, #02-04, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 089065 Singapore from 18 – 30 Jan 2016. The opening reception will be held on the 18 Jan 2016 from 6 – 9 pm.

Extending from Tan’s previous solo exhibition titled And the Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn (2014), Arc of Uncertainties displays further visual exploration inspired by the formations of lost asteroids and minor planets; remnants following the formation of the solar system caused by Jupiter’s gravitational pull in which asteroids are prevented from merging with each other, thus breaking into minor pieces.

The process adapted by the artist for these new works consists of delicately cutting pieces of painted watercolour paper that have been applied with traces of iron oxide and layering the cut sheets in between laser-cut powder-coated stainless steel structures that formally echo the shapes of the watercolour pieces. This process mimics the activity or compression in the creation of metal-rich asteroids. The reflective metal surface, when juxtaposed with paper, introduces a complexity that weaves the different media together, thereby enhancing the illusion of layering and density.

In Tan’s previous works, The Secret Life of Rocks (2012) and The World is Full of Distance (2013), her explorations were based on her studies of crystal formations, in which the delicate drawings were aimed to document the process of growing crystal clusters as well as the formation of tectonic plates. She used paper as her primary material to stimulate the compression of rock layers and burning the edges as a mark-making technique to illustrate the intense heat conjured by the forceful pressures. Her interest since then has shifted from the terrestrial rocks on earth to floating rocks in outer space.

This recent body of work focuses on lost asteroids, in which the paper-reliefs are formed after lost minor planets that were recorded throughout history. These asteroids have a predicted orbit that is either too large or indistinct to be traced, rendering it impossible to predict their exact location in the future. This series contemplates the intriguing note that even objects as large as planets could get misplaced and eventually forgotten; and that a fresh discovery of a new intergalactic object could actually be just a rediscovery of a previously forgotten one. This scenario also resonates in the art world, in which we are always rediscovering practices that have gone unnoticed, constantly rejuvenating what we see and value.

  Melissa Tan – Arc of Uncertainties

Melissa Tan – Arc of Uncertainties

18 - 30 January 2016

Richard Koh Fine Art
Artspace @ Helutrans,
39 Keppel Road, No. 02-04,
Tanjong Pagar Distripark.

Daily, 10am - 10pm