Material aesthetics

Frictional is a two-man exhibition featuring Malaysian artist Zulkifli Lee and Singaporean artist Ben Loong.

Touted as a display of the unconventional processing of material infrastructure, the artists' works span a variety of mediums such as soil, limestone, plaster, resin and gold leaf.

Ben Loong continues the development of his Terra Blanca series, moulding mosaic tiles and bricks from plaster and resin. The tiles are arranged into various compositions on a canvas, whilst the bricks are scattered across the gallery space. The works supposedly reveal the conceptual complications guiding notions of artistic labour and authorship. Dusting the plaster tiles and bricks with gold leaf, Loong creates a contrast between work of art and the uniformity of industrial production.

Zulkifli Lee bases his practice on the Islamic aesthetic philosophy of Nazzariyah, placing emphasis on matereality rather than a prescribed narrative. Incorporating natural mediums such as dirt, soil, sand, limestone, and rust, Zulkifli creates a multitude of paintings and sculptures. The compositions feature patterns found in traditional Islamic art. His practice is said to be strongly linked to his cultural background and faith, involving the reclaation of abstraction as a long-held Islamic aesthetic tradition.

By exploring the parallels and contrasts between the exhibiting artists, Frictional brings into contact the two approaches to abstraction, embracing resistance as a productive force that generates their creative co-influence. The artists share a keen sensitivity to materiality, compelling the viewer to appreciate the corporeal  and  sensual  aspects  of  their  works,  while  questioning  how  they  are  embedded  in  larger systems of value. 
 

The artworks are priced below SGD 22,000.