Epilogue Insights by The Collectors
“How do you let someone who do not know Chua Ek Kay understand his works?” This was a question posed by a student of the SMU course during an interactive session.
This question brought us back to our starting point. Back then, we heard of the name Chua Ek Kay and the low hum around his works… but could never explain what we saw when looking at the Lotus Pond and Reflections Series.
However, the images lingered in our minds.
The first street scene was acquired at the most unlikely of places… a condominium showroom . Hanging on the wall at the foot of the bed, the painting of a street scene distracted us from our initial intent. This early street scene work was chosen by the interior designer, on loan from a gallery to complement the contemporary decor of the showflat. With the fine delicate ink lines and pastel yellow grey tone, it added a touch of elegance to the bedroom. Importantly, it was the aesthetic experience that drew us to it, something we could relate to.
Having taken the first step, we started to explore further, understanding the perception, cognition and characteristics of his art and its creation. It has been a journey of discovery, enlightening and addiction.
Ek Kay’s Street Scenes are often emotive and sentimental. An area of focus is usually a dominant feature of the scene. As he progressed, he evolved to create a space of controversy, having nether foreground nor background leading to an uncertainty in the visual effect.
The linear lines of the buildings and streets, as a source of inspiration, allowed him to apply calligraphic techniques to capture the moment, embedding depth and height perception. He went on to define his style by experimenting with thicker and heavier strokes, being bolder in his expression.
The masterful use of accessories, usually a car, a truck, a bicycle, or partial trees or shrubs peeking from the behind the walls, suggesting hidden back alleys an passages, hints at ongoing activities along the footpath and leads the viewer beyond the building at the foreground.
Towards the later years, he wanted to be more abstract than representational, to give the viewer, the feeling of the building rather than seeing the physical structure of the building. Creating the atmosphere of the moment rather than just viewing inanimate buildings in his paintings.
An excerpt an essay published in the catalogue titled Chua Ek Kay A Long Way From Home
Published in 2018 in conjunction with exhibition held at Singapore Management University.
Essay shared courtesy of the collectors.
