Introduction

Goh Chai Seng’s paintings are filled with a plethora of uncanny figures and objects being connected and overlapped each other, such as Goddess Guanyin/Kuan Yin on a pink Mini Cooper holding bowl of bak kut teh, and Old Mother Teresa beside Yang DiPertuan Agong of Malaysia with a child’s head. The surreal and overwhelming imagery comes straight from the artist’s honest visualization and presentation of the relation he makes with the world and life – his personal experiences, emotions and beliefs and madness. His works on paper embrace similar intensity, while the abstract expressions carry more spontaneous and primitive energy in stronger connection with nature. As Shooshie Sulaiman guides us in her text Negative Truth in the exhibition booklet, the viewers should not try to make sense of Goh’s work, but immerse themselves in the compelling visual language in order to encounter rare, genuine and truthful expressions by an artist.
Works produced by Goh should never be interpreted. It would be foolish and ridiculous of us to make them look logical. I am more inclined to walk alongside him without any time limits in orderto bear witness to the presence of a sense of truth.
And I also will not judge the value of that truth. Being able to witness it is itself a blessing. Because living in an environment deeply crippled with hypocrisy, you could consider yourself lucky if you happen to stumble upon a tiniest speck of truth, for it means that you still deserve a slice of quality life.
・・・
Feast your eyes… Do not think too much.
Dive in as deeply as you can.
Enjoy the pleasure.
The beauty of a truth.
Shooshie Sulaiman, Negative Truth

Concept

For his first solo exhibition, Goh Chai Seng presents new and recent paintings of the rich and unique plethora of figures and objects. Also on view will be works on paper from the artist’s earlier career, which are exhibited for the first time. Some Truth is a collaboration exhibition between Tomio Koyama Gallery and 12 Kuala Lumpur.

Artist Biography

Goh Chai Seng was born in 1977 in Malaysia. He lives and works in Klang, Malaysia.
His group exhibitions include Sasaran International ASEAN Artist (2008), MCAT (Malaysian Contemporary Art Tourism, 2010), The Young Contemporaries (2013) and Art Exhibition at National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur (2014). He has received Philip Morris Awards (1999, 2001 and 2003) and this year’s Jury Award at The Young Contemporaries (2013).