Tay Bak Chiang

Tay Bak Chiang
At First Sight, 2018

Pigment, ink and colour on paper
96 x 96 cm (framed)

Courtesy of the artist and Cube Gallery
Price £4,200

The attractive paintings of Malaysia-born artist Tay Bak Chiang feature rocks, tropical plants and lotus ponds – elements commonly found in the natural landscapes of Singapore (his adopted homeland) and Southeast Asia.  A walk through a nature reserve inspired his stone series: “The huge granite rocks amid the greenery were like strong, silent figures.  Some were lying in seemingly precarious positions and yet they appeared to be at ease.”  Bak Chiang perceives these rocks as sentient beings: experiencing the world around them, seeking peace and harmony and adapting to their environment. 
 Trained in Chinese ink painting, the three-dimensional nature of his textured rock is created using a combination of vibrant western pigments and traditional Chinese inks, which he applies in multiple layers to achieve an intensity of colour and an aged-effect on the stone’s surface.  Through these rocks and the red-whiskered bulbul birds, Bak Chiang tells stories; suggesting At First Sight could be a chance encounter that may unfold as a love story.  
 Bak Chiang’s work is in numerous collections including Simmons & Simmons, Swiss Re, OCBC and United Overseas Bank.
 
For more information cube-gallery.co.uk

Hedge issue 51, pp78-84, August 2018