MUNGKIN NANTI – BABAK 2 BY DAVID LEE

Mungkin Nanti-Babak 2, a solo exhibition by our local artist, David Lee. This latest series is a recollection of the past, the current, and what to expect in the future. David narrates seven stories or artworks packed with subjects that entail his memories of a particular time in his life, reminiscing the bittersweet or ordeal that he went through, and also his hope for the future. It is a body of oeuvre that sought to achieve the pursuit of contentment by trying to accept not only the pleasant but also the chaotic and unpredictable livelihood.

Through his elaborate composition and character narrative in his paintings, David Lee is no doubt a visual poet or a symbolist; he creates a story in a painting as if each of them is a chapter of his life. But not in the manner where things are sorted out or spoon-fed to us – we need to look closely at each detail of the subjects to piece together that they build up a story in an artwork. The expressions of burden, joyfulness, nostalgia, and growth are embedded into particular animal symbols and objects that David somewhat encountered throughout his life.

Mungkin Nanti-Babak 2 runs from 3 to 17 September 2022 at Hall 1, G13 Gallery.

• David Lee