An underlying grid of squares in this painting forms a basis for the composition. Floating above this grid are several objects resembling short wursts: prinskorvar. And above them, five serpentines fall, like sauce, mustard, across the frame.
A block of equal horizontal rectangles forming thin strips occupies almost half of this painting. You can almost hear a sneeze, or a splash, bless you, and immediately sense that spring has arrived. Ahchoo! Bless you.
The titles of these paintings by Genevieve Chua are filled with references to things that happen in the real world. Perhaps they are happening in slow motion, or have a completely different sense of time. They slide along the surfaces of the paintings and fall off the edges and onto our minds. There is often a narrative underlying abstract paintings, and it’s often in the titles that these narratives are revealed.
Genevieve Chua is a Singapore-based painter, though currently in London. Her most recent solo exhibition was Vestiges and Halves (2017) at 71/2, Seoul. In 2011 she was selected for the BMW Young Asian Artist Series III at the Singapore Tyler Print Workshop. She is represented by Silverlens, Manila
Heman Chong is an artist and writer based in Singapore
From the Summer 2018 issue of ArtReview Asia, in association with K11 Art Foundation
