Tali Art Gallery in Petaling Jaya is known for its creative exhibition set-ups, and its current sculpture show takes this further, rethinking the gallery layout so visitors can discover sculptures in unexpected ways, with every corner and pathway offering a new visual experience.
The exhibition SCULPT: CULT made of objectual manners brings together 11 artists and collectives from Malaysia, Thailand, and France, including Ramlan Abdullah, Sanan Anuar, Temjai Cholsiri, Dilarang Projekt, Zulkifli Lee, Irsyad Maktar, Tawatchai Puntusawasdi, Dhavinder Singh, Kitikong Tilokwattanotai, Lea Valentin, and Asyraf Zakaria.
An installation work by Irsyad Maktar titled ‘Molecular Convergence’, which is part of the ‘Sculpt, Made Of Objectual Manners’ group exhibition at Tali Art Gallery in Petaling Jaya. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
The works – a wide range of approaches to form and material – will be on display at the gallery until Dec 7.
Gallery owner and curator Thomas Martin says that navigating the gallery with care is part of the experience, as the sculptures, whether flowing or intentionally awkward, create shifting impressions.
“We wanted to stretch the idea of sculpture, to bring it back to its root in space and volume while pushing it forward with new ideas. You have emerging artists, established names, mixed media, movement, colour, everything interacting in the same environment,” says the affable Frenchman.
A closer look at veteran artist Ramlan Abdullah’s stainless steel sculpture resting on granite titled ‘Kalam Trap’. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
Depending on the time of day, natural light pouring through the gallery’s glass wall casts shifting shadows across the works, adding another layer to the experience.
As visitors step into the gallery, they are greeted by the rhythmic clinks of Zulkifli’s Gempita: Bentuk & Kelakuan, a piece that sparks reflection on physics and the natural order through its carefully balanced mix of wood, steel, water, and stone. Not far from it, Ramlan’s towering 5.5m stainless steel Kalam Trap stretches across the space, resting diagonally on granite, a striking installation that is impossible to miss.
“In this work, a combination of a fishing trap and a fountain pen, Ramlan maps his journey from survival in his early days to writing his own story as a sculptor. Even though it takes up the most vertical space, the granite keeps him grounded,” says Thomas.
Visitor views Thai artist Tawatchai Puntusawasdi’s works at Tali Art Gallery. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
Pointing to Thai artist Kitikong’s four wooden pillars titled Resonating Times – each layered with acrylic paint and lacquer – Thomas notes that it was the artist’s first work – poignant in spirit – since the passing of his father earlier this year.
“This piece is about remembering an object from an everyday environment, in this case the railing of his family home. He recalled a moment when his wife and children placed their hands on the railing,” says Thomas.
“Through hours of repeating that memory in the studio, he honoured his father, and that memory now continues through him. If you look closely, you can even see traces of fingerprints,” he adds.
A view of Tali Art Gallery’s exhibition space, where sculptures engage the gallery’s unconventional layout and invite exploration. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
From there, the exhibition shifts into works that explore the human form and its distortions.
Another Thai artist, Tawatchai presents a figure mapped through quadratic graphs, pairing precision with introspection.
“Like many artists facing a creative block, he needed escape and quiet reflection. Tawatchai takes measure of his own appearance, and the two sculptures flanking the sketch outline a figure in meditation. The shape shifts depending on the angle you view it from.
“It reminds us how easily our impressions of others become distorted, and how we ourselves are often seen through only one lens,” Thomas concludes.
SCULPT: CULT made of objectual manners runs at Tali Art Gallery in JAM PJ, Petaling Jaya, Selangor until Dec 7.