Absorption As A Way Of Seeing

Pearl Lam Galleries is delighted to present Absorption as a Way of Seeing, featuring works by eight contemporary artists: Kim Tschang-Yeul (b. 1929), Kenny Wong (b. 1987), Sinta Tantra (b. 1979), Luke Heng (b. 1987), Studio Swine (b. 1983 & b. 1984), Li Tianbing (b. 1974), Gonkar Gyatso (b. 1961) and Thukral & Tagra (b. 1976 & b. 1979).

In his 1967 seminal essay “Art and Objecthood”, art historian Michael Fried investigates ways to perpetuate the viewing experience of art. Fried proposes that artworks are “more than objects”; specifically, the experience of art does not rely on the object on view alone, but also the way in which we partake in “the entire situation” and embrace the very object within our field of vision. Objecthood is defined as the conditions that entice viewers to look consciously and to engage with an object. In short, the way we look at an artwork becomes an integral part of the object itself. This group exhibition reflects on our absorption of an artwork through looking at it and contemplates the link between materiality, time, and memory in order to acknowledge the ontological potential of art itself.