Artists: Haffendi Anuar - Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee - Koby Martin

"Something about its green stained yellow rind, and in particular the great spawn of gluey, grey-brown, caviare-like seeds and the pale, stringy fibres at its cleft heart made me want to throw up." -James Kirkup, Tropic Temper, 1963

The group show features artists: Haffendi Anuar, Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee and Koby Martin. The exhibition embodies themes of belonging, identity and the imaginary.

i.
A pair of windows, one slightly ajar. The heavy, humid air sting the nostrils, almost beckoning her to step out from within an internalised room or even, world. The blanche net curtains curl onto the wooden sill as Elizabeth turns her head away in chagrin. Nothing quite hurts the eyes as much as tracing the piercing rays of the morning sun which strike the tops of the rolling clouds in the curious, dream blue-sky. The record player sits in the corner and in the backdrop, now hisses as the stylus stutters uncertainly across the silent grooves of the record.

ii.
Pockets of air bubbles nestle in between the oval shaped seeds suspended against a field of salmon-coloured fibrous meal. It looks like a contagion of slippery, sweet flesh. My mouth is alive; rolling each seed on the tip of my tongue. I am trying to make sense of each bite.

iii.
Peering down one indistinguishable path after another, there are twisted vines lurking in the entrance concealing the vegetative labyrinth. A flicker of movement but nothing stirs. The ever-narrowing passageways seem to be herding me toward an endpoint known only to the eyes, burning unseen holes into my path.

HAFFENDI ANUAR (b. 1985, Malaysia) is a multi-disciplinary artist working with painting, sculpture and textile based in London, UK. His works critically examine themes on post-colonialism, identity and architecture. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, and holds an MFA from the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University. Anuar has exhibited widely, and his solo shows include Flat Lands at ai. gallery, London (2021) and Midday Stanza at Richard Koh Fine Art in Singapore (2019). Recent group shows in 2024 include: Of placebos that sing sweet in the mouth and ache in the soul, curated by Louis Ho, Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore; Not Just in Black and White, Works from the Steve Wong Art Collection curated by Rogue Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and With Every Fiber, Aicon Contemporary, New York. His works are in both private and public collections including the Kirin Nadar Museum of Art, Singapore Art Museum, Richard Koh Collection, Steve Wong Collection, Ashmolean Museum, UK, and others. Recent commissions include Battersea Power Station & Cass Sculpture Foundation (2017); Facebook, Singapore.

ELIZABETH GABRIELLE LEE (b.1994, Singapore) is an artist, educator and research director. Her inter-disciplinary practice includes photography, film, text and new media. Her works examine post-tropical environments, psycho-spiritual traditions and the neo-gothic. She has exhibited at works at the V&A (London), Rockbund Museum, Shanghai; Asian Film Archive, Singapore; Nguyen Art Foundation, Saigon; Singapore; UNSEEN Amsterdam amongst others.

KOBY MARTIN (b. 1988, Ghana) is a Ghanaian-born and British-based artist. His work is shaped by his personal experience, a reflection of his Ghanian origins in relation to the Western and Contemporary practices of his craft- where traits of his African descent and life in Europe thus far are consistently reflected, influencing the narratives of his pieces. Martin's evolving practice tackles themes of identity and social justice while incorporating cultural elements like the Ghanaian Adinkra symbols. Recent exhibitions include Goodmother Gallery, LA (2023); Drunk Minds Speak of Sober Times, Sarabande Foundation (2024).