Metropolis by Mo Maurice TAN
Take a ride with Paris-based Singaporean artist Mo Maurice Tan in Metropolis. Exploring the methods of commuting in various metropolises, the subject matter of the artist ranges from dark subways and train stations, to harbours and airports.
Mo is best described as a modern urban landscape artist, using watercolour and acrylic to depict cityscapes, often from the bird’s eye-view. Mo isolates the essential earth tones in his street scenes and adopts them in broad blocks of light and shade. His works can be seen as a reminiscent of the classical Chinese landscapes – the spaciousness of the untouched canvas and the unfinished borders, leaving the viewers to ponder much of the scene. The figures depicted are devoid of expression and details, evoking a form of solemnity. His landscapes seem to have frozen in time and space – an impression emphasized by Mo’s technique of leaving the bottom of his paintings untouched. The drips of paint remind one that the painter is controlling our projected view and perspective of the painting.
Travelling from places to places, Mo captures the haunting yet lyrical solitude in the deceptively busy and energetic environment. In Metropolis, Mo weaves together a transport system that cuts across borders and logic as if one could board a train in New York and alight in Tokyo or Singapore, creating an interlink to show this futuristic, otherwise, a vision of travel in the urban landscapes.
16 – 29 March 2007
Mon to Fri, 11am to 7pm, Sat & Sun, 11am to 5pm
