{"id":17042,"date":"2021-02-10T18:35:18","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T10:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/?post_type=portfolio&amp;p=17042"},"modified":"2021-02-10T18:35:18","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T10:35:18","slug":"choy-chun-wei-encountering-mass-man-27-february-10-april-2021-press-release","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/portfolio-item\/choy-chun-wei-encountering-mass-man-27-february-10-april-2021-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Choy Chun Wei &#8211; Encountering Mass Man | 2 March &#8211; 24 April 2021 &#8211; Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='artists-title'  class='avia-section av-av_section-142ff43b7600746a6e970fde5cf91c57 main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-first  avia-bg-style-scroll  container_wrap fullsize'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-17042'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_full-2a9015ff38129c418a3f2eafba3e9512 av_one_full  avia-builder-el-1  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div '   ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-a6de236e6c183bbbd700292deacd2b52\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-a6de236e6c183bbbd700292deacd2b52{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-a6de236e6c183bbbd700292deacd2b52 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-2  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"font-family: 'eb garamond'; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left;\"><a title=\"Choy Chun Wei \u2013 Encountering Mass Man | 27 February \u2013 10 April 2021 \u2013 Works\" href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/portfolio-item\/choy-chun-wei-encountering-mass-man-27-february-10-april-2021-works\/\">works\u00a0<\/a>|<a title=\"Choy Chun Wei \u2013 Encountering Mass Man | 27 February \u2013 10 April 2021 \u2013 Press Release\" href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/portfolio-item\/choy-chun-wei-encountering-mass-man-27-february-10-april-2021-press-release\/\">\u00a0press release<\/a>\u00a0| <a href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/encountering-mass-man-ebooklet-final.pdf\">E-BOOKLET<\/a>\u00a0| <a href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EncounteringMassMan_CelinaLoh_2.pdf\">ESSAY<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df{\nheight:40px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full  '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_full-2a9015ff38129c418a3f2eafba3e9512 av_one_full  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_hr  avia-builder-el-last  first flex_column_div '   ><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '  style='font-size:14px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'open sans thin'; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 25px; letter-spacing: 1px;\">Encountering Mass Man<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Isolated, disconnected, fragmented\u2014these are recurring themes that have encompassed our lives over the last year; sentiments which are encapsulated and expressed through Choy Chun Wei\u2019s new series and solo exhibition, <em>Encountering Mass Man,<\/em> proudly presented by Wei-Ling Gallery. As an artist widely-acclaimed for his multi-layered collage work\u2014one that draws constant inspiration from his environment and how he witnesses the evolution of society\u2014the way the pandemic has shifted our way of being, thinking, and connecting, spurred him to create this monumental oeuvre.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chun Wei was born and raised in Sungai Petani, a small town, in the state of Kedah, located in the northwest of Malaysia. At the age of 13, his family moved to Petaling Jaya, a greater area of Kuala Lumpur. This Feeling of dislocation\u2014of moving from the peaceful rural life he grew up in, to the unending noise and the \u2018coldness\u2019 of the urban setting, never left Chun Wei. He has continuously sought for a medium to investigate the unsettling emotions that he felt, as he experienced the drastic change between these two environments. Finding clarity in the act of arranging different forms, colours, words, numbers, formats and textures into vast-ranging compositions, it has always been through the technique of collage that Chun Wei channels his concerns and observations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Geometrical elements that depict facades of the suburban, as well as magazine headlines that resonate with our consumer-driven society, are ever-present in his past series. However, it was only through his last body of work, <em>Tectonic Traces<\/em> (2018), that Chun Wei began introducing hints of painted human figures. Framed inside rectangular outlines, these faceless portraits which bear no facial expressions, are representations of individuals being trapped and consumed inside their mobile or computer screens, of the virtual world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thus, as Chun Wei\u2019s work grew more complex and mature over the years, his observations of the human condition allowed him to become more attuned to the understanding of human behaviour. Through <em>Encountering Mass Man,<\/em> the artist began recognizing the sentimental aspects of being under lockdown, especially with our heavy use of technology as a way of coping with the strange conditions\u2014be it for working, connecting with people, or as a form of entertainment. This time, the portraits are completed with typed symbols that represent facial features such as the eyes, nose and the mouth. Interestingly, the visual inspiration behind these portraits is his own early work, <em>Self-Portrait<\/em> (1999), whereby the artist painted a textual portrait of himself, consisting merely of two dots, a dash and a letter \u2018p\u2019. A once popular texting style known as \u2018emoticon\u2019, years before the smartphone and \u2018emoji\u2019 became a worldwide phenomenon.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chun Wei believes that abstraction has the power of conveying emotions. And, as he described, <em>\u201cIt isn\u2019t just about the advancement of the technology itself anymore, rather the feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and breaking down that it results in. There is a certain fragility that comes out of it.\u201d<\/em> However, he continued, <em>\u201cThere is also a feeling of nostalgia, and a sense of happiness from communicating and regrouping with others.\u201d<\/em> Like a blessing in disguise, this pandemic has also allowed him to cherish certain memories, and re-establish meaningful connections. This hopeful way of looking at the situation is also expressed through a vibrant palette of blue, turquoise, red, and yellow, as well as dynamic textures, combining smooth and robust surfaces. Although most of the time the artist would place himself as an observer, as he himself summed it up with these words: <em>\u201cThis series feels more personal than ever.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2018<em>Encountering Mass Man<\/em>\u2019 by Choy Chun Wei is featured at Wei-Ling Gallery from\u00a02 March &#8211;\u00a024 April 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Wei-Ling\u00a0Gallery is\u00a0located\u00a08, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 \u00a0Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.\u00a0Admission\u00a0hours\u00a0are\u00a0Tuesday &#8211; Friday 10am \u2013 6pm, Saturday 10am &#8211; 5pm.<\/p>\n<p>For appointments and further assistance, please contact +60322601106 or e-mail\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:weiling.siewboon@gmail.com\">weiling.siewboon@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/main><!-- close content main element --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap fullsize'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-17042'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><div class='flex_column av-av_one_fourth-2a9015ff38129c418a3f2eafba3e9512 av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div '   ><\/div><\/p>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_fourth-61f1f3fb8a14755dafdb04b8bcedc67a av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_one_fourth  flex_column_div '   ><\/div>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_fourth-61f1f3fb8a14755dafdb04b8bcedc67a av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_one_fourth  flex_column_div '   ><\/div>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_fourth-61f1f3fb8a14755dafdb04b8bcedc67a av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_hr  flex_column_div '   ><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df{\nheight:40px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_textblock  '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '  style='font-size:14px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":17049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"portfolio_entries":[4],"class_list":["post-17042","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_entries-exhibitions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/17042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/portfolio"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/17042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17042"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_entries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_entries?post=17042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}