ON WITH THE MOTLEY 

If you know how it goes, you know how it goes. We would talk about doing a show together and ask each other what works we had, and we wouldn’t have anything suitable because we didn’t have an upcoming show. This lame chicken-and-egg thing may sound like an excuse to those who don’t know, but those who know know.

So when this space was available, for us to come up with something in about a month’s notice, it’s like okay fuck come let’s take it and do something. Worst comes to worst, we will come and stare at empty walls and think about what we have been/ are doing with our lives… and that… sounds... kinda like every other art show these days anyway, no?

Thou art not a man, thou’rt but a jester!

On with the motley, and the paint, and the powder!

The people pay thee, and want their laugh, you know! 

Pagliacci, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, 1892.

Translated by F. E. Weatherly in 1893.

And indeed are we not quite the motley crew? To be honest, we even strike ourselves as an odd group. But so what? So we may be incoherent, but at least we like each other (most of the time) and we like art. Odd then odd lor. 

It is also odd to declare the above so upfront, instead of spinning an abstract excuse with obtuse webs of filih-feleh. Let’s set aside that kind of energy for an occasion that requires that kind of act, shall we? Is like, it’s also odd to see Singlish in a text like this? But everyone uses Singlish also, what? We're gonna feel post-colonial inferiority until when?

Everything is so convoluted these days it can feel kinda odd for art to not be contrarian (odd) too. But to show like this when we’re not even sure if anyone else will come, all these are more like… for ourselves to see, and then we shunbian (by the way) jio friends to come check it out since it’s up. There’s really not much to prove. Even to you. It's art for art's sake, essentially.

See, we also can come up with an abstract excuse, it’s not that we dunno how, alright? Still obtuse maybe… even got obscure quotes that machiam justify everything…

But, so, okay, hi, welcome to you, to this odd little show on oddity. Yes, the theme is oddity because we needed a theme to get it going. Haha. 

Again, those who know know.

THE MOTLEY CREW are

Jessie Lim @jhorakartisan jhachiro.wixsite.com/jessielim for Caricatures x pen on paper 
Lynx Ng @zeroblade for Digital portraits: Wherever I look + Bad Translations
Nelson Nesan @nelsonnesan nelsonnesan.carbonmade.com for (Owl + lady) x (sketch x print)
Ahdini Izzatika @ahdineeynew ahdini140451.wixsite.com/whatsthepoint/fine-arts for Paintings but prints (Shame series)
Erical Eu @fakkaeu for Tattoo things
Saiful Abu Bakar @aaawkwaaard aaawkwaaard.carbonmade.com for Rat x humanity x crisis
Lee Ju-Lyn @meekfreak meekfreak.com for Mix x Fruit
Kim Hyesu @yello_hyesu www.kmhyesu.com for Surreal figures/scapes x mix media

“On questions of why we create and value art, “art for art's sake” argues judgement should not be made based on how well work serves external purposes, such as moral or political commentary. ... Declaring content, subject matter, and any other external demands obsolete, Kant argued the purpose of art is to be “purposeless”.”
https://speakingvisuals.wordpress.com/2016/07/13/talking-theory-art-for-arts-sake/ 

Nevertheless (?), all works are for sale.@yello_hyesu@meekfreak@aaawkwaaardahdini140451.wixsite.com/whatsthepoint/fine-arts@nelsonnesan @zeroblade jhachiro.wixsite.com/jessielim@jhorakartisan @ahdineeynew @fakkaeu @aaawkwaaardnelsonnesan.carbonmade.com/