6 July – 14 July
Lieng Lay, Landscape of Men in Yang, 2011, ink, wash, acrylic on canvas
A striking and thought provoking exploration of the human body through the male nude features in Beneath the Skin, an exhibition of recent works by one of Wagga Wagga’s most exciting emerging artists, Lieng Lay,in the E3 art space at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.
Beneath the Skin challenges the sexualisation of the male body in contemporary culture, and presents a vivid contrast to the female nude, which is more commonly portrayed in visual art. Beyond the purely physical, the artist is inspired by the human experience and the complexities of human nature.
Strongly influenced by her experience as a child refugee, and growing up in Australia with Chinese and Timorese heritage, Lieng Lay is constantly searching for identity and belonging. The artist’s training as a physiotherapist allows her to approach life drawing with a background of anatomy and biomechanics.
Lay challenges herself to work beyond scientific drawings and to represent the body through an expressionist language. The wide range of artforms explored in Beneath the Skin include painting, drawing and animation, and the use of mixed media alongside the materials of charcoal, ink, pencil, acrylic and wax. As she explains, “the Chinese calligraphy brush is my tool of choice. I am interested in combining the expressive language of brush and ink from the Eastern tradition with the observational drawing tradition from the West”.
Lieng Lay’s thought provoking exhibition of the human figure, Beneath the Skin is currently on display in the E3 art space, on the banks of Wollundary Lagoon from Friday 6 July until Saturday 14 July, 2012.