now

people

Max Kong
An award-winning
Singaporean
abstract artist

For Max Kong, painting is not just a one-way

process. It is a dialogue between the art and
the artist, he deliberates. And I enjoy the
process of painting more than the result, so
I like taking risks sometimes and letting my
own work surprise me.
While the 40-year-old started his career
more than a decade ago using oil and acrylic
paint on canvas, he is now more well-known
for his use of unconventional materials such
as resin and cement. Over the years, the
lines that define his works have blurred as he
flits between two-dimensional paintings and
sculptural wall art.
Recently, Max has started working
with meranti, a type of wood often used to
construct cabinets. Its always hidden under
a veneer. But it is beautiful, and I wanted to
bring out its natural aesthetics, he explains of
his newer works, which feature outlines of the
sun, moon and eclipse on wooden strips.
These wall-mounted sculptures react
beautifully with light, causing the carved

silhouettes to appear different depending

on the angle of vision.
Currently living and working at a
studio in Portsdown thats cradled by lush
foliage, nature has inevitably become a
recurring theme in his pieces. Singapore
is a very bright city. And I love it when it
rains at night, because you get a lot of
beautiful reflections, the artist shares.
That was the inspiration behind Big
Small Rain, which is made up of a pair of
spherical wooden panels featuring cement
raindrops, and covered with reflective
epoxy resin.
While nature continues to be his main
source of inspiration, Max reveals that he
might be leaning towards creating more
three-dimensional objects, rather than
conventional paintings, in the future.
M a x s work s ar e avai l ab l e at
O d e to A rt, # 01 - 36 E / F R aff l e s Cit y
S h o p p i n g C e n tr e , t e l : 625 0 - 1 9 0 1 .

When I s ee cer t a i n m ate r i al s, i t s l i k e l ove at f i r st si g ht,

a n d I feel co m p elled to b r i n g o u t i t s n at u ral b e au t y.

far l e ft

Blue Moon was created

around Valentines
Day, and I wanted to
do something more
romantic, Max reveals
of this piece, which is
made out
of wooden strips.
to p

Big Small Rain, inspired

by rain and the reflective
surfaces it creates in
the city.
l e ft

The streaks of white

lines on a black backdrop
that make up Storm In
The Night represent rain
streaming down
a windowpane.

36

text Mavis Ang photos ode to art