Nocturne - Night Paintings by Lin Bao Ling

I finally found a comfortable stretch of time on the last day of Taiwanese Lin Bao Ling's first solo exhibition that showcases his works during his tenure as the Artist-in-Residence at Plastique Kinetic Worms.

This may be repetitive but the way I first chanced (Asian Art Options Gallery @ Marina Mandarin) upon his works and what happened after I blogged about it is quite a story by itself.

Located at 61 Kerbau Rd, the Plastique Kinetic Worms is nestled in a quiet neighbourhood also known as the Little India Arts Belt.

The gallery is a fantastic setting for a debut solo exhibition. Suitably sized for an introductory viewing of a new artist's works.

The holder of the 25th UOB Painting of the Year Competition for Highly Commended Award in the Representational Category was PKW's artist-in-residence 2006/2007 and this solo exhibition is the culmination of his works during the year long residency.

I am not trained in the arts. So the impression I get from the paintings, like how I read poetry, is rather juvenile. Hence when I say that the paintings displayed in this exhibition makes me long for home, you don't have to take it seriously.

Why do the paintings make me think about going home? Or at least, a longing, a forlorn yearning to be in a comforting zone.

Anybody watched Blade Runner? The cult sci-fi hit by Ridley Scott starring Harrison Ford and a soundtrack by The Vangelis. A dreamscape of a future Los Angeles dystopia, part tropical rainforest (just the rain and the humidity but without trees, only concrete jungle) and part congested and polluted Hong Kong.

Unlike the paintings that were found in The Marina Mandarin Asian Art Options which were less like mood pieces and more like interpretations of night scenes. Those found in his first solo exhibition conveyed a much more sombre mood. But unlike the normal lack of colours found in mood pieces, Lin Bao Ling conveyed them in full technicolour.

It's like looking at the lights adorning the ferris wheel of an empty fairground. It's weird. I know.

V and I share a similar love for Nighthawks by Edward Hopper.

I'm not comparing Lin Bao Ling's style with Hopper's. They are vastly different. It's the mood found in both that they share a resonance.

So what does it say of Lin Bao Ling as an artist? Well, within two years, he's developed new techniques because of the need to convey a different mood. Yet, the new pieces still bear his trademark. It's recognisable yet it is different. I won't go into the brushstrokes and technical details like those. That would be totally foreign ground for me.

Like the best bands in the world right now, (Muse, Killers, Radiohead...) they are constantly innovating but they have such a thorough understanding of their essence that despite a complete change in sound, they retain their soul.

I await Lin Bao Ling's next exhibition or next series of works with the same bated breath as I would for Radiohead's next album.