Kayleigh Goh (b. 1993, Johor Bahru, Malaysia)
“Growing up in a city environment where what is constantly visible are “end product” stages of materials, Yogya Art Lab – the foundry itself and its surroundings – has opened up my interest in looking instead at ‘raw’ stages of materials.”
EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH KAYLEIGH GOH AND NICOLE SORIANO
DEEP BREATH OF SUNLIGHT
2020
Cement, wood, and acrylic on canvas
361 x 100 x 15cm (4 panels)
Currently based in Melbourne, KAYLEIGH GOH is amongst the most reflective and innovative young artists in the region. Inspired by the psychological and poetic implications of place, her works are soft and quiet, gently moving the viewer to contemplate on ideas of home and rest. She explores the materiality of architectural structures by juxtaposing everyday materials of construction cement and wood in her canvases, achieving a powerful balance of coldness and warmth in every piece. Taking them out of their familiar physical contexts, Kayleigh uses these materials to rebuild imagined safe spaces that offer an escape from the abundance of noise pervading our everyday, external lives.
Kayleigh visited Yogya Art Lab in December 2019, where she diverted her practice from the familiar big picture, and wholly embraced the small-scale. Apart from producing paintings, she added sculptural elements to her works through thick cement frames, allowing both real and illusive shadows to shape the spaces she creates. With most works no larger than a shoebox, these pieces no longer command our attention by taking up vast spaces on a wall. Rather, the works are more akin to the effect of a classic old photograph, alluring us with an elusive, nostalgic charm.
BY THE WOODS
2019
Cement, wood, and acrylic paint
10.7 x 11.5 x 25.1 cm
OLIVE TREE
2019
Cement, wood, and acrylic paint
20 x 7.5 x 20 cm
CLEAR AFTERNOON SKY
2019
Cement, wood, and acrylic paint
50.5 x 32 x 100.7 cm
“Watching the craftsmen work through multiple stages of preparing a metal, bronze sculpture etc.; catching the rare sight of metal pouring; encountering a craftsman nearby casting air vent cement blocks with a manual machine—these experiences have allowed me first- hand study of modelling, casting, carving and assembly.”
CLEAN BED SHEETS
2020
Cement, wood, graphite and acrylic paint
70.5 x 15.5 x 80.5 cm
“This interest in raw materials and basic understanding of sculpting techniques has encouraged me to look at sculptural possibilities in my works. Though I possess a painter’s lens in considering a work, the residency has sparked my inquiries for the possibilities of shapes and forms for my canvas, leading to the series of painting/ sculptural works produced during my stay.”