The thing of it

Phillip Lai

The thing of it, 201425 x 35 x 35cmSign in to view price
Details
Material
Tyre pieces, aluminium basin
Description
Human-crafted. AI-refined.

This contemporary art piece features a bold, sculptural composition of black, twisted rubber bands nestled within a simple metal container. The intertwined, organic forms create a striking contrast against the clean, geometric vessel, inviting the viewer to consider the juxtaposition of natural and industrial elements. The artist's skillful use of mundane, everyday materials, combined with the visually compelling arrangement, suggests a commentary on the relationship between the natural and the manufactured world. This thought-provoking work challenges conventional perceptions and encourages the audience to contemplate the nuances of form, material, and meaning in modern art. ...

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Phillip Lai
Artist
Phillip Lai
B.1969, British/Malaysian

A large concrete cylinder heavily rests, the hint of soot brimming from the inner edges; a collection of kitchen pans tied loosely together by a coloured string hang against a pile of cloth; a commonplace plastic bowl unexpectedly appears on the wall, grains of rice resting at the base. Phillip Lai approaches objects in a manner that appeals to, and reflects on, their intrinsic existence and properties. Observing that in one’s daily encounters with ‘things’ there is both a physical projection and an assumptive perception, Lai creates scenarios that draw objects away from these two conditions towards a state of autonomy. Through careful, delicate compositions that place the object in plain sight, Lai creates moments that lull you into a line of thinking only to then flip that original thought and allow room for another. Intrinsic to Lai’s practice is the notion of getting to the heart of the object: what it is, how it is created, how it is perceived, what kind of value we’ve been tuned to assign to it. Through a systematic process of observation and identification Lai tends to extract the object from its societal context, a construction rooted on our impulse to categorise in order to understand and use. Consider for example ‘The thing of it’ (2014) composed of tyre strips arranged in an aluminium basin; each item is individually identifiable yet, in their collectively presented mode a form of sculptural abstraction is created, which lends a different classification and awarding of value. In a sense, one may draw a parallel with Jacques Derrida’s notion of ‘deconstruction’, which as described in ‘Of Grammatology’ and subsequently ‘Positions’ defies categorisation and the placement of hierarchy. Rather than distilling to a ‘truth’, Lai’s approach to the object is akin to the process of questioning, untangling our presumptions. ...

Phillip Lai: Artworks
Untitled (inside bell) 
Phillip Lai
Untitled (inside bell) , 2022
Untitled
Phillip Lai
Untitled, 2018
35.5 x 35.5 x 15.5cm
The thing of it
Phillip Lai
The thing of it, 2014
25 x 35 x 35cm
Untitled 無題
Phillip Lai
Untitled 無題, 2019
148.5 x 67 x 21.5cm
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