Medium: Oil, acrylic, sand, modeling paste, Time Out London magazine clippings on canvas board

Size: 51 x 40.5 cm each / 51 x 81 cm (total, diptych)

“As an artist, I often work in layers and would start by developing a ground. When I’m making paintings on board, I would layer newsprint, paper and clippings, creating a black and white ground for painting or collage, as can be seen in Bodybuilders Duet Under Moonlight. This diptych - an explicitly figurative work - echoes the notion of same-sex coupling, a pair of very healthy men performing a song together outside in the night. Two muscular bulging torsos face each other, though each of their figures is cropped and condensed within the edges of the canvas, creating a sense of claustrophobia and restriction. The thickly applied contours are created using plastic squeeze sauce bottles. The paint application process reminisces one of my childhood fast-food favourites – the Ramly burger, an ubiquitous street-food in Malaysia. Dripping layers of toppings and sauces such as mayonnaise and chili sauce are heavily applied onto halal meat patties using such containers. Notions of indulgent desires and an obsession of one’s body are explored in these works whilst also hinting at my own regimented workouts at the gym.”