Mervin Singham
When I Remove My Tie $11,500 Status: Sold
Insomnia $20,000 Status: Available
Redemption $9,500 Status: Available
Solate $5,700 Status: Available
Elsa The Curator $5,700 Status: Available
The Arbitrator $6,700 Status: Available
Refugees Lullaby $8,500 Status: Available
Metamorphosis $8,500 Status: Available
Losing my Religion $6,850 Status: Available
I Just Don’t Understand Colin $2,500 Status: Available
Edmond – Portrait of Public Servant #4 $2,500 Status: Available
The Man With The Red Scarf $3,000 Status: Available
Kamila’s Secret $2,700 Status: Available
The Orchid Grower $6,700 Status: Available
Deep Embrace $6,700 Status: Available
The Judge $5,700 Status: Available
NOW SHOWING
Mervin Singham – ‘When I Remove My Tie’
Upcoming event – Artist talk and exhibition tour
Saturday 13th June 1pm
Exhibitions Gallery, 32 Brandon Street, Wellington
RSVP ron@exhibitionsgallery.co.nz
The title of the Exhibition and key painting with the same name speaks to a milestone in my life. After a rewarding 32 years of service in the public sector, I am finally ‘removing my tie’ and opening a door to a new chapter. There is self-discovery in this path. I need to land the person I am without the roles I’ve had – an unfolding journey with a destination yet unknown.
Each day, we wake up and prepare ourselves to face our day. We ‘arrange’ ourselves to meet the demands made of us from families, spouses, bosses, colleagues and strangers. Doing this requires us to put on a daily armour to survive. That protective armour is often a mask that shows others what they want or need to see.
We set aside our true selves in order to navigate life. This costs. We pay a huge but invisible price of compromising our authenticity. Day in and day out, we gradually lose ourselves.
Truth and honesty have been dramatically eroded in today’s world. Here, authenticity now has premium value. It calls us back to deeply realising who each of us truly is. It is only by being true to ourselves that we can do so with others.
The paintings in this collection pay homage to the authenticity that lies dormant in each of us. They depict the masks people wear to protect themselves from their vulnerabilities. The masks are interwoven inextricably with their personhood. It is hard to see where the person begins and the mask ends. This body of work celebrates the much-needed humanity in each of us, and the courage it often takes to simply be true to ourselves.