Mervin Singham
When I Remove My Tie $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Insomnia $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Redemption $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Solate $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Elsa The Curator $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
The Arbitrator $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
The Lullaby $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Metamorphosis $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Losing my Religion $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
I Just Don’t Understand Julian $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Edmond $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Kamila’s Secret $TBA Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
The Orchid Grower $5,500 Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
The Judge $4,500 Status: Available - upcoming exhibition
Mervin Singham
‘When I Remove My Tie’
Opening Thursday 4th June 5-7pm
RSVP’s Essential 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.