Vessel: Caryn Koh at G13
On the 8th of July, G13 Gallery opened simultaneous solo exhibitions at their two adjacent KL spaces. In Hall 1, Malaysian artist Caryn Koh refers to the female body as a vessel that absorbs experiences and memories as the artist traverses life as a young woman crafting her own plot in search of truth, reason and place, all influenced by the artist’s attempt to straddle cultures and navigate life-altering events despite the difficult decisions inherent to both.
Using a palette constrained to shades of red, pink, light yellow and skin tones, Koh’s works are bold and confrontational yet contemplative and dripping with melancholy replete with nostalgic underpinnings. Koh pulls the reins closer to home rather than venture into the realms of the over-stylisation found in the early works of Lisa Yuskavage, the exaggerated sexuality of John Currin, or the abject torment found in the work of Jenny Saville, the transcendent British artist who pioneered a contemporary approach in the early 90s for representing nude women as far more than mere flesh. Saville noted early in her career that “human perception of the body is now so acute and knowledgeable that the smallest hint of a body can trigger recognition.”
Similar consternation is evident in the works of Koh, along with the inevitable contradictions and conflicts one might expect to be readily apparent in such a series. The artist expertly overlooks several of the surface themes of nudity, including the objectification of the idealised female form or the critiques of traditional beauty standards. Instead, she lunges head first into the psychological ramifications of her metaphysical vessel's analogy of the female form.
The female body as a vessel is subjective depending on artistic interpretation, cultural context, and individual perspectives. On the surface, it may be used to represent everything from body politics to blatant utility value or raw physicality. Always lurking are the social perceptions and effects of both the male and female gaze. Some artists, including Koh, employ the metaphor to explore more profound ideas, inviting viewers to contemplate the intricate relationship between deeper aspects of human experience. For Koh, the body stands guard for the depth and complexity of emotions and sensations. Just as a physical vessel holds liquid, the body holds intangible aspects of human existence, including joy, pain, love, and suffering. It also serves as a vessel for Koh's identity and sense of self. It is through the female form that she interacts with the world and expresses her desires even amidst a series of quandaries (Kerosene, Chain and Pattern, A Continued Pattern).
The female body can be understood as a vessel through which Koh’s inner essence or soul is manifested. For example, it expresses vulnerability as a mortal being. It represents the transient nature of life, the inevitability of premature aging, and perhaps the sacrifices during formative years that can cruelly usurp the most vital period of one's life. From this comes feelings of impermanence, the fleeting nature of human existence, the unavoidable rush to death, and the crippling effects of impatience and anxiety that surface. The vessel can be seen as a symbol of transformative growth that hopefully will undergo dynamic physiological changes. Unfortunately, this can never be taken for granted, hence the clouds of doubt and indecision while ruminating about a difficult journey of personal maturation, adaptation and evolution that may never actually bear fruit (Like a Wave). Also referenced are cultural clues, gender and sexuality (Orion's Belt), and the profound weight of expectations (see Surrender, Home).
It’s difficult to ascertain exactly what is going through the mind of any artist after they've created a body of work that first and foremost is an innately personal search, a reconsideration of events and outcomes, a reassessment so to speak where prior thoughts gathered into the vessel are realigned with one's present condition. It’s even harder when a body of work performs multiple conflicting roles; for example, expressions of vulnerability versus exhibitionism, sexuality versus innocence and friendship, or the intimacy of writhing pain over love lost (Lovesick) versus a proud display of the female form's power (Baby). The coup de grâce arises from threads of barely tempered despair and inklings of undesired conformity that seem to weave their blood-red trail (Home) through the recollections and decisions entailed in life’s pivotal turning points.
In Vessel, Caryn Koh, unleashes a powerful exposé of a young woman’s realization that what comes first isn’t necessarily what comes last. Any vessel can be steered through choices made during critical moments. Unfortunately, everyone can’t always win. As the vessel accumulates more experiences, more decisions, and ultimately more outcomes, conflicts inevitably ensue. On close examination, I see a young woman coming to terms with her own expectations while challenging those of others as they relate to her. Contextually, familial and social expectations seem to surface in some of the compositions. Also evident are hints of a life seemingly in a state of flux. Fragility and innocence are countered in a work such as “Baby” that expresses the power of the female form to defeat accusations of exhibitionism that frequently hover in some cultural settings. More importantly, and closely related in Koh’s fabric, is an uncommon pairing of vulnerability with assertiveness, the latter flatly rejecting the traditional ideals of female passivity and objectification.
L: Chain and Pattern ~145x173cm In cultures that are visually-conscious, body image assumes heightened yet undeserved importance. Worth remembering is that behind every Photoshopped Instagram image of a semi-nude person lies a mind and soul, a human engulfed in the vessel. When comfortable in their skin, some choose to exploit that relationship. The public perception of beauty certainly allows this to happen and actively encourages it. Meanwhile, the less comfortable inevitably feel trapped and thus struggle to overcome the anxiety of entrapment coupled with yet another decision to either conform or subvert mainstream norms, both physically and mentally.
While Koh’s imagery is direct and the compositions are uncluttered, there is an underlying sense of psychological complexity that resonates throughout her work. The vessel analogy embodied in the paintings surges beyond studies of initial angst and despair to unveil a life as an ex-pat in transition who's well on her way to achieving a coveted — albeit elusive — identify that overflows with existential relevance.
Assumptions are often wrong, and who other than Caryn Koh herself can legitimately explain her work at this junction of a blossoming career? By succumbing to stereotypes, an observer might easily conjure up an anecdotal rumor of perhaps a young adult from a conservative, demanding Asian family who initially accepts the responsibility of meeting academic expectations by graduating with a degree in medicine from a UK university only to realize that such a career vision wasn’t clearly defined from her own perspective. Could she have yearned to approach human vessels from an entirely different perspective?
Regardless of the actual back story that we can never know, one can only speak from personal interpretation while thanking the artist for allowing us an intimate preview from the outside looking in. Indeed, the more I reconsider the use of the human body as a metaphorical vessel, the more I see beyond flesh into a world of choices that many will never get to take. Caryn Koh did, and she alone becomes the sole benefactor of her strength.
For information about Caryn Koh and Vessel, visit G13 Gallery before the 22nd of July. Exhibition catalogues are available through the gallery. G13 gallery can be reached through their website.
All Work © 2023 Caryn Koh, Images courtesy of G13
-----