Rick Leong in Border Crossings
In Border Crossings (Vol. 39, Issue 155), Farid Djamalov signs an article on Rick Leong’s recent exhibition Carmanah presented at Bradley Ertaskiran from May 28 until June 27, 2020.
Leong capitalizes on the liminal times of day—from cadmium orange dawns to comforting dusks—to amplify the magical atmosphere in which mysterious phenomena emerge. Peculiar details provide fodder for the imagination: an ominous pair of yellow eyes inserted in shrubs, heart-shaped leaves lining a winding path, a bear cache looking like a large mushroom. All of these encounters with nature appear mediated. A mossy knotted rope in the foreground notifies us not to walk any further. A ribbon fastened around a tree presumably marks protection of the historical coastal biome. One of the landscapes is framed by the view from a neon orange tent, while smoke emanates from a luminous campfire in another painting.
Farid Djamalov
To read the full article on Border Crossings’ website, please click here.