THE SCIENCE OF ART

“I believe in rules only to break them,” says Ivan Lam with a grin. Slight and slim, the 40-year-old US-educated artist continues his reign as one of Malaysia’s most exciting and sought-after names in contemporary art. As a testimony to his talent, Wei-Ling Contemporary inaugurated its 9,000 sq ft space in The Gardens Mall, Kuala Lumpur, with Ivan Lam – Twenty, an important survey exhibition that documents Lam’s 20-year career and artistic journey.

The show at the mall’s sixth floor runs from now until 1 March 2015. Fans and art aficionados alike may, for the first time and in a single space, view this retrospective, which includes five new pieces out of a total of over 50 works. Ever pushing the boundaries, Lam tells us how he keeps the fount of creativity flowing and the works of art coming with the 13 cardinal rules one should always break. As he always says: “Knowing and following the so-called rules make you a good artist. But choosing how and when to break them makes you a great one.”

#1 YOU DON’T NEED TO GO TO ART SCHOOL TO DO ART
“One of the keys to achieving success as an artist is perseverance and being prolific. To do so, one needs a form of structure and a sense of discipline, which is best achieved via education and training of some sort. Only when you build on this will your discipline be strong. I like to cite Jackson Pollock as an example; he managed his talent excellently, producing a constant stream of work that is both calculated and inspired. A truly great artist can do this.”

#2 YOU NEED TO BE CREATIVE TO DO ART
“You don’t need to be crazy or have a psychological problem to qualify as an artist! I believe if one works hard enough, a great career as an artist can be mapped out. Creativity isn’t just inherent – it can be taught and learnt. It’s certainly not voodoo.”

#3 YOU NEED TO BE INSPIRED TO MAKE ART
“I agree on this partially but there are moments when inspiration just doesn’t come and you shouldn’t force it. But one needs to keep going at it. That’s where a sense of dedication, discipline and sheer perseverance comes in. It’s also about pacing yourself. An artist needs to know how to recognise the ruts and pick himself out and up. It helps to be constantly analysing your work, being self-aware and charting what works and what doesn’t. This will help you to constantly improve your craft.”

#4 THERE ARE NO RIGHTS AND WRONGS IN ART
“There certainly is! I don’t subscribe to the ‘anything goes’ rule. An artist should never get caught up in his or her ego. When you surrender your ego and leave it out there, the response it elicits will be what you need to feed back into your next release of work. Just remember to constantly keep trying and don’t look for ‘the’ solution but ‘a’ solution.”

#5 IN ART, ANYTHING GOES
“It’s a good rule to start out with but you just can’t keep throwing stuff out there. Something will eventually stick on the proverbial wall and you will need to hone that; build on it and work at it until it achieves greatness. It’s the same if you keep singing a great tune but never do anything to record it. Then no one can ever listen to it or recognise it. Have your framework in place so when the spark flares, you can capture it.”

#6 I MUST UNDERSTAND ART TO APPRECIATE ART
“I dislike this rule as it prevents or scares real people away from experiencing art. Art is simple: you see what you see, and that’s real and valid. So many people are looking for validation when they experience art, and that’s wrong and unnecessary. Everyone is different and, likewise, art resonates differently with each of us. I particularly love it when the people I see regularly at my studio – the guy who delivers my art supplies to the pest control people who come every three months – enjoy visiting my work space. They enjoy looking at the pieces, in a space where it’s not put on a pedestal. I find they talk more freely and open up about their thoughts and views. That gives me the greatest buzz. My verdict? You don’t need to understand art. You just need to understand yourself.”

#7 ART IS SERIOUS BUSINESS
“It shouldn’t be. If art isn’t fun, then why the hell am I doing this? If creating is no longer fun, you should know it’s time to stop; that you’ve veered way off course. Call me clichéd but I still believe in art’s romance factor. Art should always evoke passion, youth or whatever other emotions it can elicit from you. After all, emotion in art, be it light and pure or deep and dark, is paramount.”

#8 ARTISTS MUST NETWORK MORE THAN THEY WORK
“This is a modern rule that began with Larry Gagosian, I think. It also doesn’t help that people are now more interested in the artists than their works. Some people call artists the ‘new rock stars’ and that only detracts from the art. It helps if one has patrons, of course, thus freeing the artist to focus on creating. Locally, the art scene would benefit from better patronage and not just rely on the small circle of collectors, financiers and bankers. After all, how many walls can one have? If you love the piece, buy it first. Buy it for love and if the value appreciates, see it as a bonus. I applaud those who buy art pieces because they believe in it. Pure and simple.”

#9 ARTISTS MUST SUFFER AND BE POOR IF THEY ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR WORK
“Being an artist should be like any other honourable profession, and artists should be able to articulate this well themselves and make it a profession that people want to aspire to. Forget the Central Market stigma. Yes, it exists but art is so much more than that. More than half of today’s ‘rock star artists’ have a little factory á la Andy Warhol to prep almost all of it before the master steps up to perform the finishing touches. It’s not a new phenomenon, though. This existed even from the time of Rubens, where apprentices did most of the ground work. On the flipside, you have people like Michelangelo, who did everything virtually by himself, including every complex detail on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It’s because of Warhol that this is accepted. I, personally, don’t agree. I’m not that kind of artist. Again, it might be the romantic in me but I love to apply every stroke myself. If that slows down my productivity, so be it. Ultimately, I want the work to be ‘me’.”

#10 YOU MUST BE ABLE TO DRAW AND PAINT WELL TO BE AN ARTIST
“People say talent is innate but I couldn’t draw at all. In fact, one of my teachers told me once to consider another profession. They even joked how I could get it if I put in another 2,000 hours effort into my piece. It was hard graft but I knew if I could overcome and master this, I could do anything. And I have always had this love for art, this hunger to create. Art has, to me, always been more about the process of creation, rather than the final product.”

#11 ART IS ART
“I believe there’s also a science and methodology to art. There are two worlds to it and both are there to be discovered and tapped.”

#12 AN ARTIST SHOULD STICK TO HIS FORTE
“The whole trip about art is that it is a roller-coaster ride you get on for yourself. I believe it’s important to constantly look at things as a novice. Keep seeing things with new eyes. I consider myself blessed I can constantly start again once a series or exhibition is completed, knowing I am liberated and free from the things I’ve done before.”

#13 GREAT ARTISTS CREATE MASTERPIECES
“If you believe you’ve just created a masterpiece, you’re in trouble because where do you go from there? Personally, I hope my masterpiece only gets acknowledged once I’m dead. I don’t want to be the arbiter of my work. I prefer to let others dissect it. My standard answer for when the inevitable ‘what’s your favourite piece’ question pops up is ‘the next one’.”