Art Projects Gallery is proud to present “PARALLEL UNIVERSES”, a solo exhibition by Singapore-based Korean artist, Om Mee Ai, who is known for her unique geometric abstract paintings in intense monochromatic hues.

Om’s abstract oil painting compositions convey a sense of serenity and calm that belies its complex framework and intricate structural order that is inherent from the artist’s meticulous painting process of repetitive “taping, layering, and wiping”.

The technique of “taping, layering and wiping” is a process that demands great patience, focus and discipline. The rigorous process begins with using tapes to create an underlying grid structure onto the canvas that serve as guides. Om then adds a translucent layer of color onto the unmasked portions of the canvas and then wipes away portions as desired before the paint dries up. The tapes are removed to make way for the next layer. This basic process is repeated multiple of times, each time slightly shifting the grid and adding a translucent layer of color onto the previous layer. The wiping process imbues the painting with an added dimension of subtle variations in color tones and visual dynamism. As such, no two paintings can be created the same using this technique, each a record and reflection of the circumstances during its creation. 

Upon closer scrutiny, Om’s works reveal a deeper sensory experience brought about by the interplay of textures, colors, lighting and the artwork’s environ. The viewer makes personal connections subject to their individual emotions and interpretation, an objective the artist would like to achieve from her work, with each painting having the ability to invoke an internal reality that forms differently with each individual. The artwork titles in this collection, kept deliberately cryptic by the artist, further allow for this freedom, allowing the works to be appreciated without any pre-conception. Each painting becomes an abstracted microcosm of the real world; each exists in the mind of the viewer as a parallel universe.

Om’s professional qualifications include a Master of Fine Art (Painting) from The Open University, UK in 2006, a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in 2003 and a Diploma in Fine Art (Painting) from LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore in 2002. Om has won many awards for her works, most notably achieving the feat of winning the prestigious UOB Painting of the Year Competition (Abstract Category) threes times in 2003, 2006 and 2007.

Om has participated in solo and group exhibitions extensively. Her works feature in important collections such as the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), SAM Art Bank Collection, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Manpower, United Overseas Bank, Philip Morris Singapore, European Financial Group, INSEAD Business School (Asia Campus), and Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Singapore and Jakarta, Indonesia.

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