Photo by Kenta Chai
About the Exhibition
The point of an exercise is to work at something, then do it again, and again, and again. Taken individually, an exercise is merely a one-off activity, but taken cumulatively, exercises bring you to a place where you weren’t before.
Over a two-month period in 2021, artist Liew Kwai Fei conducted a series of Drawing Exercises, using pencils (both graphite and coloured) to make 117 drawings of pencils on graph paper. Through the two deceptively simple elements of a pencil and a grid, Liew explores the limits of gridded form, composing scenes of rebellion, community, and pleasure that are irreverent and profound in equal measure.
Liew’s 117 drawings have been collated in a new book titled Pencil Exercises 一只铅笔还是一支铅笔 by local publisher cloud projects. In addition to Liew’s Drawing Exercises, the book features two essay-based Writing Exercises, including a cheeky version of the notorious “Aku Sebatang Pensel” essay prompt. A Naming Exercise and Arrangement Exercise has also been conducted, where the editors have given titles and a sense of narrative order to the drawings.
An exhibition at The Back Room – the Hanging Exercise – will accompany the book, bringing the Arrangement Exercise out of the page and onto the walls of the gallery. Together, these Exercises present a portrait of methods in the endeavour of writing and making art.
Photo by Kenta Chai
Pencil Exercises 一只铅笔还是一支铅笔 (the book) will be available for purchase at the gallery throughout the length of the exhibition; at KL Art Book Fair (2–4 December, The Godown); and at the December Godown Artist Market (10–11 December, The Godown). For online orders, please DM @cl0ud.onl on Instagram.
Photo by Kenta Chai
About the Artist
Liew Kwai Fei is not a pencil. He uses pencils to make drawings about pencils. Liew believes in the intrinsic need for art: art is never a matter of want. As a painter, Liew explores the formal possibilities of both modern and contemporary painting.
Liew makes a living as a painter and an art teacher. For a more complete portfolio and exhibitions, please visit Liew's website at www.liewkwaifei.com. His daily and recent studio updates are documented in his Instagram account Liew Kwai Fei 廖贵辉 (@liewkwaifei).
About cloud projects
cloud projects is a maker and publisher of critical, intimate, and beautiful books. Based in Kuala Lumpur but with an eye towards Southeast Asia, we work at the intersection of art, architecture, and history. Founded in 2021, we bring together artists, graphic designers, writers, academics, and more to question form, ideas, and narratives. Through rigorous research and inventive design, we excavate knowledge networks and forge worlds of possibility.