At its quaint location just off Ann Siang Hill, the Singapore wing of WOAW Gallery has gone back to basics with their latest exhibition. With the interior now completely white and leaving most of its cube-like space open to walk about, London-based artist Murray Clarke’s photorealistic paintings are given total attention, hung on the walls in their full glory.

Marking his first solo exhibition in Asia, A Place I Know contains 8 oil paintings created this year, and showcases Clarke’s contemplation on the dichotomy of emotion between commercialisation and mass consumption of fabric and clothing by exploring on depicting familiar fabric in realistic painting.

Each artwork exudes a magnetic quality, akin to vivid photography that beckons the audience to reach out and connect with the cherished object depicted. Whether it is the allure of a gracefully arranged, soft blanket on a chair or the comforting touch of knitted fabric, Clarke’s artworks offer a glimpse into his personal experiences while simultaneously reflecting our own interactions with the comforting embrace of these objects.

The daylight that bathes his compositions and illuminates the essence of his paintings is pensive in nature, allowing us to contemplate the joy of simplicity. We are left to wander in the vast expanse of our own imaginations, forever tantalized by the mystery of what lies beyond the lives that have actually been intertwined in the paintings. Highlights also include Clarke’s attention to texture, with one work in particular, seeing a shawl draped over a wooden chair on a concrete floor, showcases his mastery over depicting light, shadow and weight in realism.

One striking aspect of Clarke’s work is his deliberate duplication of images, creating a visual effect reminiscent of mass-produced advertising imagery. This approach challenges the traditional notion of painting as a unique and singular subject, pushing the boundaries of artistic reproduction.

With each repetition, the images gradually depart from their figurative nature, prompting us to question the notion of authenticity and the evolving relationship between art and mass production. Part of the fun is spotting the small but subtle differences between each duplicate, and in doing so, recognising the painstaking effort that goes into a single reproduction.

As of now, Murray Clarke (b.1992, United Kingdom) lives and works in London, England. Clarke graduated from Kingston School of Art in 2019 with an MFA in Fine Art. His work currently explores the dichotomy of emotions that surround the commercialisation and mass consumption of fabric and clothing.

Much like in A Place I Know, Clarke’s practice frequently dissects and questions our attitudes and feelings towards such luxury goods by creating paintings that are at simultaneously warm and inviting, and yet at the same time deceptively cold and shallow. By duplicating the images several times, they are reminiscent of the mass- produced imagery of advertising.

This is counter to the traditional view of painting as a unique subject, incapable of being reproduced as we are now presented with the same image painted over and over again, each time moving further and further away from their figurative nature. Painted in a realist style, the artists presence is not felt within the paintings and so an almost mechanical coldness usurps this initial warmth and we are ultimately left to question our own desires.

Murray’s charisma lies in his ability to elevate the ordinary — and its hyperrealism gets us to experience his works more intensely and intimately. In A Place I Know, Murray Clarke presents an innovative and introspective body of work that encourages viewers to delve into profound dialogue about the intersection of art, mass production, and the essence of visual representation.

A Place I Know runs from 12th October to 2nd December 2023 at WOAW Gallery Singapore, 4 Ann Siang Hill. More information available here