The show is titled after the Mary Poppins song of the same name. So you should be able to guess that the paintings are based on Fantasy and Fairy tale. She presented two kinds of works here. The larger ones were allegorical paintings with much symbolism and references that makes the viewer stop and think, and take a second look beyond the lovely landscape that seems to come straight from a fairy tale. And in these paintings is the little girl again. The artist often includes a little girl as the protagonist in her works. The little girl in these paintings appeared innocent (Chapter 5: The Day We Learnt to Read), at times slightly sinister (especially in Chapter 52: Breaking Promises), and in Rotten Meat, looked serene despite the carcasses next to her. It makes the viewer wonder if there's a narrative stringing the paintings together, or some kind of back story that's known only to the artist and which we will never have access to.
The other type of works are smaller studies, capturing the protagonists in different poses and with different expressions.These were small format but were able to convey the mood. In fact, one of these small-format paintings, simply titled Studies 2, was probably one of the best pieces in the whole exhibition. Rotten Meat was the largest painting of the show and his most likely the best piece of the exhibition.
Denise has definitely improved in leaps and bounds when you compare these works with her first show and the works shown at Found at MOCA last year. She is young and can only improve. So we hope Roberta Dans of Artesan points her in the right direction.
She is definitely one to watch. Very refreshing to find a good young figurative/representational painter. She also has a wide knowledge and understanding of subjects and can draw from her database of references to produce these allegorical works. And as she matures, I am sure her paintings will only get deeper and more complex, both conceptually and perceptually.
Rotten Meat
The smaller works, Studies 2 the right most.
Hanging (L), Unwanted Plants (R),
Points for Collectors: Strong Buy. Artesan has moved out of Raffles Hotel and is now doing pop ups. So their costs are contained. Hence, the prices are still very reasonable. When I left the exhibition, I noted that quite a few were sold, including the biggest work Rotten Meat and Studies 2.
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