After a 3 year hiatus, Benjamin Puah is back with a visually unsettling exhibition at Forth Gallery to shake the senses off all art and non-art patrons leaving them in a state of “Luan Qi Ba Zao” (Mandarin for Very Messy) which, of course, is the title of the exhibition.

During his break, Puah held the workshop “Colours of Life” which aims to allow primary and secondary students to enter the artist’s world and to create their own. The youths’ artworks were then displayed on Singapore’s National Day Parade in 2006. Other exhibitions of his were “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Rats In A Lab”.

At the opening on Sat, May 19, people well acquainted with Puah’s work or those who were simply curious walked in for a world of possibilities. Instead, what greeted them was shock and unbelief. Clearly, the 10 year veteran achieved the effect he wanted.

Revolving around the theme of “Post Surreal Monopolyism”, Puah’s paintings explore a world of messiness and childlike innocence and at the same time reflect his mental state of mind. Interestingly enough, it took him just 1 month to finish the entire collection.

“The paintings are an investigation into my uncertainty state of mind in an organised structural space,” says the Lasalle graduate, “The tons of self-questionings have resulted in different routes that I took with life.”

With a little more than 80 square metres to display his collection, Puah was more than happy to explain that as an artist, “I have to be sensitive and be able to adapt to changes”.

In one aisle of Forth is a set of canvas with a bald man wearing different clothing in a seemingly different world. Labelled “Gong Gong” (colloquial tongue for ‘dumb’), Puah spoke of an insight where “being too clever is being too stupid” and being “Gong Gong” is a form of greater wisdom.

It can be said that “Gong Gong” is a representation of himself but yet the veteran seemed shocked when similiarity of baldness between the creation and the creator was pointed out. It was almost as though he did a self-portrait on a subconscious level.

Fellow artist and owner of Forth Gallery, Justin Ng, believes Puah’s work provides us with a new perception in life and to realise “it’s time to break out from the walls that we have been encased in”.

However, such philosophical thinking was lost on the other patrons.

“I feel that his new art has too much resemblence to a primary school drawing” says Nayang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) student, Chew Zhen Ling, 18, “Although, I quite like his previous work with the celebrity portrait back in 2004.”

Another patron, Terence Lau, Singapore International Airlines intern, 20, recalls seeing a painting with the chinese words “I think of suicidal thoughts everyday” and felt so perturbed that he simply left the place.

Ironically, Puah “wants to create artworks with/about the young ones to spread the message of peace, love and the celebration of life across to the masses”. In a weird way, the artist’s works and philosophy blends perfectly into the title of his works. In short, it really is all very messy.