Tang Contemporary Art is proud to present The Temperature of Memory and Keeping It Half Full, two compelling solo exhibitions featuring the works of internationally acclaimed artists, Diren Lee (South Korea) and Daniel Fleur (Sweden), inviting audiences to reflect on the themes of memory, emotion, and the image-driven world we live in.
The exhibition sets Diren Lee’s memory-rich paintings exploring dreams and the unconscious against Daniel Fleur’s sharp examination of image-driven desire and social display. Together, their works speak directly to Singapore’s fast-paced, hyper-visual landscape, one that is shaped by cultural diversity, digital saturation, and the constant negotiation between private emotion and public presentation.
Diren Lee is widely recognized for her introspective, emotionally resonant paintings that explore memory, inner worlds, and the subtle textures of lived experience. Blending an Eastern sensibility with her signature cast of characters, she has developed a visual language that is instantly identifiable.
Following Diren Lee’s introspective exploration of memory,Daniel Fleur offers a contrasting lens on contemporary life through his incisive examinations of desire and social display. His paintings transform everyday gestures, such as hands lifting glasses, presenting watches, or displaying diamonds into reflections on how images of luxury and status shape human experience and critiques modern visual culture.
Bringing together these two artists with roots in distinct visual traditions, The Temperature of Memory and Keeping It Half Full creates a dialogue between introspection and social commentary, stillness and performance. The exhibition invites audiences to engage with the subtle details of gestures, memories, and images, which carry profound emotional and cultural significance.
EXHIBITING WORKS
Artists
Daniel Fleur
b.1992, Democratic Republic of Congo and lives and works in Malmø, Sweden.
Daniel Fleur´s paintings are characterised by their rich, layered textures and use of colour. His extensive training in traditional painting techniques is evident in the care and precision with which he builds up each layer of his canvases.
Fleur's paintings are inspired by a wide range of subjects. He draws inspiration from the daily life and his introspective musings, exploring themes such as the pleasures and pressures of modern living, the materialism of contemporary society, and the complexities of social status and identity. Despite the weightiness of these themes, Fleur's paintings are infused with a sense of playfulness and diversion. His use of humour serves to temper the subject matter, allowing the viewer to engage with his works on multiple levels. One aspect of Fleur's art is the way in which he uses the medium of painting to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. His paintings are a testament to the power of art to transform the way we see and experience the world around us.
He holds a Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Fine Art from The Malmø Art Academy (2013 - 2018). Recent solo exhibitions include, “Glasses Half Full” - Painters Painting Paintings, “Yet To Be Perfected” - KANT Gallery, Copenhagen. "Work Hard, Play Hard" - Wadström Tōnnheim Gallery, Malmö. In addition, Fleur has received notable scholarships and grants including the One Year Working Grant - The Swedish Art Grants Committee, Ellen Trotzig Scholarship - Malmø Art Museum and Helge Axson Johnsons Scholarship. His works are represented in public collections including, Public Art Agency Sweden, Malmø Art Museum, The Region of Skåne Art Collection and numerous private collections within Europe, Asia and North America.
DIREN LEE
b.1983, South Korea
Diren Lee builds a view on the world that cannot be explained by just one series of works. By releasing new series, mixing, and rebuilding it with her previous one, she creates her own world. The inner world created to heal her pain now describes her unique characters and symbolism through the homage of classical myths and orientalism. All her works is painted on canvas with a single brush, and such process is also linked to her desire to give the characters a living and breathing vitality. Diren is loved by public and art lovers through many collaborations and design products with businesses in Korea.
Selected exhibitions include: “Global Song”, Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, China , 2022; “Back to Work”, Waluso Gallery, UK , 2021; “Turning Point”, Gallery Doo, S. Korea , 2021; “Stay with us”, Humax art room x Open gallery, S. Korea , 2020; “Fruit”, L Gallery, S. Korea , 2019; “On those that disappear”, MIEL Gallery, S. Korea , 2018.
She has also participated in art fairs including: Kiaf, S. Korea , 2021, Affordable Art Fair Battersea, UK , 2020, One Art Taipei, China , 2020; Affordable Art Fair Singapore, Singapore; Art Expo Malaysia , 2019 , Kuala Lumpr, Malaysia; BAMA , Busan Annual Market of Art Busan, S. Korea , 2019; Asia Contemporary Art Show, Hong Kong , 2019; Art Expo Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia , 2018; Art Gyeongju, Gyeongju, S. Korea , 2016; Spoon art fair, Gallery Sein, S. Korea , 2015; Art show Busan, Busan BEXCO, S. Korea , 2015.