Beauty in numbers

By Rene Daniels

Take a walk down Duxton Hill and you will be distracted away by the discovery of a collection of large paintings of women` s FACES in a recently launched gallery at The Universal. The women, like the seductive singing sirens of Greek mythology, will beguile you to forget yourself- their intense presence is difficult to ignore, their eyes beseeching, their colors declaring their monochromatic presence and the strength in their visages, breathtaking.

As you are driven to approach them to get a closer look, you make another new discovery. One that might perhaps make you shake your head in disbelief and strain for a second look – the paintings are made entirely using numbers and equations. You observe the smudges of mathematical symbols, half drawn numbers and layered printed equations taking the shape of beauty.

These painstakingly crafted paintings are by visual artist Rajinder Singh with his signature style that illustrate the symbiosis of the two fields of mathematics and art, commonly presumed to be divergent. His extensive background in mathematics is the driving force behind his successful art practice. "I brainstorm about the mysteries, mechanics and mathematics of life and the universal rule of nature thru my art".

Rajinder` s new "FACES" collection was launched in De Taillan in Bordeaux in France in June 2007. The paintings have since returned home to show at The Universal on Duxton Hill. "They are paintings of faces of women who have exerted a strong influence in my life. Wife, sister, actresses, radio jock, author etc. - what is in their faces that make them such strong women? What is it that they share in the shape of their eyes, their lips, their noses? Each face is painted using only numbers and mathematical equations in my attempt to ask the question: what is the numerical equivalent of lovely?"

Why do we call some faces and not others beautiful? Is it something about the faces – their proportions their curves? In 1790 Kant suggested that we were looking in the wrong place. Are we? Kant said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but what about the plethora of research which shows that our perception of physical beauty is hard wired into our being and based on how closely, for instance, one's features reflect a mathematically perceptible relationship in their proportions. Could the template for human beauty be found, for instance, in the irrational number 1.618033988749895? And if that is the case, perhaps there is a yet undiscovered multi-variable algorithm out there that will succinctly describe the supposed universally esteemed qualities, features and proportions of beauty. And perhaps, we might even have a mathematical expression for that elusive ‘something more’, that in describing, we find that we are inarticulate and obscure even to ourselves.

In FACES, Rajinder alludes to the reductive and transcendent expressions of beauty and commissions and decommissions an explanation in mathematics, even as he prepares for unmitigated failure. Rajinder translates his intentions by layering proofs, explanations, equations, diagrams and numbers on canvas(as he might have done on the whiteboard of a maths class). Thru this layered application, he paints his expression of beauty. In FACES, as in his previous collections, Rajinder expresses himself through his artistic process rooted in the tradition and ideas of abstract expressionism. The maths provides the physical shape of the faces but also represent mathematical ideas about beauty that Rajinder explores.

The FACES collection is presently showing at The Universal on 36, Duxton Hill, Singapore between 11am and 11pm. The collection will show next in Korea and Argentina before opening in New York next year. Rajinder is the worldwide artist ambassador for the prestigious Tuscany based Capannelle.

René Daniels is the publisher and editor of a Singapore based art magazine, SAGG




Math violated  See here

Excerpts from an Art Interview with Carmen Nge from an article in the OFF THE EDGE magazine, April 2007 issue

In the rarefied atmosphere of art, there are household names. There` s Leonardo Da Vinci, for instance. He` s famous. And there` s Helaman Ferguson, Harriet Brisson, Thomas Banchoff, George Frances, Anatolii Fomenko, whom most can` t distinguish from Adam. But like Da Vinci, the quintet are also mathematicians who live and breathe a field of knowledge that is also steeped in aesthetics.

here is a long tradition of experts in science, maths and the arts working in a mutually enriching relationship. The documented collaboration between Da Vinci and Luca Pacioli, and the influence of mathematician-physicist Henri Poincare, on Picasso, illustrate the symbiosis of two fields commonly presumed to be divergent.

Add one more artist to the equation: Ipoh-born Dr Rajinder Jit Singh, 41, who holds five academic degrees, including a PhD and an MBA. This soft-spoken baritone is also completing a postgraduate degree in Philosophy of Art at the National University of Singapore.

Rajinder` s work is antonymous to that of the linear perspective painters of the Renaissance (Filippo Brunelleschi, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Piero della Francesca among others), who used mathematical equations to calculate depth, proportion and scale. Maths was a tool for artistic precision to achieve a desirable verisimilitude. Unlike them, Rajinder incorporates the actual mathematical equations themselves into his paintings.

"I use math equations in my art without there being meaning to them" , Rajindes explains of his approach. "I separate the meaning away from [the equation]" . In one of his newest works, A Weighted State, Rajinder inserts an equation based on the entanglement phenomena in physics.

'..This is not mathematical; it is about the aesthetics of [the written equation]". He likens his work to that of Justin Mullins` mathematical photography: taking beautiful equations from mathematics, framing them, with captions to explain their context and meaning, and calling it art. The difference is that Rajinder’s equations carry no mathematical meaning and are reproduced on a two-dimensional expressionist palate.

In many ways, his works invites the viewer to reflect on the definition and parameters of beauty. Can mathematics, expressed in an equation sitting in swirls and swathes of color, be elevated to art form? Does the equation need to be mathematically sound before it can be transformed into a thing of beauty? Does our definition of art changes when mathematics enters the equation?

Yet, mathematical precision is never far removed from visual accuracy. A Rajinder puts it: "When I was doing my PhD, we used circles and lines as instruments to explain what we were trying to do. Even then, it had to look “right”. The word “right” is weird here, but I don’t know how exactly to explain it.’

He points out that Poincare said all good mathematicians have a ‘delicate seive’:’When you’re proving something out writing a math equation, you have an eye for it; its complexity, its simplicity. When you’re doing that, you know when you’re correct, when you’re doing it “right”. That’s what Poincare meant by “delicate sieve”.

But Poincare’s original idea of the ‘delicate seive’ closely approximates the idea of there being great artists with talent and bad ones without. What makes an artist great? Is it the monetary value of his works? Or does it have to do with something less concrete and more emotional, less predictive and more organic – a matter of taste? Who decides? Is taste arbitrary?

As in meat, "one person` s good art will be another person` s bad art", says the artist."Any disctinction that you make through your senses will necessarily be cultural, among other things. When you look at something and say this is better than the other – as soon as you make that decision – all your experiences, your whole history come into play".

Who can dictate which piece of artwork is valuable, and why? One thing is certain: art is also about connection, an ephemeral but nonetheless significant communion between artist and artwork; between artwork and viewer; and ultimately – though indirectly – between artist and viewer. Rajinder is testament to this simple logic.

"When I put the equation on my canvas, people react to that equation. Bereft of its meaning, an integration sign bring most people back to their school days. With the mixture of that and the character of the painting, I try to build a dialectic, a contrast of emotion. I` m trying to get a reaction, and that reaction comes from several different aspects of the painting. The equation arises separate of its meaning. I am writing an equation in a piece of art. What is it doing there? By putting it on a canvas in a gallery, I` m also question it" .


Carmen Nge is a regular contributor to Off The Edge magazine, principally writing about visual arts and reviewing books. She obtained her doctorate in film and postcolonial literature from Brandeis University in the U.S. Carmen is also a full-time lecturer at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.







Deciphering the code.

By Carmen Nge

Abstract expressionist paintings are notoriously difficult to decipher. Redolent with idiosyncratic references and cryptic symbolism, abstract art is rich fodder for the palette of a psychoanalyst because artists presumably unleash their suppressed unconscious when they create.

To the lay person, mathematical equations, perhaps, are not very different. Without prior knowledge and years of education, they too are impossibly enigmatic; their signs and symbols intimate a consciousness invisible to the ignorant.

As both artist and mathematician, Rajinder Singh attempts to fuse and infuse the two disciplines with remarkable results.

The drip art effect in Rajinder` s paintings is reminiscent of Jackson Pollock` s abstract masterpieces; physics professor, Richard Taylor, observes that Pollock` s drip patterns resemble fractals, the repetition of patterns (particularly those found in nature) at finer scales. The mathematical component is not always evident in Rajinder` s work but they are there, insinuated in titles such as Entanglement, Noble Polyhedra, Differential, Dimensions, to name a few. The vibrancy in his art, however, cannot be reduced to their mathematical derivations.

Recurring motifs in his paintings offer clues as to the artist` s preoccupations. Airplanes, air balloons and parachutes are highly visible in Rajinder` s work. The suggestion of mobility, flight and travel is, in all likelihood, synonymous with the artist` s itinerant life in the past few decades. Yet, the personal signification does not disavow a more contemporaneous, political reading.

Post-9/11, it is impossible to see airplanes and tall structures and not think of the World Trade Center; the blood red hues in Entanglement suggest the intensity of that historical moment and the lives lost. At the same time, the skeleton-like towers look curiously like oil rig structures; the black bags attached at their base suggest the ‘black gold’ in Iraq, so sought after by the Americans. Rule No. 2 lends credence to this interpretation, further cementing the connection between cars/trucks/vehicles and the petrol needed to power them.

In contrast to the global undercurrents in the previous two works, New Possibilities clearly references Singapore. The Esplanade` s "durian dome" is unmistakable; the winding roads and intersecting lines are the meticulously planned transportation system of the island nation. Although not the most visually spectacular, New Possibilities nevertheless contains the most clearly marked reference points.

Murder Math, in contrast, is an arresting painting. The solid black swatches draw our attention to the contrasting white outline of adjoining houses and an intricate, ominously black-inked, blueprint of the interior. Is this the site of a past murder? Or could it be the plans for a potential one? Mathematics, in this instance, becomes a viable tool used in the interests of crime. Indeed, equations are never merely harmless numbers and innocuous signs.

Mathematical equations can also be sources of fun, as evident in Roller Coaster Dimensions, Candy Floss, and Dreamland. Circles and lines dominate in this set of paintings; Ferris wheels come to mind. The colours are bright pastels—pinks, blues, oranges, and greens—but they have a washed out, tired quality about them. Like a postmodern theme park, these paintings capture both the energy and aftermath of manmade fun. The riot of intermingling colours is its zenith and the drippy effect its nadir.

In this new exhibition, a distinct shift has occurred in Rajinder’s work. If before his lines were clean and his colours gloriously cheerful, now lines are both bold and faint; the colours are darker, muted, and seep into one another. The signs and symbols inscribe a complexity and an abstrusity that is heightened by the artist’s new landscape of abstraction. Yet, despite their esoteric nature, Rajinder` s paintings evince a visual maturity that compels and captivates.


Carmen Nge is a regular contributor to Off The Edge magazine, principally writing about visual arts and reviewing books. She obtained her doctorate in film and postcolonial literature from Brandeis University in the U.S. Carmen is also a full-time lecturer at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.




Speech by Shireen Naziree, Member of the Board of Trustees, National Art Gallery, Malaysia at the opening of source_code, an exhibition of paintings by Rajinder Singh.

Painting as a practice is often viewed today as simply a luxurious anachroism or even at times as a decadent past time - largely due to it` s lack of critical discourse in the contemporary world.

Simultaneously, it has remained the cornerstone for various academic narratives with specific focus on medium and continuity. While no discussion of serious contemporary painting can avoid the shifts in material practice and it` s relationship to other disciplines - such as Dr Rajinder Singh` s academic practice of mathematics - each of these aspects being introduced in his artistic dialogue.

In this show - "source_code" - Dr Rajinder, in his premier exhibition here in Kuala Lumpur - has developed a lively dialogue between art and mathematics - and it is certainly a pleasure to discover this dimension that combines two very potent academic disciplines.

And through the universal language of art, his paintings allow us to question or read the many messages he portrays.

We may ask - is painting a calculated action or is it a keen search for interpreting the rhythm of life?

And is art a way of expressing feelings? - for Dr Rajinder` s artistic journey has been a long one that has withnessed that it` s concept may not need remain traditional - in the classical manner. In his active and exciting aesthetic, he exhibits a freedom of expression that is a departure from any limited ideas.

In essence, art has been one of the fundamental joys of his journey. And part of the beauty of his paintings is that different people may gain different things from his art. For some, it may be social interaction, for others it may present an opportunity for a purely individual involvement, or may be even a learning experience.

I congratulate Dr Rajinder for presenting us with a refreshing interpretation of painting and a body of work that presents an aesthetic consciousness in a unique, modern and universally comprehensible presentation.

Also, welcome back to Malaysia.

The magic of Visual Artist Rajinder Singh ( see here)

By Rene Daniels

When I first took on this task to write about Rajinder Singh, I thought it would be easy and would take me no longer than half an hour or so. But how wrong I was. Writing about this prolific and hugely passionate artist and his art is almost impossible. It is like dancing to the color of calculus. It is like giving a mathematical equation a name. It is like proofing Fermat` s last theorem thru a poem. What do I know about this accomplished mathematician-artist who wonders in the realms of calculus and dreams about TS` s conjectures and paints feverishly thru long fumy smoke-filled nights?

To me, sometimes, everything about Rajinder Singh and his art does not make any sense at all. I don’t think it important always to analyze everything. Sometimes, especially in the case of Rajinder's art, I like to sit back and enjoy the intricate, highly charged maps of his mind.

SAGG: How do you convey themes important to you in your art?

RJ: By being me mostly. I don` t plan my work. I paint what appeals to the struggles between my head and my heart. If anything I am interested in the process of making rather than the meaning of the symbols, the motifs. It is my somnambulant struggles with pictorialization.

SAGG: You hold a PhD in engineering mathematics. How do you view the link between numbers and art? Is there a link?

RJ: Philosophical ramifications stemming from chaos theory and quantum mechanics etc can be conscious ways of seizing the culture of our times. What does it mean to make art today? How can art reflect the essence of our times? We have found that nature is a series of very intricate and integrated systems, as are the human disciplines, and at best we can but mimic nature and bring it to light in the realms of culture - into the realm of the subjective.

The above reveals much about the art in Rajinder Singh` s latest and ongoing exhibition at the Marina Mandarin Hotel titled "symbiosis" with artists Chng Nai Wee and Donna Ong. I am convinced that much of his recent work is a transcribed stream of consciousness channeled thru ink, paint and many late nights. But a more penetrating look reveals something that makes my head spin - paintings about chaos by someone who has spent his whole life diligently managing it - thru his involvement with mathematics. After all, what is maths but an abstract study of patterns. Order in chaos. In chaos lies infinite infinite possibilites. Behind chaos lurks the unpredictable and the unknown. But mathematicians are pointing out the complex organisations in many phenomena that we have long considered nothing but disorder. Rajinder takes this potential of finding a guiding principle in our apprehension of nature and the many unanswered questions that lurk within the study of chaos and builds maps of a surreal and highly visual kind. Someone suggested that Rajinder` s paintings are cartographic references to a different dimension. They certainly are that and more.

Rajinder` s latest paintings achieve another stage in their evolution and we are keeping with the magic as we sit back and wait for him to reveal more of his quickly selling artistry in his next exhibition.

Rene Daniels is the publisher and editor of a Singapore based art magazine, SAGG

Rajinder Singh, an artist fast making a mark in the art scene of Singapore describes his work as modern whilst carrying a message of change. He nurtures a growing optimism for the future as Singapore continues challenging the hegemony of an "International Style" while transporting the notion of the "Ethnic" beyond definitions of cultural diversity.

A visit to his latest exhibition held at the Pan Pacific` s newly launched art space, brings to the fore the rapidly growing phenomena of transnationalism which challenges the very nature of citizenship and nationhood. Having lived a fragmentary life for years in various degrees of lack of comfort, certitude and settlement, he has located an inner middle ground, a fertile space for artistic expression. “ I relish the fact that I have been denied the comfort of settled truths for a big part of my life. For me I claim the responsibility of cultural insurgency to bring in a sense of newness”.

As we make our rounds of the galleries displaying works of local artists, identifying sometimes unconsciously with painting styles resembling that of better known international artists, we find Rajinder Singh as one artist who is streaking through to create a new style that is entirely his own – a type of "Modern-East" art. His works can be described as large format abstract narratives with a certain east street art influence. The detail in some of Rajinder` s paintings is breath-taking - painstakingly enacting scenes of devastation and fragmentation over and over again. Closer inspection reveals elements that Rajinder nimbly draws upon to address broad global concerns including nationalism, mythology, history, identity, memory, mysticism, the blurry line between construction and destruction, as well as the problematics of modernism and post-modernism.

Rajinder’s paintings are an expression of issues that surround these themes, both troubling and inspiring. The negative issues include that of social and racial conflict, the losing of one’s identity, a sense of not belonging, a constant state of questioning traditions and rebelling against parochial views. The positive include a state of progression, a willingness to co-exist with the less explored, a sense of adventure and a thirst for truth, peace and balance.

One of his more celebrated paintings entitled "My East" is a reflection of the artist` s depiction of an individual of origin, both weathered and altered by an open and questioning mind, forever changed by the vicissitudes of modern living.

Within this theme of Transnationalism lies another sub theme – that of fragmentation. His piece "Limbo 1" for example shows both a deconstruction and re-construction of a global citizen’s psyche – dented, altered, damaged, yet pieced back together. The resilience of the modern man to question, fall and rise again.

By drawing upon his hybrid cultural background and by resorting to his fertile imagination, Rajinder has transformed his experiences of displacement into an insurgent act of cultural translation. This has resulted in new works in a solo exhibition of paintings with Rajinder` s own "Modern east" style. The paintings can be viewed at The Pan Pacific Hotel` s Public Art Space and Michi Gallery in Holland Village.