Swallow

Summoning Circle is a body of work using a sophisticated conceptual and material vocabulary drawn from kink aesthetics in a playful celebration of queer joy. Inspired by adrienne maree brown’s concept of “pleasure activism” - which centres pleasure as a political act - Leong’s sculptures and paintings serve as conduits of pleasure for social change, grounded in a queer politics of healing.

In this exhibition of sculptures and paintings, Leong has slowly vanished the body from his work, yet it is still clearly present in the evocative materials and forms of these new pieces. While turning towards new disciplines, Leong reimagines sculpture as self portraiture with residues of the body appearing in cast bronze fingers, leather cuffs and cut denim jeans.

At the heart of this collection lies the circle, a symbol of awakening and altered states of being. Each artwork is a portal inviting the viewer to step into the universe contained within. Delicate porcelain rings are pierced by bronze fingers and mushrooms. Soft sculpture silk drops, in golden yellows and opalescent whites, appear alongside harder industrial materials like stainless steel spreader bars and golden chains. 

In Leong’s bleach paintings on deconstructed bed sheets, incandescent marks bloom like psychological Rorschach tests or brain scans. Circles of burning light appear like rings of interstellar fire in the night sky, framing provocative text commands that invite the viewer to surrender to pleasure. These artworks construct a narrative embodying a conversation between queer pleasure and politics.

Complementing the visual narrative is a commissioned work of fiction by Beau Lai, enriching the exhibition with poetic resonance. In Summoning Circle, Leong uses personal mythologies and queer aesthetics to explore power and control, and to reframe and reimagine identities and intimacies. At the heart of Leong's practice is a belief in the power of art to transform the way we see ourselves and others.