Lith Ng Yee Leng

Sex as a necessity
By Alana Malika

Lith Ng Yee Leng, ‘cum(atose) ii’, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 75.5x100cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Inspired to empower women and queer individuals in the free exploration of their sexualities, Lith Ng Yee Leng primarily works in sculpture and painting. The Malaysian artist challenges mainstream perceptions of sex by pushing dialogues to include topics such as female pleasure.

Lith graduated from Malaysia Institute of Art with a BA in Fine Arts in 2017. From 2013 to 2019, the artist has been actively participating in exhibitions including ‘School of Thought’(2017) a group exhibition at Segaris Art Centre, Maybank's Emerging Women Artists Show titled ‘RRRAWRRR!!!’ (2018), and ‘#ReimagineUs’ (2018) at Urbanscapes. While presenting her art at Urbanscapes, Lith’s work caught the attention of Sophia Shung, the executive director of Suma Orientalis. Shung offered Lith the opportunity to organise her first solo exhibition titled ‘wet(issue)’ (2019) at the Kuala Lumpur-based gallery.

Close up view of ‘wet(issue)’ (2019). Image courtesy of the artist.

In a series of resin sculptures, ‘wet(issue)’ (2019) detaches sex from the body by recreating its microbial interactions. Lith’s visceral use of resin, red dye and pearls creates an unsterilised illustration of sex by depicting period blood, sperm and discharge. It destigmatises sex by removing the imagination of intercourse as a performance of gendered tropes, taboo sexuality or hedonism, and representing it as a biological necessity instead.

Lith Ng Yee Leng, 'In Defense of Pleasure' (detail shot and installation view of work in Apotheca), 2019. Image courtesy of the artist and Suma Orientalis.

Beyond her artistic practice, Lith continues her sex-positive advocacy in other endeavours. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia has phased in and out of Movement Control Orders, which has created uncertainty in the arts industry. After losing her job last year Lith launched Erosu, an educational e-commerce site that sells adult toys in July 2020.

Click here to read our conversation with Lith Ng Yee Leng.