Art KL-itique

Artisan Roast Coffee TTDI continues to promote contemporary artists with a row of paintings hanging from the ceiling, sharing a common theme of "luwak".  Asian palm civet cats and the sensation of taste, are illustrated in these mostly quirky works. Friendly store manager from the same café, Wandi plays keyboard for rock band They Will Kill Us All.  The artwork for their new album Vultures is illustrated by Ilham Fadhli (aka Kojek), each cover sleeve portraying elements of fantasy landscapes, smokes & clouds, and small/large size juxtapositions.  Great music accompanied with great art makes for a winning combination, and hope this is a sign of things to come for future local collaborations. Friend and Sigur Rós fan Gabriel Lee 师君 took this picture with a Yashica 35mm auto focus, and an expired roll of Fujichrome 64T.  The amazing effects from the combination of lighting and rock textures, make for a captivating snapshot.

Force fitting a theme to display one's collection is the challenge each curator has, especially if there is no borrowing from other galleries or archives. With "Fabrics of Society", the national bank utilises a smart theme that has multiple contexts and layers, also as an opportunity to display new works purchased through recent auctions. The exhibition is divided into five sections displaying the illustrious textile tradition in Malaysia - livelihood, togetherness, way of life, harmony, and design. A large Hoessein Enas painting of fishermen pulling in a boat greets the visitor, leading to Yong Mun Sen's 'Kelong'. Bright orange drapes of cloth (I assume?) hang below a kampong air , the bare shore and fragile structure hardly deterring the men from going about their Livelihood. Yong Mun Sen - Kelong (1946) Historical accounts of high-activity locations such as markets, mosques, and barbers, are recorded in Chiang Shih Wen and Tan Choon Ghee's pai...

Never have I seen a retrospective for a single artist so comprehensive - 340+ works spanning 60 years, exhibited in 4 galleries across 2 floors.  Latiff Mohidin went to the Ethnological Museum of Berlin in the 1960s, brought back German abstract expressionism to Malaysia, and has never looked back since.  Flower in a Tree (1962) The "Pra-Berlin" and "Berlin" series provide an interesting insight into Latiff's early years, a decent artist that has yet to find his voice, where an instantly recognizable painterly style will emerge a decade later.  The inclination to draw nature, with clear blocks of primary colours a la Matisse, signals the advent of a great artist in 'Flower in a Tree'.  A painting nearby of a Kabuki actor, also implied the European inclination towards an Eastern romanticism. Selections from the Pago-Pago series (1965 - 1967) Many sketches are displayed to allow the interested viewer, an insight into the evolution of the...

A sea of bold colours greet the visitor into Yau Bee Ling's "The Women" , a personal expression of womanhood in this contemporary world.  Four large landscapes occupy the space, none more interesting than the lack of camaraderie displayed in 'Malaysian Beauties'.  The collective mess of contrasting colours symbolises a common gender, but the different hues of polka dots and flower motifs, indicates an individualistic material preference. Malaysian Beauties (2013) A self-serving disposition has always prevailed in Bee Ling's works, and here it is encapsulated perfectly in the claret and azure streaks within 'Practical Day'.  Harmonisation of primary colours are seen in 'Captivating Beauty', where a more prominent scumbling technique is applied, to express an inherent vigour that binds the mother and her child.  The sprinkle of glitter adds a sparkling texture, that accentuates this model of a successful woman. Captivating Beauty (2013...

Modern and beautiful etchings of the Way of the Cross @ St Mary's Cathedral; Dramatic perspectives of Christ' passion is emphasised further by the interesting wooden base. Visceral portraits line the white walls of Venn Gallery, displaying emotionally-charged acrylic & shellac paintings, in Rhys Lee's "Cracked Pot" series. Equally potent portraits depicting the human condition, are shown at the wonderfully eclectic café and gallery space, the Moores Building @ Fremantle. Daveena Cox - Awash with Joy (2013) Utilising fabric as an art medium, Elizabeth Delfs creates elegant "sculptures" of high fashion, that manipulates volume with robust forms that defy gravity. Elizabeth Delfs - "Revolutions" series (2010)

Settling in a pop-up studio along Publika's Art Row, Latif Maulan paints and exhibits his realist works in this very accessible location.  Working primarily with oils, Latif's more recent paintings highlight the plight of the modern Malay woman, having been inspired by the  Surrah Al-Nisa  (the Qur'an chapter on women). The Ribs (2010) A circumstantial dilemma from the Creation story is portrayed in 'The Ribs' - Eve is naked and curled up, but ready to step out of the painted frame.  However, she is positioned with the torso of man, a not-so-subtle reminder that the Female is subservient to the Male, as implied in the story of Adam & Eve.   The Labyrinth of Nowhere (2011) and sketch In 'The Labyrinth of Nowhere', the lady is lying down on a beautifully rendered mat, cigarette in hand.  Labyrinthine dreams of grandeur await her, chasing ideals that will eventually result in herself getting lost.  The similar-...

The figures in Fadilah Karim's works are stuck in a perpetual state of anguish, the characters readily questioning their personal values.  Her colour palette resembles Marvin Chan , but the rendered actions seem like a technique taken from film-making, wherein a movement dissolves into its continuous motion.  These aspects combine to create a multi-dimensional painting - the perceived action demands a viewer's self-reflection, and the inanimate blocks of colour contribute to a pleasant aesthetic. Fadilah Karim - Restless Heart (2013) Browsing Fadilah's works in Segaris, it dawned on me that her rise to fame coincides with Chong Ai Lei, another popular figurative artist.  Ai Lei's works are pale in colour but luminous, sensual with a tinge of discontent; Contrasting nicely with Fadilah's portrayals of personal despair in pinkish hues.  Looking forward to more from these two talented individuals, and their fresh perspectives as a young woman in t...

From an aesthetic point of view, Husin Hourmain's Jawi alphabets provide a powerful lesson in complementary colours. Layered verses form the background, in paintings that combine colours like rust-blue, white-orange, black-red, to emphasize the large and singular alphabet. Sin (2010)

Taking a stroll inside the compounds of Universiti Malaya, it was refreshing listening to the sights & sounds of chirping students, and smiling administrators.  The enthusiasm of youth is even more evident in the art gallery, where students are encouraged to create their own works to supplement the solo exhibition by Yusof Gajah , one of the resident artist on campus. Student creations at the exhibition Yusof made his name with the elephant theme, and it is amazing how a single subject can be represented in a wide array of painterly preferences.  The gallery exhibited a large number of works and featured many themes - dark & fantastical, experimental perspectives, black & white ink paintings, small round works, cute watercolours. The "Alphabet" series was exhibited in a small room, where creative depictions of alphabets and words facilitate children's learning.  Another section of colourful paintings collectively rally for ...

“Midterm” brings together 5 accomplished Malaysian artists into the serene confines of SGFA, displaying works covering a range of mediums and subjects.  Suhaimi Fadzir’s giant steel fish traps in the gallery’s compound attract immediate attention, a sharp contrast to the intricate marble sculptures opposite it by Jasmine Kok.  Her smaller works are laid out along the long table inside, leading on to the large photographs of Eiffel Chong.  These still and haunting seascapes, force the viewer into an extreme silence.  Eiffel's remarkable skill to elucidate empathy, towards a harmonisation with nature, is especially apparent when all 5 prints are viewed together as a panorama. Eiffel Chong - Tanjung Sepat #2 / Sepang Goldcoast (2012) The contemplative works are disrupted abruptly by Suhaimi’s three-dimensional works, where he literally highlights the disappearance of Orang Asli livelihood.  Razors, repeating printed objects, and faded photographs layer the ...

A contemporary art curator from the  National Gallery of Victori a, Kelly Gellatly presented a few of the challenges faced in curating modern art.  She highlighted the dilemma of landmark architecture vs exhibition interiors, a point which I fully agree having experienced the incoherent spaces within the Guggenheim New York, and the Pompidou Centre in Paris.  However, I look back to the mesmerising  installations  by Yayoi Kusama at the Tate Modern, as proof that great architecture and engaging spaces can coexist. Water Wall @ NGV, Melbourne Kelly spoke at length about the participatory nature of contemporary works, many of which overwhelm its viewer in size/colour/context.  This caters to the short attention span and social-media culture today, but I do think if not done correctly, these works will undermine the revelatory and reflective nature of art.  One quoted example was Jeff Koons' kitsch sculptures at the Versa...