Art KL-itique

A testament of his archive's quality, renowned art collector Dato' Parameswaran is able to present a meaningful artist retrospective via a stock clearing exercise.   Wayang kulit  is synonymous with the Kelantanese Nik Zainal Abidin, where a substantial number of the self-taught artist's works are displayed, along with a few oil paintings and intricate wood carvings.  It is evident that the subject matter has a significant influence on Nik Zainal's aesthetic - his figures are elongated, its forms taken from a hand-crafted tradition.  Characteristically flat, its flatness is emphasised further with the use of watercolours as his primary medium. Drupada (1992) Beyond the historical appeal, this exhibition provides an insight into, the factors that made these works aesthetically pleasing.  Close inspection of the paintings and pencil sketches, indicates a discipline to draw within square grids, establishing structure amongst the sinuous forms and active fi...

My understatement: Albinistic and melanistic animals are not common subject matters in oil paintings. New kid on the block Sean Lean presents a mesmerising collection of beautifully rendered creatures, and a dead pig.  A crown-less cock and a horn-less unicorn project a deep sense of loss, imbuing a fantastical mysticism to these works, which act as an allegorical expression by the artist.  The large format is powerful and surprisingly not wasteful, even for a diptych like 'Black Dragon: Black Lizard'.  The komodo's tail occupies a full canvas, where rich details can be appreciated despite the dark tones and bleached background. Work in progress snapshots for 'Black Fighting Teenage Cock: Crownless, Queenless' (2013) Sean's Tumblr  site is revealing and useful to understand his work process, especially for the paintings with varied colours hidden below the blacks and whites.  In 'Black Fighting Teenage Cock: Crownless, Queenless', the chicke...

"Dots.Lines.Circles" presents father-daughter artists Yap Hong Ngee and Jane Yap, where I was drawn mostly to Jane's works amid the many on display.  Vertical space is exploited in the "Comfort In Shade" and "Window" series, both exhibited on the ground floor.  In the former series, emerging tree shadows span the entire length of paper scroll, the artist skilfully projecting depth via a liquid medium.  Grid-like birdcages in the latter series evince a balanced sense of space, where one expects the sparrows rendered in a few brush strokes, to begin chirping aloud at any time. Jane Yap - Comfort in Shade 背靠大树好乘凉 series (2010) The same birds linger upstairs on other vertical structures, in the modern "Dots.Lines.Circles" series.  Drips of ink form volumetric circles in 'VI', where every blotch contributes a solidity to the illustrated beams.  A remarkable rendition of brick texture is seen in 'IV', where I suspect scrub...

UiTM graduates have the luxury of exhibiting at various private galleries - House of Matahati, Segaris, Taksu, and Morne, assume the role of willing hosts. The four artists showing at the "The Door II: Plight" have shown in these locations recently, which allows their development to be charted closely - an example being Manisah Daud's expansion on the nature theme. Wild animals are realistically depicted in a threatening pose, set against an attractive dripping backdrop that mirrors the subject matter's colour palette. Physical mutilation and helpless circumstances provide the narrative, but the melodrama represents good intentions, a continuation from the approach employed previously in  "The Door" . Manisah Daud - I am King But Where is My Power (2013) A Volkswagen Type 2 is parked in an alley between a fire hydrant and a worn-out brick wall, Warhol's banana from The Velvet Underground & Nico 's album cover stuck onto the van, raring...

Portraiture has taken many forms in its long history – as a self-aggrandising object commissioned by the noble class, as a realistic portrayal of secular subjects, and as a self-expression for the artist’s inner state of mind.  An extension of figurative art, this action to immortalise oneself remains a popular choice for artists, to render both literal likeness and inner essence within the human subject.  Hence it is curious to discover what is defined as ‘beyond portraiture’, the subtitle behind the Jalaini Abu Hassan-curated “MukaKata” exhibition. Gan Chin Lee - Lebuh Pudu (2013) Two large paintings by Jai feature a stern-looking Malay man in a striped purple sarong , one facing the viewer holding a pair of garden shears, the other with his back turned and a pistol in hand.  The former portrait is incised within a garden-motif wallpaper that covers the canvas, while a black & white traditional Malay house is rendered in detail behind the latter portrait. ...

Recently came across a 2012  academic paper by USM lecturer Sarena Abdullah, that highlights the lack of art criticism in this country, where art writings are confined to catalogue essays and newspaper reviews.  The failure by any cultural institution to document Malaysian (art) history in a comprehensive manner, and that most art writings are commissioned by gallery owners, have collectively contribute to an industry that disapproves of criticism, much like the present government.  An inspiring read that reminds me to exercise my role as a neutral observer, for commenting on art from both subjective (aesthetic-appeal-emotion) and objective (tradition-technique-knowledge) perspectives.  I need to be consistently aware that I am writing for myself, ultimately. Azliza Ayob - The Makings of A La-La Land (2010) "Today and Tomorrow: Emerging Practices in Malaysian Art" is a book project by the folks at RogueArt , featuring a number of visual artists,...

The Bali Field Trip made by 4 Nanyang exponents is a famous event documented in Singapore art history, and it is no wonder that artists continue to flock to this idyllic location. Figurative arts collective The F Klub travelled there to practice live drawings with nude models, an experience uncommon in our conservative country. Working within the constraints of time, space, and one's canvas, live drawings require the visual artist to capture the essence of the moment, environment, and forms. This exhibition lays bare each artist's capability to do just that, where further insight can be assimilated via a comparison with the body of works presented in "Seated" , The F Klub's previous live drawing endeavour. Chin Kong Yee - Madie (2013) Chin Kong Yee's charcoal drawings have thin curves that outline a model's posture, which the artist then draws and rubs thick lines into it, to create depth and volume. This ostensible search for the definite lin...

To comprehend life, one observes death.  A doctor has the opportunity to understand both phenomena, especially when one is the pioneer organ transplantation surgeon Sir Roy Calne .  Since an encounter with Scottish painter and patient John Bellany, whom gave the good doctor painting lessons, Dr. Roy has pursued his interest in art with similar vigour, as he does with expanding new insights into graft rejection.  This skill has come in handy in helping calm anxieties in patients, especially children, when he offers to draw or sketch them. Nude Kneeling from Behind (2005) Possessing a deep knowledge of the human anatomy, has evidently helped Roy the artist in drawing figurative works.  The charcoal 'Nude Kneeling from Behind' depicts a rather crude position, but its shading is spot-on in creating volume.  The pastel 'Model Study II' takes advantage of its medium to draw unnatural yet beautiful colours on a bare back.  The watercolour '"Toti Bird", Cub...

A week after prominent Nanyang artist Tew Nai Tong passed on , it is curious to view another Malaysian artist of the same generation who worked regularly in Paris - printmaker Loo Foh Sang .  Monoprints made in the early 1990s feature along the walls of this small studio space, where seasons and flowers are depicted in ripped gauze-like forms.  Hints of an artist in transition is detected in the repeating characteristics of a centred composition, a flat dissolving background, and forcefully created bubbles.  An exception is the landscape 'In the Calm Night', where the Chinese painting-trained artist layers chunks of shapes, to create a serene night scene in muted tones. In the Calm Night (1994) More interesting prints are kept in the small rooms, one displaying small silkscreen prints of swirling abstracts, 'Opera' being particularly attractive where the troupe is clearly discernible in colourful blocks.  'Tales of Dancing Sutra VI' is a perfect display ...

On display are works from the gallery's previous exhibition, "Zaman Batu Kontemporari" , a diverse collection of visually interesting, occasionally irrelevant, and ultimately incoherent art works.  However, that does not take away the amazing details one can observe if one looks harder.  Azli Wahid's illustrations of rock & ground are powerful, but the artist goes further with the environmental message in 'Gerhana Duka Sangkakala'.  Planet Earth is recreated with rubbish and miniature display models, emphasising the sorry state of affairs that our consumerism leads to. Location at Gallery porch; Surface details:  Azli Wahid - Gerhana Duka Sangkakala (2012)  Haafiz Shahimi experiments heavily with multiple mediums across his paintings, none as successful as the metallic fishes burnt into 'Kembali Bernafas'.  Two layers of canvas are overlaid with enamel spray paint depicting a mermaid, where carved metal blocks of fishes are then bu...

Nice-based artist Michel Anthony's exhibition features a beautiful leaf-shaped sculpture, that resembles a duit pohon but in actuality contains 4 pairs of animals among twisting branches.  These beautiful natural textures, contrasts with the sharp forms depicted in Michel's dance sculptures, where line accentuates the active motion.  The smooth sheen on these expensive bronzes may imply perfection, but become a sterilised representation of the vigour in dance. Minerva (2013)

Deceased Berlin-based photographer Sibylle Bergemann captures a lyrical attachment to the past, similar to Wim Wenders' cinematography in Wings of Desire .  The coloured African portraits are visually captivating, but it's the black & white bare landscapes of Hollywood and post-war Berlin, that strikes a chord within the nostalgic viewer.  Bubble-wrapped statues in communist East Germany, are made more irreverent with an unintended whirlpool of light between both statues. Unintended camera flash: The Monument (1980s)

Plain and boring paintings by the Indonesian participants, contrasts with the Filipino works - Mervin Pimentel's 'Spoiled Saliva' is gross with rottenness and decay, but the painted folds & wrinkles reveal a skilled artist; Guenivere Decena's mirror image of a naked lady pondering life's questions is an outstanding work, its sinuous background linking a duality that projects a third dimension outwards to the viewer. Guenivere Decena - Breaking Waves (2013) Malaysian representative Seah Zelin paints his fellow residents and a chair, but a most striking insight into his work process is presented in 'Face of Phases'. The triptych displays a self portrait that starts with a black drawing, then layered with whites that emphasise form and texture in Zelin's signature style. Seah Zelin - Face of Phases (2012)

I am inclined to call Justin Lim a young Chinese version of Jalaini Abu Hassan.  Excellent technique, strong pop sensibilities, tendency to draw still life objects, and in-your-face compositions, are the painterly traits both artists possess.  Entering the exhibition space, many will immediately recognise the scene of police beating up street protesters, on a large landscape painting that bears the same title as this exhibition.  The most irreverent work in this otherwise engaging collection, it feels like a collage of random drawings, despite having many of the artist's signature icons like butchered meat and substituted heads. Manimal (2013) To better appreciate Justin's work and his obsession with decay, one only needs to look at the masterpiece 'Hunter Gatherer'.  The human skull retains its shape, but inside it are browning plants and dead animals, the fall of man depicted literally in the upside-down person forming the skull's ...