Loo Foh Sang Solo Show @ Samadee Studio

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 of the artist's etching prowess, the stick-thin dancer beautifully traced (look at her feet!), and set in a stony background that lends further authenticity to the scene.  A significant contributor to printmaking in Malaysia, this exhibition draws attention to Foh Sang who is under-collected locally, although potential buyers should look to the smaller works that possess a more universal aesthetic.

Tales of Dancing Sutra VI (2005)