Art KL-itique

Over the past 30 years, a singular version of local art history has persisted. Much of the credit/ blame is attributed to the authors of Modern Artists of Malaysia - T.K. Sabapathy and R. Piyadasa. As it is with the nature of history, where physical documentation takes precedence, the list of artists chosen is subjective at best. Alternative histories do exist and narrative questions will arise, as more educated persons offer their views. Nonetheless, exhibiting works which reference this accepted account of events, presents a good opportunity for the Malaysian public to appreciate seminal works from the local art canon. Patrick Ng's 'Semangat Tanah, Air dan Udara' is commonly quoted as an early masterpiece, which I am inclined to agree despite classical posturing and a dark palette. Elongated features exaggerate movement in 'The Big Fight', depicted by Patrick's student Ismail Mustam in a dynamic composition that recalls El Greco. Ismail Mustam - The B...

Regional players enter the Malaysian market in a collaborative manner, where Indonesian auction house One East Larasati joins into the fray by offering 19 lots via the Henry Butcher sale . With the exception of a beautiful Chang Fee Ming, the remaining works are moderately priced, in an effort to increase public awareness towards Indonesian artists. The local auctioneer allocates a section to recently-deceased Tew Nai Tong, whose 'Lady with Orchid' is the pick of the pops with its sensual contours and lively colours. Kuo Ju Ping and Tajuddin Ismail present great paintings, while a rare gem emerges in Chew Teng Beng's handmade paper, a wonderful creation from a successful experiment. Its pristine condition contrasts with Lee Jor For's 'Monolithic Figure II', where bad framing crumpled and deteriorated the paper of a brilliant printed design. Chew Teng Beng - Untitled (1985) Judging from the vivid depiction of nature's sheer power, Yusof Ghani's s...

After navigating landscapes , eyebrows raise when the third part of Galeri Petronas’ 2013 agenda relate Cultural Legacy with Indo-Chinese and Nusantara influences, perhaps stating a fact that escapes most Malaysians’ recognition of cultural identity. Latiff Mohidin and Nadiah Bamadhaj form a formidable feature, the curatorial decision to showcase two artists with contrasting styles, rewarding the visitor whom identifies similitude. Agave plants evolve into contemplative dots then powerful brush strokes, Latiff amalgamating figurative observations with an honest visual language. Nadiah’s 2001 monochromatic works are sprawling, panoramic, and detached – its precise lines carefully drawing a specific narrative. Cultural multiplicity and social complexity unravel to the well-travelled artist.  Latiff Mohidin - Vientiane - Pago-pago (1967) Utopia is irrelevant when one lives in the current, evident in this selection of works which highlight deeply personal yet contemporary...

Since Henry Butcher's "The (MAS) Modernist" auction was risibly called off over the Art Expo weekend , wishful thinking is directed towards the national investment arm in hope of publicising its burgeoning art collection. The non-event was a godsend to KL Lifestyle Art Space, who secured a 90% sales ratio. 21% of lots sold at the lowest estimate or lower (excluding buyer's premium), which curiously included the last two highlights by Latiff Mohidin and Ibrahim Hussein. At Masterpiece , Nanyang pioneer Cheong Soo Pieng's moody pieces sold at 230% and 370% over the high estimates, as investors clamour over his piping hot status in the Asian secondary art market. However, the more characteristically Nanyang 'Offering in Bali' found no takers. Ib's busy 'Val Bon' recorded RM 594,000 including buyer's premium, while Latiff's 'Dark Voyage' (estimated RM 250,000 - RM 350,000) was bought in.  Jolly Koh - Green Movement (2007) ...

Pastoral, sensual, vigorous - these common descriptions surmise the prominent art collection of Zain Azahari, where a selection of 38 pieces are displayed at this exhibition. Large works by Ibrahim Hussein and Hendra Gunawan greet the visitor with titillating intent, where Fauvist colours and sinuous contours excite primitive human senses. Flanking both sides of the lobby, Latiff Mohidin and Anuar Rashid arouse the spiritual with abstract illustrations of great control and harmonious beauty, easily subjugating works by young artists hung in the same area. Ramlan Abdullah's aluminium sculpture also blends into the gallery's medieval design, as the contemporary takes a back seat to master artists belonging to the Modern era. Earth and human form an unbreakable bond in these works, implying the collector as one whom possess deep faith and a resilient outlook of life.  Kampung truths: Jalaini Abu Hassan - Di Murahkan Rezeki, Di Berkatkan Hati (2011) This philosophy is cle...

Choy Chun Wei’s collage diptych ‘Global Citizens’ grabs attention, but the works from Hamidi Hadi’s “Antara” series capture the imagination, all 3 successfully sold at this showing . Enlarged photographic prints recall Roy Lichtenstein’s appropriation of comic drawings, although the pixellations seen here imply a vague memory. Spreading a low-resolution picture seems contrary to the Ben-Day dots technique, but both essentially employ the same approach of re-framing, in this case a mechanical reproduction of a personal destination. Enamel paints demarcate a picture horizon with utmost simplicity, a splash of colour sufficient to depict pathways and elements. Hamidi tilts and flips the canvas to render naturalistic forms, his method limited in control and subjected to a randomness, that augments the objectification of its background. Choy Chun Wei - Global Citizens (2011) The result of playing with polyurethane is most memorable in ‘Untitled (home)’, where drops of liquid protru...

While awaiting a young artist based in Paris to stage a solo show, the National Portrait Gallery opens its doors amidst little fanfare to the public, hopefully signalling an effort to initiate a permanent exhibition. Upon entry, animistic masks and colonial outfits indicate a chronological arrangement, an early highlight being O Don Peris' 'Portrait of My Wife in Wedding Dress'. Despite displaying a preference for Hoessein Enas and Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia artists, exhibited works remain diverse and of high quality. Khoo Sui Hoe's well-composed 'Gadis Memegang Bunga', Amron Omar's silent drama 'Potret Diri', and Bayu Utomo Radjikin's free-standing 'Bujang Berani', share the same room corner without issues. Prominent Malaysians line one wall where the majority are depicted respectfully, notable personalities including academics Ungku Aziz and Syed Hussein Al-Attas. O Don Peris - Portrait of My Wife in Wedding Dress (1933) At ...

No thanks to semantic descriptions, science and art have drifted apart. To say that Leonardo did not adopt a systematic approach towards perfecting the  sfumato technique, is like saying Galileo was not creative. "Media/Art Kitchen" reminds one that the innovative use of media, is an endeavour as significant as the re-engineering of an artistic concept. Translation features heavily in many works, its aim to communicate something previously not understood into one comprehensible to human senses, albeit with mixed success. Interactive workshops along Art Row include making music from non-Art objects, while sounds emitting from plants and physical movements presume sonic engineering. Inside Black Box, the need for acceptance is questioned by Hagihara Kenichi, whose short videos of people posing for camera pictures, are ridiculous yet universally recognised. Seen it real-life: Kuwakubo Ryota - The Tenth Sentiment 10番目の感傷 (2011) Indisputably the exhibition highlight, K...

The NAFAS art residency program offers a platform for young artists to exchange ideas, and develop their maturity within a regional art practice. Indonesians Anton Subiyanto and Rocka Radipa present interesting projects, of dream-like paintings and brass portrait etchings, respectively. Malaysian Syahbandi Samat excels in his pencil and ballpoint drawings, infusing folklore into figurative illustrations that present  contemporary concerns. Syahbandi Samat - Sehingga (2012) Hidden in the shadows of Petronas Twin Towers, the MIA Art Centre hosted "Theatre of Absurdities", a solo exhibition by Filipino artist Jason Montinola that features dream characters painted in a Spanish Renaissance manner. Surreal and dramatic, but confined within an academic style, Jason's dream inspirations culminate in the larger paintings of 'The Rite of Passage' and 'The Specialist'. Christian imagery and medieval horror combine in the former; In the latter - insects, dem...

New Media is repeated across the curatorial statements, which one will do well to ignore terminology and focus on the many interesting works instead. Astrological diagrams and over-saturated pictures attract visitors to monitor screens, yet the most whimsical show on television belongs to Izat Arif. 'Rahsia Menjadi Kurator yang Mengyakinkan' displays a clever video that follows the inquiry where "curating follows art" - its picture, voice-over, and subtitles each projecting a different message. The end result questions phenomenology and its relation to art, less so about curating as an activity. Such intent is however evident in Shahariah Roshdi's room full of bric-a-brac, a presentation less cluttered but also less attractive, than the magnificent graduation project last exhibited at Segaris. The aesthetic of science bridges being and enlightenment, at least in one's individual pursuit. Louise Low - Fatal Attraction (2013) Personal demons are exor...

Masterpiece Auction offers an astounding 160 lots, where landscapes and Penang-ites are the order of the day. Common modes of depicting temples and tropical life are abundant - Tan Choon Ghee watercolours, Tew Nai Tong oils, Chuah Seow Keng batiks, and a couple of wonderful girl portraits by Chia Yu Chian. Raja Azhar Idris' Mak Yong dancers trump in elegance over Khaw Sia's rigid Balinese girls, whose idyllic picture is an obsolete choice for the catalogue cover. Abstracts are limited and middling in quality with the typical Latiff Mohidin and Awang Damits. Breaking the norm are Raphael Scott Ahbeng's majestic 'Fairy Mountain', and Khoo Sui Hoe's contemplative 'A Portrait of A Man Under the Sea'. Lack of contemporary works signify the profit-making intent, notwithstanding local collectors' taste for Malaysian modern art. Lee Man Fong - Reclining Nude Among 40 Indonesian works, the 3 by Lee Man Fong stand out with its vivid presentation. Be...

Despite news of an auction withdrawal, the mood at Art Expo was casual, where quality works are spotted at a number of booths. Without the distractions of an Ibrahim Hussein or a giant koi fish nearby, Hamir Soib's 'A Board Game' looks to be a steal at Henry Butcher's November auction, with estimates around RM 50k. Parallel passages reveal Chuah Seow Keng's batik roosters and Raja Shahriman's metal sculptures, Malaysian made and visually attractive. Hidden in a nook is Chan Kok Hooi's wonderfully surreal 'Painting for Sale', while nude drawings by Gan Chin Lee flank Gan Tee Sheng's elderly portrait in another cranny. G13 Gallery also showcased a large-sized work from Marvin Chan's "Pendekar Jari" series, as visitors gape at the oil & pastel work by Haslin Ismail. Chan Kok Hooi - Painting for Sale (2013) The hyped-up GCMA exhibition displayed Ahmad Fuad Osman's steel construct with a printed American dollar note,...

A group of notable Malaysian artists contribute their works for a fund-raising event , with half the proceeds going to the making of a documentary film. Personal conflict is inevitable in one's search for better spiritual being, a sentiment evident in the evolution of two artists. Marvin Chan continues his use of the epoxy layer, this time depicting a child's face from his 2011 "Inconsequential Consequence of Hope" series . Windows of the soul are composed in triangles, framing a rule of three for universal representation. First seen in the 2010 "Intimate Collisions" series , Kow Leong Kiang's nude pairs endure a physical struggle within a confined space. Realistic and life-sized, the charcoal illustration draws the tension in human relationships, its interpretation dependant on the hanging configuration. I remember viewing both exhibitions and being awestruck, also the first time setting foot into the best KL contemporary art galleries at that time. ...

A false door in an Egyptian tomb, serves as a historical example where geometric shapes were imposed onto flat vertical surfaces. Now, interior designers expose brick to create visual interest, notwithstanding more traditional methods of installing wainscoting or wallpaper. However, these methods do not project spatial depth like a false door. Evident since his "Lorek-lorek" series a decade ago, Sabri Idrus displays a preoccupation with utilising forms to create functional space. The  "Karat"  series shows colour manipulations that recall a visual familiarity with material elements. In the  "Antara"  series, spatial depth is illustrated via lines that project architectural perspectives. At this group show,  "Water"  exhibits a culmination of the artist's oeuvre, an amalgamated result from previous experiments.  Sabri Idrus - Tinggalan (2013) Constrained by the flat surface, Sabri employs a vigorous method of apply-destroy to re...