dusun 9
October/November 2012 Ridiculously Free
e-Journal of Asian Arts and Culture
ankur betageri ch’ng kiah kien mehtab ali sean thow syed thajudeen yi shan li
buy this e-book on Amazon
contents
October/November 2012 cover
ch’ng kiah kien
editor
martin a bradley
martinabradley@gmail.com
Dusun TM
dusun is a not for profit publication
page 6
editorial
page 8
g 13 gallery art
page 14
hungry ghosts a malaysian festival
page 30
ankur betageri poetry from india
page 34
ch’ng kiah kien penang watercolours
page 50
syed thajudeen paintings
page 60
artexpo malaysia 2012
page 68
mehtab ali paintings from pakistan
page 82
photo essay in the land of the khans - inner mongolia
page 96 page 110
book launch a story of colors of cambodia
page 116
yi shan li comic art from china
malaysian musical empress wu
editorial
Dear Reader
Time does what it does best - fugit, and here we are again looking at a brand new issue. With each issue Dusun is increasing with popularity and has garnered support now across Asia. With this issue Dusun features poetry from India, comic art from China, paintings from Pakistan and photography from Inner Mongolia. As well as a festival and watercolours from Penang, Malaysia.
Our very own book has been launched, about Cambodia - A Story of Colors of Cambodia, and this issue also features the 2012 ArtExpo and the musical - Empress Wu.
It is with many heartfelt thanks to all our supporters over the world, that we continue to bring Dusun to you. And thanks to our contributors and readers too - you all make Dusun into the stunning e-magazine it is becoming. Now read on...........................................
d
gallery
artist pei yeou bradley amidst the
We climbed into the family SUV and headed, on a sublime Sunday morning, towards Kelana Square, adjacent to Kuala Lumpur. My wife – artist Honey Khor (Pei Yeou Bradley), had laden the car with her sketching materials and off we went to join the newly formed sketch group at G13. The ‘Square’ was quiet. There was not the frenzy of finding car parking space that we would have found during the working week. It was easy to park and walk to that ‘Fine Art’ gallery - so tantalisingly called G13. Why G13? Maybe it was the thirteenth unit on the ground floor – I forgot to ask. The manager at G13 indicated that the gallery should have been known to me – it wasn’t. I explained that I rarely stopped in that area – towards the rear of the new Paradigm Mall. Instead I tended to shoot through heading towards the vicarious delights of Kuala Lumpur and the galleries therein.
e live model drawing group
It was a familiar problem with the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur galleries. They are scattered around the many different sections of satellite townships like Kelana Jaya. Many galleries were situated in difficult to access areas, and without a reliable GPS system, or being guided by Google Maps it is difficult to get to them. At G13 we were greeted by a German couple – collectors. He was remarkably tall, dwarfing me, and she - ebullient. So we were off to a good start. A small group of sketchers had formed – some local artists like my wife and Marvin Chan, as well as one Indonesian artist (Agustian Supriatna) whose work was being featured by the gallery. Essentially it was like any other modern art gallery – all concrete and white walls. There was a moderate crowd of enthusiastic sketchers who were getting to grips with a clothed model. My first thoughts were – clothed? When is she going to divest herself of those garments – she wasn’t. This is Malaysia, I had to remind myself – we don’t do nude modelling in Malaysia, perhaps it might frighten the water buffalo. How then do art students get their experience of human anatomy? I idly wondered. Short answer is …they don’t! My wife, and others, sketched among walls hung with paintings by the aforementioned Indonesian artist. A pet drum belonging to that artist, a table proffering Halal breakfasts and two nests of chairs – ready to seat the weary artists (who might be legless from their hours of sketching), also occupied the sketching space. In the rest of the G13 gallery, a mixture of walled, and standing, art tumbled together in a most colourful array of designs. A Transformer-
aely manaf’- persuasion
khairul faiz - give me your head like steel sculpture, aggressively entitled ‘Give me your head’ (by Khairul Faiz) poked an assertive make-believe weapon at me and I surrendered. I sat and wrote, subdued by that threat and a little thoughtful after circumnavigating that gallery. Next to my captor sat another small sculpture (My Ride also by Khairul Faiz). To all intents and purposes that blue painted steel sculpture looked to be a futuristic motorcycle, perhaps recently abandoned by a diminutive Judge Dredd and maybe it was. I waited, and I waited but the Judge – he who is THE LAW, didn’t appear. My spirits were lifted at the sight of Aely Manaf’s superb painting – Persuasion. I do not use that word – ‘superb’, lightly either. Of all the fine, Fine Art in that gallery, on that particular Sunday, Aely Manaf’s female figure painting leapt out and fairly smacked me in the eyes, in a metaphorical way. No, it wasn’t out of aggressiveness like those two sculptures I have mentioned, but out of sheer beauty. I know that beauty, and the concept of beauty in art/painting, is an antique concept but it seems apt to mention it upon coming face to canvas with that particular Manaf painting. The potency of that nude painting, the colours used in its construct and the tender outlines which enabled that ink figure to shoot out from the vivid yellow background, was shocking, but good shocking. It was as if that champion of the golden hue – Wassily Kandinsky had beamed down his blessings to Aely Manaf, such was the strength of that yellow, or perhaps it is simply that Manaf is a Coldplay fan. The painted wooden sculpture – Rush to Dance, created by Cheev (Vong Nyam Chee), leapt like some frozen spirit into the G13 gallery, accompanied by the strains of Western classical music, though why Asian galleries insist on having Western classical music permeating their spaces instead of Asian classical music - beats me. Cheev’s spritely dancer appeared surrounded by a flurry of wooden sperm. The whole reminded me of those amazing graphics by Oz magazine’s Martin Sharp - made tangible.
calvin chua - riparian Swing, Disappointedly, a few of the exhibits lacked labels. I floundered. I looked on floors, on walls, in waste bins, in the vain hope of discovering the artists and titles of the works. It was unfortunate. After a brief chat with the gallery manager I was apprised of the information I had been lacking, but not before it had left a nasty little taste in my mouth. Two of the items lacking labelling were chock full of (golden) retrospective illusion. They were by the artist – Calvin Chua. Those long paintings – Merry Away and Riparian Swing, sat side by side and spoke of the innocence of the Janet and John (Alice and Jerry in the USA - primary English readers) series of books; only Chua’s figures were Chinese, or at least Eastern, children playing on swings. In those two paintings, the children played, or naively marvelled at the miracle of middle-class youth, and were immersed in their own golden age. It all seemed very pleasantly 1950s, and very far from now. Mentally singing Kevin Ayers’ Girl on a Swing, I walked on. Jeganathan Ramachandran’s Sandhya was perched on the wall leading to the room where my wife was sketching, only the label was missing and I had to garner the relevant information from the internet, to be able to write this article. Sandhya may refer to the hot Indian actress, but in the context of the painting that I stood before was presented as a Hindu take on El Nino. The earthy background colour of that painting threw the blue of the mother and turquoise of the child forward, towards the viewer. The mother – Parvati, seemed to have stars on her brow and I recalled the song by Tyrannosaurs Rex. A flow of sperm (metamorphosing into fish) swam down Parvati’s hair. Snakes, representative of Shiva, curled
calvin chua - merry away
jeganathan ramachandran - Sandhya Medusa-like around Parvati’s face as she held the baby Ganesha (Ganupati) in her hands. A peacock (Parvani) was playing with the blue fledgling god – Ganesha. That painting is splendid, harmonious and pleasantly crammed with Hindu symbolism, design and colour. Joy was not the emotion which sprung readily to mind as I inched my way along the G13 gallery. Having been lulled into a false sense of security by many of the stunning paintings and intriguing sculptures in that gallery, I was eventually faced with a painting which puzzled and grossly annoyed me in my puzzlement. Joy 1 (by Suhaimi Fadzir) needs to have several paragraphs of text alongside it, just to explain what Joy has to do with the car crash and razor blades presented on that canvas. If we are talking ‘joy-riding’ (a popular pastime of some delinquents in the West) then I could, perhaps understand the toy cars and their doors flung open amidst what appears to be a plan view of a Guy Ritchie film set, or a representation of J.G. Ballard’s novel - Crash. On the other hand, the car number plate and the Elvis Presley flyer seem to situate the painting’s scene in the US of A, but no James Dean. Suhaimi Fadzir probably had much joy in the making of that art object, but the viewer has less joy as he/she rushes past, or foolishly stands and attempts, like I did, to unravel the hidden messages of the work. Visiting G13 amidst the sketching spree had been an interesting experience – the gallery show, the artists sketching, the drum, the trio of art students wandering around, peering at sketching artists, not to mention the loud drilling coming from the gallery’s neighbour. It was an experience that would have been enough to make an old Dadaist very proud.
photo essay
hungry ghosts
a penang festival - malaysia
ankur betageri
2 poems
Ankur Betageri is an experimental photographer, visual artist and arts activist/ theorist living in New Delhi, India. He is the founder of the avant garde public arts and social activist initiative.
the parrot e up k a w e when w p u e k a leep ew s w e t ' w n n o slands? i whe e p l Why d e b i e l s i s inv penwe t m m ' i o n r f o m d o g r why rens sin , why does it f i s e h t ons us why do m m u s ve when lo eams? dr he lake etrable t f o n i eer? y sk d t s e i h m t f e o oods licks th in the throat w n e u s h t n h e Wh throug begins? looms b g n r i e p a w e unger what flo low the deer l h t a h w fol ed and h c when I n e u irst's q h t t a h w face y m r sun n e o d n e u c a t f f s le fulness t Her w e g o l r l i o p f led n of two pee on a mountai of deep hush ss n weightle -ear in the daw camel on e h h t t u e o u m e purs s r o h a e n the s a c r a f But, how e desert dirt? o t n i h s t waters n r h e g u h t u t o d h r n g th throu ivels a r e h d s a t i w l e me cass? a r c befor a c e g h t n i r can a float o t n i How fa d e ouds. 's turn l t i c g e r n i o f d be n unhee e e w t e to go. urves b e c r e w h o ruins. b w r n o i e n a v r o g n e s i Th ers, hav iver and stand g n i l t h Twilig s the r e s here, o l w o e n g d i m r The b ome fro ed cliffs. c , t o r r a g And a p voice over rug ts shines i
They sa id in crum you were char coal wr ple apped it was e d cloth nough i f so and lit a matchst meone poured ick. kerosen e Then th ey they did said you were a p we thou ostmortem on corpse; gh you 20, 000 tim the tabl t only droplet e s of blo e od wer s and of c e left on ourse 2 0,000 re ports. Now th ey invisible say you are a livi b filling th ut omnipresen ng thing t e a swarm mouths of chil dren wi of mosq th ash, end to u i t oes raid end, ing the spreadi country ng a bla from ck pest trees. ilence u nder th e everg reen You mu st exist without vanity reason, like me for reas anness on does and n You hav e made ot allow you t o stiff-nos mother ed mon exist. s sters of and Hat kind lov ers and ing Sadists of milkdrinking You are children not the . only thi yet peo ng that ple obs e ess ove cause o r you as xists f all me if you’re rci If you d the sole ie tomo lessness. rrow th they ne ey will r ed esurrec and to h you, you are t t you h ate. eir god, to discr iminate ,
caste
ch’ng kiah kien
fishing village @ kuala sungai pinang
Ch’ng Kiah Kiean was born, lives and works in George Town, Penang., Malaysia. He is a blogger for Urban Sketchers and is also one of the founder members of Urban Sketchers Penang. He has published Sketchers of Pulo Pinang in 2009 and Line-line Journey in 2011. Find out more about his work at www.kiahkiean.com.
penang islamic museum
maliia bakery @ transfer road
chew clan Jetty
mix clan jetty
boats @ tan clan jetty postcard 01
muntri mews
pei yeou bradley - seeds of nuturing
lost in paradise finding a new malaysian art
In the poem Travelling far the Malaysian poet Muhammad Haji Salleh remarks that “if you want to scale mountains you must follow the soul, bypassing cities and forests” and “desolation is the prerequisite of ambition dreams are the programmers of reality”. Muhammad suggests that artistic achievement and progress originates in introspection, reflection and investment in imagination. Muhammad echoes the cries of western Modernism for innovation in art - new terrains with radical forms of artistic endeavour. Suzi Gablik indicates that Modernism has, in fact, run its course and it, along with post-Modernism, is rapidly becoming static, redundant. Gablik recognises that the soul of modern art is becoming lost amidst the clamber for innovation, or as Robert Hughes mentions, it ceases to shock and becomes just another a damp squib - not the pyrotechnic splendour it had once promised. Since Plato it has been acknowledged that art, to a greater or lesser degree, is mimetic, derivative – a re-configuring of the previously extant with a dash of innovation and a peppering of imagination to transform the old lamp to the new. It is through copying, mimicking that we learn – the student spends hours tediously observing and copying from the master, inquiring into every brushstroke, the mix of the palette, until finally he/she is able to master the old knowledge and move on. Usually the mirroring stage is relatively short lived, left behind to free the artist’s soul and enable his dreams to prosper innovative reality.
picasso’s painted face and an african mask
Despite a full half century of artistic endeavour emanating from its federated states, Merdeka (independent) Malaysia continues to be captivated by western ideology - still mesmerised by Eurocentric concepts of Modernity and Modernism. Malaysia continues to struggle in its discovery of its artistic soul, Malaysia remains in historic and contemporary bondage to a western ideology it had claimed to renounce. Though the 300 year old shackles of western physical dominance were cast from Malaya in 1957 and a fresh identity sought through the founding of the federated states of Malaysia (1963) Malaysia continues to be psychologically enslaved to imported artistic ideologies. The barely post-nascent Malaysia projects its multi-racialism, multi-ethnicity, and diverse theologies, citing a ‘unique’ mix of Malays, Chinese, Indians and semi-indigenous races (collectively known as the Orang Asli - aboriginal peoples), as well as a historically constant influx of peoples from surrounding Indonesia. Malaysia endeavours to project an illusion of peace, harmony and unity of vision amongst its races. When it comes to art, however, no single prominent style, or school of art distinguishes itself in Malaysia. No one uniquely authentic mode, method or approach to art could be singled out to be championed as The Malaysian Art - until recently. Admittedly the concept of a national style or school of art may in itself be anachronistic in the 21st Century, yet countries like South Africa (art of the townships), Mexico (Rivera, Kahlo etc), even the small island of Haiti (Hyppolite, St Brice, Liautaud) may lay claim to uniquely individualised styles of art be they modern, contemporary or traditional. It has been argued that art and its history belonged to the West. Mary Anne Staniszewski writes that the present concept of art is that of the modern era, a construct, a terminology coined to include, or reject, “…..objects and fragments and buildings…appropriated by our culture and transformed into Art.”
haitian artist hector hyppolite
sofa by carlo buggatti Western Culture has for many ages ‘borrowed’ items from other cultures imbuing them with western meaning and re-defining them as its own – Pablo Picasso’s (mis)appropriation of African mask imagery and Carlo Buggatti’s Middle and Far Eastern borrowings spring immediately to mind. The history of art was the history of Western art, it was a self determining Eurocentric creation. Susan Buck-Morss has mentioned “The History of Art ……. has treated art and Western art as nearly synonymous. “ That is to say that both modern art and its history have been fundamentally Eurocentric in the past. This is no longer the case. During the later part of the 20th Century, art and its histories went pan-global. A renaissance in the production of modern art in many countries outside of Europe and North America meant that art could no longer be so narrowly defined as a Eurocentric phenomenon, but global and eventually multi-cultural. Buck-Morss remarks that definitions and theories of art have opened up “It now includes philosophies of art from Hegel to Derrida. It has expanded creatively to encompass non-Western art and new media art, and it addresses the visual cultural context of artworks in a multidisciplinary way.” Colonial powers spread colonial ideas. During the first half of the 20th Century ‘modern’ art was beginning to be recognised outside of Europe and North America, primarily in Latin America with artists such as Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Frida Kahlo. Redza Piyadasa explains that the British, unlike other colonisers such as the Spanish (Philippines), and Dutch (Indonesia), were tardy in their setting up of art, as a subject, in schools in Malaya, and that it was not until 1924 that art became examinable for the Cambridge School Certificate. Piyadasa observes that the British seemed reticent to encourage the arts in Malaya. That is unlike the Dutch in the East Indies (later Indonesia), with their governmental encouragement of Redan Salleh
low kway song - king of the jungle
lee cheng yong - rock forms, penang
e
abdullah ariff - pemandangan
(1807 – 1880) - the first notable Indonesian modern artist. Or the approval given to the Academia de Dibujo (1845), in the Philippines, by their Spanish colonisers; later to become the first academy of art in the Philippines – the School of Fine Arts, Quiapo, Manila. That is not to say that modern art was not practiced in Malaya while it was still a British colony. Redza Piyadasa suggests that the origins of a Malaysian modern art may be found during 1920s Malaya with artists such as Low Kway Song (born 1889) in Malacca,Yong Mun Sen ( born 1893) in Penang and the former Sri Lankan immigrant O.Don Peris (born 1893) then living in Johore. These artists were joined later by collectives such as the United Artists of Malaya (1929, Selangor) and the Penang Chinese Art Club (1936, Penang). Piyadasa contends that modern art prospered in Malaya despite colonialism and British rule. In one paragraph - in On Origins and Beginnings mentions “It is noteworthy that the first Western-influenced Malay artist of significance to emerge was Abdullah Ariff, who only appeared during the 1930s; he was born in the Straits Settlements, went to an English school and became an English school teacher in Georgetown, Penang. Abdullah Ariff epitomised a new “modern” Malay artist.” Piyadasa makes the point that many of the emerging artists of the pre-war years were schooled in English Malayan schools and later were employed as teachers in those schools. O Don Peris, mentioned earlier, had even studied in France - at the Academie Gereux, in Paris before settling in Singapore, then a British Crown Colony, in 1920. Unsurprisingly early Malaysian modern art echoes that of their western colonisers, featuring subjects such as landscapes; examples of this being – Rock Forms, Penang, 1941 by Lee Cheng Yong, Coconut Plantation – Dawn, 1948, Abdullah Ariff, Coconut trees, 1951,Yong Mun Sen and Breezy Day, undated, by Khaw Sia. Western style figurative painting too began to grow, despite obvious difficulties involved with the national religion – Islam and its discouragement of the use of the human figure in art.
o.don peris, - portrait of my wife in her wedding dress
Following modern, Western, artistic trends works such as Portrait of my wife in her wedding dress, 1933, O.Don Peris, Girl Pounding Padi, 1959, Mohd Hoessein Enas, At the Kampung Shop, 1959, Mohd. Sallehuddin, Memujuk, 1958, Cheong Laitong and Admonition, 1959, by Hoessein Enas may be seen as a testament to the eagerness of Malaysian artists to emulate those of the West. Western artistic/cultural values became inculcated into many Malaysian artists through a western art training. One of Malaysia’s foremost artist/art historians Redza Piyadasa studied art at the Hornsey College of Art, in London, from 1963 to 1967, as did his contemporary Sulaiman Esa. Esa subsequently studied in Paris, France. Before them Lai Foong Moi studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts from 1954 to 1958, in Paris, France, while Chia Yu-Chian studied in Paris on Lai Foong Moi’s return. Cheong Laiton studied under an exchange scholarship at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, in the United States of America from 1960. Abdul Latiff Mohidin completed his art studies in Berlin, Germany, at the Academy of Fine Arts, West Berlin, from 1960 to 1964 - at this time Jolly Koh, a Singaporean, completed his studies from 1960 to 1964 at the Hornsey College of Art, London. Patrick Ng Kah Ohn studied in England at the Hammersmith College of Art from 1964 to 1966, and Mohamed Hoessein Enas took a one year study trip to England. Ibrahim Hussein studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, London, from 1963 to 1966 and won a fellowship for a year’s study in New York and the list goes on. Due to their western art training many Malaysian artists appear to have produced an over abundance of pseudo western 20th Century modern art, typified by the overt presence of practitioners of a Abstract Expressionistic art such as Latiff Mohidin, Syed Ahmad Jamal and Yeoh Jin Leng. Even that Malaysian artistic icon Ibrahim Hussein spent many years producing acrylic abstracts before engaging in a range of figurative works, which incorporate elements of the organic
lai foong moi - sansui worker
abdul latiff mohidin - pago pago
suliaman esa - man ans his world
redza piyadasa - entry points
nizam ambia - puteri kayangan
abstract. From the early Malayan landscape paintings of Yong Mun Sen, Lee Cheng Yong, Abdullah Ariff and Kuo Ju Pin through to the Malaysian Nuevo Avante Garde object d’art and paintings of Redza Piyadasa and Sulaiman Esa, western concepts and categories of art dominate Malaysia. It is not enough simply to replace western imagery with eastern, while continuing to emulate the form and style of western art. An authentic Malaysian art would hasten a desire to burst free of colonial captivating bonds to originate authentic indigenous art forms While many fine examples of a western dominated Malaysian art have graced walls of galleries and museums from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin it has not been until the 1990s that anything which may be described as a uniquely authentic Malaysian art has begun to appear. The West’s artistic influence has been so powerful that Munch’s Scream may be heard echoing through Malaysia’s Titiwangsa range, metamorphosed by artists like Ahmad Fuad Osman and works likeHoi Hoi...Apa Ni? Dia Kata Hang Salah, Hang Kata Dia Tak Betoi, Sapa yang Salah Sapa Yang Betoi Ni??!! Hangpa Ni Sebenaqnya Nak Apaaaa??? (1999) Finally, in the early years of a new millennium emerging Malaysian contemporary art practitioners are rediscovering their soul and learning the importance of their dreams. There is an emerging postnascent movement growing away from western influenced and western defined art styles towards a culturally reflective art, concerned with re-discovery and re-assertion of identity – of indigenous myths and legends which themselves formulated the lands from which the artists come. Nizam Ambia works in a number of mediums from steel sculpture to fashion design, but all his work draws upon the soul and spirit of his Malaysian homeland. In his paintings Nizam calls upon shadow puppet imagery as well as referencing Indian kolam designs in neo-figurative mixed-medium fantasies.
pei yeou bradley - to live, to breathe Pei Yeou Bradley, formerly known as the artist Honey Khor, has taken her own direction – away from the mimetic strains so frequently seen in Malaysian art, and has striven to go her own way. With images laden with symbolism and inner reflections, Pei Yeou paints and draws her interior landscape. Influenced by Gaudi, Dali and Hundertwasser, she has created her own style and method of representation. The Malaysian ‘Seni Baru' (Art Nouveau) is yet to be recognised by the wielders of power and fortune – the Gallery system. They concentrate on the ‘known’, that which is guaranteed to bring in the bucks. These galleries need to look to their laurels, for the new art is the art for which Malaysia will be known in her future. The new art will raise the artistic face of Malaysia to the daylight, so it will no longer be lost in paradise.
pei yeou bradley - beginnings
SyedThajudeen
moon of ramadan
waiting for the lover Syed Thajudeen Shaik Abu Talib was born in 1943 in Alagan Kulam, a village not too far from the temple city of Madurai, South India, where his Malaysian-born parents lived during the Second World War. He joined his family in Penang when he was eleven years old but later went back to India to pursue a course in art at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras (1967–1974). On returning to Malaysia, however, Syed soon established his own individualistic style and expression that transformed the early Indian influences into what is now his present style. Presently, Syed’s works are accepted by Malaysia’s art institutions and form part of a thriving Malaysian contemporary art scene.
waiting for the lover (detail)
female energy
the embrace
Every so often a book appears that reveals and illuminates a project that might otherwise remain largely unknown by the outside world: ‘Colors of Cambodia’ is such a book. This is a highly personal and passionate account written by Martin Bradley and illustrated by Pei Yeou Bradley of her encounter with a remarkable art-based project in and around Siem Reap in Cambodia, and how she was drawn into practical involvement with the children for whom the project exists. Richard Noyce, Artist, Wales 2012
A Story of Colors of Cambodia One woman’s journey into Art charity volunteering, in Cambodia this extraordinary book is now available from
cofcthebook@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/138402846288849/ http://colorsofcambodia.org/
ibu
meeting of the eyes
the kiss
longing for love
The call of Mother Nature was so extraordinarily loud, that both my wife and I needed to relieve ourselves upon entrance to ArtExpo 2012. This year’s Art Expo was, once again, being held at the Matrade exhibition centre, Kuala Lumpur, and signs to the toilet facilities were conspicuous in their absence. When we did, eventually, espy a flapping paper A4 sign, warm relief spread throughout our mutual beings, only to be dashed on the rocks of despondency when the toilet we arrived at was single genre – it was the ‘ladies’. The ‘gents’ was way across the other side of what proved to be an extremely busy building. I dodged purveyors of Fine Art, art lovers, collectors and some who might be both art lovers and collectors, and barely reached the ‘gents’ in time. For some reason, known only to the organisers of the event, many of the toilets were not open to the teeming throng of public, only two ‘gents’ cubicles and four ‘ladies’ were available for use. A relief the equivalent of Mafeking obtained, my spouse and I busied ourselves wandering from booth to extremely laden booth, eyeing a great variety of good and excellent art. It was my first ArtExpo in Malaysia. I had no idea what to expect, though the term – Expo might have given me the vital clue. There were large, small and intermediate galleries all displaying a wealth of goods. Booths ranged from those occupied by well-known sellers of Art like Pelita Hati and Purplehouz Fine Arts Gallery, as well as the usual artist suspects like Khalil Ibrahim and the works of the superb batik painter - Chuah Thean Teng (featured in Dusun’s batik
zhe xuan
miro
edition). There was also one small booth showing Art by autistic children - those works were selling well. There were many nationalities present. There were Europeans, the French, Spanish and the Swiss – all rubbing shoulders with some their former colonies in Latin America (within the ‘Embassy Zone’). There were the Embassies of Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Indonesia and many other Asian nations represented in between the multitude of galleries representing local Malaysian artists. Within the exhibition hall, Taiwanese Art rubbed frames with Art from mainland China, Japan and Vietnam. India was represented by some of the worse looking serigraph copies I have ever seen printed. It was a pity as the originals – by M F Husain really are stunning masterpieces of modern Indian Art. People – Artists and gallery staff, were mostly kind and responsive to the needs of visitors all, that is, except for one very unhelpful gallery which forbade photography of any description. They seemed not to understand the basic concepts of interaction, customer relations or free publicity. Despite saying I was from Dusun, the on-line Arts and Culture magazine and offering free exposure to that gallery space, the staff of that gallery which shall forever remain nameless (but prides itself on selling Malaysian Art), resolutely refused to give way. They were in no way at all helpful. It was such a shame. It was shaming and shameful, and did nothing to engender good relations within that exhibition space or the Art they purveyed. To the surprise and delight of this Art lover, in the Spanish section of ArtExpo 2012 there was a solitary Picasso drawing. Across a small space from the lonely Picasso, there stood a set of prints from Joan Miro - brought over to Kuala Lumpur by ATR, which has exhibited in Malaysia a number of times (and seems set to be a regular). It was like seeing old friends, a warm feeling suffused the space and memories of Barcelona, and the museums therein, sprang to mind. This time, as well as Picasso and Miro, ATR were displaying the intriguing miniature
Jesús Curiá
zhang yu xi
sculptural works of Jesús Curiá, though the unwary visitor had to be careful not the trip over those metal and wooden works persistently sprawling on the gallery floor. The works of Chinese artist Zhang Yu Xi, seemed to represent a playful mix of ancient Chinese myths re-imagined from a mangaesque perspective. There were large hints of Japan - Tadanori Yokoo, Studio Ghibli and of our very own Leong Wan Kok and Chan Kok Hooi, permeating those wonderfully cosmic comic works. Across that small gallery booth there were tales of dragons, and Vaughn Bode mystical beings lazily opening third eyes and emanating a curious charm all of their own. The comic book theme was to continue with R. Sumantri MS’s Kwang Kung vs Capt. America. Tucked away in one corner of Matrade, the visitor might have been surprised to see that marvellous depiction of one comic company’s favourite super-hero battling a brand new nemesis. I was not surprised, as I had wandered the entire hall looking for this work. Aside from painting his favourite comic book superheroes – Wolverine, Batman etc, R.Sumantri MS paints very realistic looking fish, much in the hyper-realistic style of British artist Michael English. English had graduated from 1960s ‘Underground’ posters, as part of Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, to painting airbrush images, which seemed more real than reality. There was much too see, much to be impressed by and many people to impress. Large canvases were being sold as I arrived, and carted off out of the rear doors. One mother of an autistic child had to dash back home to grab more of her son’s work, as those images by autistic children seemed to be fairly flying out of Matrade. I had missed the pomp and pomposity of the opening night, due to urgent matters elsewhere, but was delighted by the works on show on the Sunday that I did attend. If the number of cars cramming the various car parks was anything to go by, then the exhibition was a resounding success.
r. sumantri ms
mehtab ali
Mehatab Ali is an accomplished artist from Pakistan, who was recently requested to paint a portrait of the royal family of Brunei - including the king. He has held solo and group exhibitions in pakistan and elsewhere. His work is seen in collections IN Paris, Germany, Japan and the US of A
five women
untitled
untitled
untitled
untitled
three friends
contact
doshiza and flowers
doshiza with still life
woman and tree
another day in chennai
photo essay
in the land of the khans inner mongolia with sean thow
a story of colors of
the launching of....
cambodia
telling the story of Honey Khor’s journey into volunteering with the Arts based charity - Colors of Cambodia, in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Illustrator and project leader of A Story of Colors of Cambodia, Malaysian born Pei Yeou Bradley (aka Honey Khor) with her husband - the British author and designer of the book - Martin Bradley
it all began with a honey-in-the-box
and a small exhibition of cambodian art
a sparkling array of supportive talent
ong may yi
sean, maxine and friends
chan ming zhun
a s a it w
y t r a p
antares
band
calista
karuna
a book launch
author and designer martin bradley
artist and project leader honey khor
writer/mc dino goh
a celebration
mrs malaysia wong foong meng
artist and colors of cambodia founder bill gentry
it was truly spiritual
and ultimately about children for children
certificates for all the young performers
a dama music theatre production
empress wu - the mu The ultimate female defiance in Confucian China (In English and Mandarin, with both English and Chinese surtitles)
usical
Empress Wu is an original musical based on the life, loves and times of China's first and only female emperor, who had ruled the country with an iron fist more than a thousand years ago. Tang China during her reign was the richest and most powerful country in the world. It was China's golden age and the Empress held together a sprawling empire against external threats and internal court intrigues. Not unlike the other emperors, Empress Wu's ascent to power was littered with acts of betrayal and treachery but also of honor and loyalty. A controversial figure condemned and praised by historians in equal measures, the Empress enjoyed supreme power. She was ambitious and ruthless. A visionary. An autocrat. The symbol of ultimate female defiance in Confucian China.
empress wu (tan soo suan) & emperer gaozhong (alex koh) photo by studio DL 01
Dama is a multiple award-winning music group, well known for their exquisite blending of East-West harmonies in their musical performances. The musicians made their debut in the Malaysian performing arts scene with their soldout concert, An Evening Of Chinese Chamber Music, in Kuala Lumpur in 1994. Led by its music director, Khor Seng Chew, Dama has performed music works from both the east and the west, as well as music pieces from around the world. They have been hailed as Malaysia’s music ambassador abroad, showcasing their unique brand of music at international world music festivals. The musicians have also been invited to play with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and have performed in His Majesty’s Theatre (Australia), Istana Budaya (Malaysia), Majestic Theatre (China), Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore), Jubilee Hall (Singapore), MetroTV Auditorium (Indonesia) and Putra World Trade Centre (Malaysia). They have also participated in the Tsunami Charity Concert to help raise funds for the Tsunami victims. Dama’s recording Eternally is in renowned film director Tsai Ming-Liang’s film, I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone, which was screened at the Venice International Film Festival 2006 in Italy. text by Dama Orchestra
empress wang (charlene meng) and the ministers photo by kelab shashin
palace girls, empress wang, the ministers photo by kelab shashin
background - contes boudoirs
yi shan Yishan Li is a professional UK/Chinese manga artist currently living in ShangHai, China. She has been drawing manga since 1998, when she was in high school and have been published internationally in various countries, including China, USA, France and the UK. Her work includes; New Start: Beijing Comic, China, 1999; In My Memory:Youth Comic, China, 2002; Our Dormitory: Comic King, China, 2003; Snow Demon:Yaoi Press, USA, 2005; Spirit Marked:Yaoi Press, USA, 2005, Aluria Chronicles:Yaoi Press, USA, 2006; Dark Mists #4: Markosia, UK, 2006; Guardians #1: QTk Anime, USA, 2006 ; Reluctant Saviour: Yaoi Press, USA, 2006 ; The Traitor: MangaQuake, UK, 2006; The Tizzle Sisters & Erik: Markosia, UK, 2006 (colouring); Midnight Blue: Demented Dragon, USA, 2007; Tribolo--L'incroyable aventure: 70ans loterie Romande, Switzerland, 2007; Adventures of CG!: CosmoGril Magazine, USA, August 2007 to May 2008 Monthly; Cutie B #1: Dargard, France, March, 2008; les Contes du Boudoir Hante #1: Delcourt, France, May, 2008; 500 Manga Creatures: Ilex, May, 2008; Call of the Deep:Barringtonstoke, May, 2008; Les Contes du Boudoir Hante #2: Delcourt, France, October, 2008; Cutie B #2: Dargard, France, October, 2008; Manga Females Clip Art: Ilex Press, UK, 2009; andrews mcmeel, USA, 2009;How to Draw Manga and Anime: Bridgewater books, UK, 2009; The Complete Shojo Art Kit: Ilex Press, UK, 2009; watson-guptill, USA, 2009;Les Contes du Boudoir Hante #3: Delcourt, France, 2010; The Clique:Yen Press, USA, 2010; One Million Manga Characters: Andrews McMeel, USA, 2010; 500 Manga Villains and Heros: Harper Collins, USA, 2010; Mini Manga series: Search Press, UK, 2010 ongoing; Will Supervillains be on the Final: Del Rey, USA, 2011.
matahari
jump
background - contes boudoirs
snow
a title page
wishes
sundry
remembering whiteness & other poems by martin bradley
downloadable as a free pdf from http://correspondences-martin.blogspot.com/2012/04/open-publication-free-publishing-more.html