The Blue Lotus magazine Issue 52 by martin bradley

Lotus The Blue

No 52, Winter Issue 2021/22

Luo Qi Daphne Zepos Lee Tong Qionghui Zou Kasa Vinay Kumaar Raymond Fung Panyawat Mahantapan Jamal Ahmed John Oh Van Chhovorn Nak Noy Nguyễn Ngọc Đan Pilar Viviente 1

Lotus The Blue

Autumn Song Like a joy on the heart of a sorrow, The sunset hangs on a cloud; A golden storm of glittering sheaves, Of fair and frail and fluttering leaves, The wild wind blows in a cloud. Hark to a voice that is calling To my heart in the voice of the wind: My heart is weary and sad and alone, For its dreams like the fluttering leaves have gone, And why should I stay behind? Sarojini Naidu

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a quick word

editor’s comment

luo qi - magical manuscripts martin bradley

the bali odyssey

daphne zepos

lee tong

malaysian artist

qionghui zou

abstracts from china

kasa vinay kumaar art from india

silk road

multi cultural music ensemble

raymond fung

between breaths exhibition

panyawat mahantapan art from thailand

Cover art: Inner Universe by Kasa Vinay Kumaar, 2021

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jamal ahmed stray birds martin bradley

john oh

rooster malaysian paintings

van chhovan

cambodian artworks

nak noy

art from cambodia

nguyễn ngọc dan

paintings from vietnam

pilar viviente

silk friendly awards spain 2021

malay desserts

by martin bradley

Lotus The Blue

a quick word THE BLUE LOTUS 10th ANNIVERSARY YEAR Happy holidays. Lock Up, Lock Down, Stay in, Socialise, choices abound on this Merry-Go-Round of Closeness or Social Distancing, with thanks to the continuing pandemic. Stay in the NOW and read this (as ever) fascinating issue of The Blue Lotus magazine covering Arts and Cultures of Asia and its diaspora. It is the season of holidays, enjoy the moment. Submissions are encouraged to be sent to martinabradley@gmail.com Take care and stay safe for Covid 19 and its variants are still with us.

Martin (Martin A Bradley, Founding Editor) WINTER ISSUE • 2021/22 • The Blue Lotus is published quarterly by The Blue Lotus Publishing (M.A.Bradley), Colchester, Essex, England, UK. © 2021 M.A.Bradley. All rights reserved. FIND MORE ONLINE: ……

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colors of c

school

# 270 Mundull 1 Village, Sway Don Tel: 855 (0) 63965021; Tel: 855

cambodia

l of art

Colors of Cambodia provides free art education for Cambodian children through our gallery and in local schools. We also host various workshops and lectures by local and internationally renowned artists and hold full-scale art exhibitions regularly. The art gallery at Colors of Cambodia features art by our students and teachers. Proceeds from the sale of art works by students, teachers, and our founder go directly to assist students and schools. Advanced art-training classes are offered to children showing special talent. Advanced teaching in drawing and painting is available to assist students in higher education, and to prepare them for a possible career in the arts. One long-term goal of Colors of Cambodia is to be able to offer scholarships to exceptional students.

siem reap, cambodia

ngKum Commune, Siem Reap District, Cambodia (0) 12214336 - Phany; Email: colors@colorsofcambodia.org

luo qi

Magical Manuscripts by Martin Bradley

he renown, astute and eternally stimulating avant-garde artist Luo Qi (who resides both in China and Portugal) continues to push artistic and textual boundaries in his latest work ‘Medieval Notes’. Having travelled and read widely Luo Qi has been able to push his calligraphic quest beyond the structures and strictures of traditional Chinese and Western calligraphies, into fresh areas of academic and artistic interest. Having an eclectic, questing, turn of mind Luo Qi has continued to stride forward with his love for literature, poetry, music and visual art. Incidentally, all of which had coalesced in the European Middle Ages. Luo Qi’s latest presentation brings some of these interests together in this modern evocation and remarkable volume ‘Medieval Notes’. This is at once a homage to the past while, simultaneously, being a contemporary and original ‘Lucky Handwritten’ artwork incorporating images created on hemp paper and rice paper with grey and a hemp silk texture (2019). Instead of Medieval text, Luo Qi has synthesised asemic writing through the use of Chinese pictograms (FU) and faux (or false) Western script beside illustrated first letters, as was common in Medieval manuscripts. Similar to other asemic writing, the viewer is hoodwinked into believing that the text has meaning outside of itself, whereas it has none. Luo Qi mentions that… “It is just a hypothesis, a mixture of unrelated relationships, and the text does not belong to the story, it belongs to pretend description, or narrative symbol, which is a misreading of the image. This is the idea contained in all my own artistic creation.” In these ‘Medieval Notes’ there are evocations of venerated illuminated texts such as

‘The Book of Kells’ (an illuminated manuscript Gospel book, in Latin, currently to be found in Dublin’s Trinity College Library), and intimations of China’s 4th century compendium ‘The Guideways through Mountains and Seas’ (also known as Shanhaijing). Both were ‘epics’ their time and while ‘The Book of Kells’ remains a prime example of a handmade and illustrated volume, China’s ‘Shanhijing’ has been illustrated many times over the centuries, by hand and later printed. Luo Qi’s weaving together of Chinese pictograms and Medieval Western manuscript imagery delivers what could be imagined to be an imaginary scribe’s ‘lost’ masterpiece, (one never actually written) binding East and West together in 90 manuscripts of “Medieval Notes” and referencing medieval cities, buildings, details, fragments and eras including ancient Greece, Rome and leading to the Renaissance (15th and 16th centuries in Europe) whose tales lived on through the “dark times” of Medieval times (Middle Ages - 5th to the late 15th centuries). Once again Luo Qi has triumphed in his creation. Melding his imagination with the reimagining of antiquarian art and imagery, Luo Qi presents something new out of something old, as if a magician pulling rabbits from a hat. The fecundity of Luo Qi’s imagination apparently knows no bounds as he intrigues and delights us as yet another fully fledged dove takes flight from the same hat which had once hosted white rabbits.

the

Bali odyssey Daphne Zepos

‘Manchu Lady in a garden’. White coral, motifs carved in horn and buffalo bone. Onyx. Agate from Brazil. Set in silver and brass.

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The Bali Odyssey Collection is a series of statuettes made of exotic materials sourced on the tropical shores and seas of the Indonesian archipelago. French artist Daphne Zepos combines stunning multi-coloured corals, pearls, sea-shells, sapphires and other precious stones with carved buffalo horns and ancient Chinese ceramics scavenged from shipwrecks to create exquisite “one of a kind” statuettes. Each statuette features its own certificate of authenticity that denotes the uniqueness of this piece of art. The unifying theme for this collection is the legend of Nyai Roro Kidul, the mythological Queen of the Java Sea. “As a classically trained portraitist, most of my paintings were of women. Hence, as I began designing these statuettes, I was drawn toward a feminine theme which has been at the core of my artistic expression for over four decades”, says Zepos as she reflects on this latest chapter of her creative journey.

Southern Roro Man Queen of South Sea

Old Chinese ceramic, coral, aquamarine, set in silver and brass.

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Made of Ancient Chinese ceramic, Swarovski stone, Biwa pearl, lapis lazuli, and grey agate geod. Setting in brass and silver with thick wood as a base.

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Queen of South Sea

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LEE TONG (Valerie)

Tree (2)

Turning

I long for my home back in Malaysia, the colours that used to be bright and cheerful suddenly turned dull. As I created this series of work. I began to approach Chinese ink, a material that reflects the Chinese culture, my origin, yet combining the coffee and teas that were brought from Malaysia, showing that I'm still a Malaysian but only Chinese in blood. The flowers and trees are dry and wilted, but yet in this melancholy I can find peace within . . Lee Tong

Melancholia

Tranquillity

Distorted

Lost

Melancholy

Qionghui Zou

Dreaming Butterfly series 017

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Chinese artist Qionghui Zou, born in 1975, is a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and a member of the Chinese Artists Association. She studied in Szechuan Fine Arts Institute and Central Academy of Fine Arts, and was a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan in 2014. Her creation of art works involves Oil Paintings, Mixed Media, Installations and Interactive Media Images. She has held many personal art exhibitions in New York, Toronto, London, Kuala Lumpur,Beijing etc. Her works are widely collected by art galleries, museums and foundations. Cicadas and butterflies symbolise the rebirth of life and the world of soul respectively, which were used as symbols of life and visual vocabulary in the creation of her works. Her series of works, such as Cicadas Language, Cicadas Zen, To the Future New World, Transformation Into Butterfly and Dreaming butterfly, are the continuous sublimation of creation and corresponding realms of life. Qionghui Zou broke the boundary between easel painting and off-easel art, realistic art and abstract art, and finally formed the original Oriental abstract expressionism. Her works show the unique charm and characteristics of Oriental art.

The door of rebirth series 002

To the future new world series

Landscape No.07

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Kasa Vinay Kumaar

Diptych in my mind

My previous works was based on my Life and after a series of works I started working on Self Overlapping Series. In the above series some of the works were done using blind impressions, later I avoided it and experimented using different medium. Sometimes I use digital prints and other medium which is also currency. Hot medium is expressed softly, I use carbon paper in my work of art to bring the same feel like that of the etched graphic work . I use metallic colours for the glittering and also to show the submissive objects. I use this medium to express my self –overlapping. Presently I am working on self overlapping and the dominance of money in this mundane life. According to me everything is converted into currency, my thoughts and relation is also converted to currency. I use electronic gadgets, ATM cards and carbon impressions also use electronic print media like colour Xerox to express the present situations of our contemporary life. During olden days there was no money , people exchanged only materials , but nowadays we have currency and everything is money. In my personal life I relate currency with relations, we see many people carrying their ATM card and money transaction is very easier, the same way I see my father as ATM and I am the card. Not only money , he supports me in all situations. I use the images of stamp because the stamp is also in the form of money, we give money and buy stamp, still it carries money. Stamp has the images of celebrities and they are also in the form of currency. The person in the stamp is popularised through this. In one of my work I have shown my self portrait in the stamp to popularise myself, I feel proud and I am in the state of ecstasy. Again I myself is currency in the form of a stamp. All my thoughts are converted as currency. Whatever thought comes to my mind or the things which I come across I express in my work of art and I continue to do this. Vinay Salya Untitled 11

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In my mind

Inner universe

Inner universe 3

Self - overlapping still life

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silk road by Martin Bradley

“…to follow the Silk Road is to follow a ghost” (Colin Thubron, Shadow of the Silk Road, 2007)

t may seem a very long way, in time and in space, from Little Baddow in Essex, England in the 1950s, to the city of Xi’an in northern China and to the great stretches of Central Asia B.C., but one young Chinese woman bridged that gap for me. My personal connection to silk, its roads and routes, involves May Po Ling who, in the 1950s, was a maid in the grand house where my mother was a house keeper. This was back when I was 7 or eight years old. The house owner’s family had returned from China and Hong Kong with the young maid in tow. She and they were responsible for building a curious ‘bird house’ to one side of their front lawn, where ten healthy and vibrant spaniels would romp. I was to later discover that the structure was no bird house, but a place for keeping silkworms and their mulberry-leaf habitat. Or so I was informed by May Po Ling who, as well as teaching me to write my name in Chinese calligraphy, delighted in telling me about Chinese silk and the small creatures which produced it. My own interest in the notion of ‘The Silk Road’ had recently been piqued by artist and ‘The Blue Lotus’ magazine contributor Professor (Dr.) Pilar Viviente and her recent article in the magazine. She also has connections to the Silk Museum of Valencia which had organised the Silk Museums International Conference; not to mention the fact that Dr Viviente also won an award in the ‘Third Silk Friendly Women and Peace Routes Awards’ (initiated by the Instituto Seda España (ISE)) this year (2021). 68

Emperor Huizong of Song “Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk,” ca. 1100-1133

A medieval painting showing the 13th-century caravan of Niccolo Polo (father of Marco Polo) and Maffeo Polo (uncle of Marco Polo) crossing Asia.

I decided that it was high time that The Blue Lotus looked again at a history of that fascinating material (silk) as well as at the ancient trade routes which have come to be known as Silk Road (s) which in time had connected China to the West (in antiquity), and once again takes strides in fresh guises, both digital and the physical, as seen with the expansion of China’s ‘The Belt and Road Initiative’, a global infrastructure development strategy began in 2013. The next stop on my own journeying was a three part BBC 4’s 2016 documentary series narrated by historian Dr Sam Willis and a whole load of reading of articles, books and the discovery of copious internet websites concerned with silk, silk roads or silk routes. Silk

Sericulture (Latin sericum = silk) the harvesting of silk and its subsequent products originates in China, with the Yangshao culture in the 4th millennium BC (4000 through 3001 BC and the beginning of the Bronze Age). Silk had been unique to China until the expansion 70

of trading routes where silk was traded, which have seen known as ‘Silk Roads’ opened at some point during the later half of the first millennium BC. China maintained a monopoly over silk’s production for another thousand years or so and it was used for clothing and even as a writing substrate (imperial decrees were often written on yellow silk). Later silk also became a base material for painting. A Chinese legend relates that the production and the weaving of silk cloth was discovered by Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih (wife of the Yellow Emperor who ruled China in 3,000 BC). She is sometimes referred to as ‘The Goddess of Silk’. One day Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih was in her garden picking caterpillar cocoons from a mulberry tree. She accidentally dropped one cocoon into her hot tea. When she pulled it out, she found that it unwound into one long filament, her husband developed the use of this and methods for domesticating the silkworm, producing silk thread from the filaments. Thus began Chinese sericulture and, later, the spread of China’s best kept secret out into the world.

Silk Roads Richard Kurin, in his book (The Silk Road: Connecting People and Cultures) for the (American) Smithsonian Folklife Festival ‘The Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust’ (in 2002) had mentioned…. “Since the concept of "Seidenstrassen" or "Silk Roads" was first invented by the German geologist and explorer Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877, the "Silk Road" has been used as a metaphor of European and Asian cultural interchange. While largely commercial, the Silk Road provided the vehicle for all sorts of creative exchange between tremendously diverse peoples and cultures.” China itself had no such notion of the ‘Silk Road’ or roads, of ‘Silk Route’ or routes, but had persevered with trade networks beyond its borders for centuries, silk being a main export and one of the many materials, physical or esoteric, which had flowed from the region of the Chinese Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD), opening to trade around 130 B.C., an from cities such as the northern city of Chang’an (Xi’an), stretching some nearly 7,000 miles across the desert lands of Central Asia and finally into the Eastern Roman civilisation which became Byzantium (Turkey), and onwards to Venice (Italy) and into those areas now considered to be ‘Europe’. Many are familiar with the notion of trade from East to West with thanks to the Venetian merchant Marco Polo, his father Niccolo and uncle who had travelled Asia before Marco. A book, published in 1300 AD, about Marco’s travels (Livres des Merveilles du Monde/ Maffeo or Il Milione) ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’ was ghost written by a fellow inmate Rustichello (Rustichello da Pisa) while they were in a Genoese prison at the Palazzo di San Giorgio. Over the years it has been pointed out that there are many anomalies in Polo’s account

but, generally, the book of his recollections charts his and his family’s adventuring along the trade routes which became known as ‘The Silk Roads’ to and from China. William Dalrymple (historian and writer) in his book ‘In Xanadu’ follows the roads Polo wrote about in his book and is impressed by the accuracy of the writing especially when mentioning places such as Ayas (or Yumurtalık as it is now known in the Adana Province of Turkey). “…a city upon the sea ... at which there is great trade. For you must know that all the spicery, and the cloths of silk and gold, and the other valuable wares which come from the interior, are brought to that city. And the merchants of Venice and Genoa, come hither to sell their goods, and to buy what they lack.” Musical Collaboration

Those three exquisite words ‘THE SILK ROAD’ conjure an exotic, enticing other, a lingering orientalist fantasy ( but also a reality) and a penchant for cross-cultural collaboration. The original routes out of China did much more than centre on trade, they spread and melded cultures. The souls who kept the dream of the international routes for trading alive embraced the cultures of ‘difference’ which they discovered along the way. Yes, silk flowed but so did other many other aspects of cultures, such as painting and especially music. Today there is a fresh recognition of the cultural importance of those ancient routes spreading out from a burgeoning China, and a thirst for knowledge about them with a matched eagerness to continue collaborations between the cultures found. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) asserts the importance of cross-cultural collaboration with its ’Silk Roads Programme’ Cultural Selection: The Exchange of Musical Instruments along 71

the Silk Roads, which has this to say about the migration of music along the Silk Road(s)…. “Different forms of music and the various instruments used to create it, spread beyond its regions of origin accompanying people as they moved along the Silk Roads. In turn, those travelling along the Silk Roads absorbed the different musical influences of the regions in which they travelled. Indeed, many musical instruments that were common in Silk Roads regions were very flexible and could be used to play a variety of styles of music.” In recent times musicians such as the notable cellist maestro Yo Yo Ma have come to believe in the importance of cross cultural collaboration, or “shared intangible cultural heritage” as UNESCO puts it. Yo Yo Ma has been responsible for the conception of a Grammy award-winning musical ensemble (or collective) titled ‘Silk Road’ who play a variety of musical instruments from places along the Silk Road(s). These instruments include the Indian tabla, Galician bagpipes (gaita), Chinese pipa, sheng and erhu, Armenian duduk, Japanese shakuhachi and the Mongolian morin khuur as well as the more traditional Western instruments such as bass, the violin, the cello and other musical instruments. In ‘Silk Road Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust’ (a catalogue for the Smithsonian Institution ‘Folklife Festival’, 2002) Yo Yo Ma has written … “In 1998 the Silk Road Project was founded to study the historical and present-day flow of culture and ideas along the trans-Eurasian trade routes. I believe that when we enlarge our view of the world we deepen our understanding of our own lives. Through a journey of discovery. the Silk Road Project hopes to plant the seeds of new artistic and cultural growth, and to cele brate authentic living traditions and musical voices. “ 74

One 2018 composition, was developed by the Silk Road Ensemble and inspired by interactions with art at the Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Within the various ‘songs’ we witness a superb East/ West musical alliance with Indian tabla (drums) by virtuoso Sandeep Das, shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) played by master Kojiro Umezaki, and Shaw Pong Liu on violin and erhu (Chinese fiddle), with Wu Tong on vocals and sheng (Chinese mouth organ), as well as Jeffrey Beecher on bass, and the percussionist Shane Shanahan. Like many of the ensembles presentations, the use of wide range of ethic instruments alongside those more familiar to the Western ears conjure a wide range of emotions and imaginations. Having said that, an earlier solo piece (‘Night Thoughts’, 2011) by Wu Man, playing the Chinese pipa (lute), resonates with its sinitic beauty, transporting listeners musically and emotionally along ethereal Silk Roads of the imagination.

Urhu

The Silk Road Ensemble has included musicians from myriad countries including....

Armenia Azerbaijan China Europe India Iran Japan Korea Mongolia Tajikistan Uzbekistan United States 75

Cristina Pato, Galician bagpiper (gaita)

Sandeep Das Tabla

Yo Yo Ma Cello

Wu Tong, Bawu, Sheng

Shaw Pong Liu,Violin, Erhu

Wu Man, Pipa, Kayhan Kalhor, Kemancheh Bawu, Sheng

Yo-Yo Ma (2nd R) and Kayhan Kalhor (3rd R) performing in the Silk Road Ensemble

Raymond Fung ‘BETWEEN BREATHS’

Breathing 10-11

‘The art of life between breaths’ 3812 Gallery is delighted to present the first ever solo exhibition of Raymond Fung’s contemporary landscapes in Europe. On show will be his newest series Breathing and Life, debuting in London from 2 November to 7 January 2022. Raymond Fung Wing Kee is a renowned artist and architect in Hong Kong whose works are included in significant collections such as the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, The National Art Museum of China, Shanghai Art Museum (China Art Museum) and Hong Kong Museum of Art. Despite being extremely well-regarded in Asia, his works have not previously been extensively exhibited in the west. This exhibition presents the unique opportunity for new audiences to experience Fung’s original combination of traditional Chinese ink painting with western abstract expressionism influences. A new and largely unseen series, ‘Breathing’ gives voice to Fung’s environmental concerns. It is a complex and abstract work that actualises the notion of breathing both in process and ideology. It is created through use of cling-film to wrap the ink painted surface, allowing the ink to meditate and breath under the surface. Fung is troubled by the worsening ecological climate and the impact of the Anthropocene on the beautiful landscapes of Hong Kong and further afield. He has a close personal relationship with nature and his environs, something channeled in his sparse style of architecture. His work seeks to allow the viewer space to contemplate environmental degradation and the beauty of the natural world which requires protection. “More urgent issues of global concern await Chinese painters’ exploration. The Breathing series evaluates the challenges we face in protecting the environment; whereas the Life series, as suggested by its name, calls attention to the critical living conditions of all lives of nature and humans, flora and fauna.” Raymond Fung sees beyond Hong Kong’s skyscrapers and dedicates his works to the local landscape of the city and its captivating colours 84

Breathing 8

18 shades in ink series

and textures. Deviating from traditional ink methods, Fung experiments with rich coloured pigments and introduces contemporary materials to the surface of his Xuan (Chinese rice) papers. Fung’s many layers of water, ink and pigment, and are overlaid with fine plastic films, and over a period of time the ink and pigment are massaged, allowing them to breathe, whilst patiently waiting for the cracks to appear on the surface as they dry. The resulting paintings are textured and multi layered, glimmering and shining with mineral pigments and splashes of colour, over laid upon the underlying ink. Equipped with an architect’s sense of space and composition, and the emotion that exudes from brush and ink, Fung’s works often take the form of tall, narrow polyptychs that draw the eye from one end to another- a rhythmic momentum that creates ‘windows’ in space through which to view his imagined landscapes. He takes considerable time over the curation of his shows, installing them with the same precision as he designs buildings. “The paintings are a microillustration of the process by which human activity constricts and controls the flow of vital vapours in our natural environment. Breathing is a meditation on the Anthropocene: our current geological period in which human action is the primary agent shaping the physical world.” Dr Malcolm McNeill Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art, SOAS, University of London

Breathing 23

Exhibition Date: 2 November to 7 January 2022 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10:00 am to 6:30 pm (all other times by appointment) Gallery Address: 21 Ryder Street, London, SW1Y 6PX

3812 GALLERY LONDON 21 Ryder Street, St James's, London, SW1Y 6PX +44 203 982 1863 london@3812cap.com

panyawat mahantapan Still Life of Imagination I see essence in the beauty of the object without content or story of its own. I see duration in the object. I see alteration, destruction and truth in the nature of the object. I see boredom hidden in the object. Though I admire calmness, I hate it at the same time. All these are the essence of the object seen. Simultaneously, I see beauty in the way I want in myself. As I see emotions: angriness, confusion, liveliness, calmness, feelings towards incentives, cognition, obsession and self doubt, I aim to combine the beauty in essence of the object with the beauty from my inner self in the painting. This set of artworks was created from my own imagination towards still life paintings constructed from technical process and various compositions using the grammar of painting, such as surface and art composition. Furthermore, I focus on searching for the possibilities to integrate different forms of expression. In order that the still life paintings could present aesthetics corresponding with contemporariness, the finding of the possibilities aims to deconstruct the old image of still life paintings and reinterpret them. Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University.

Still life of imagination

Bread with foil

Still life of imagination

Still life of imagination 2

The basket apples of Paul Cezanne

jamal ahmed

Pigeons 1999

Jamal Ahmed - Stray birds by Martin Bradley Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away. And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh.

(Stray birds (part) Rabindranath Tagore, 1916.)

amal Uddin Ahmed is a recipient of Bangladesh’s prized (second highest) civilian award the ‘Ekushey Padak’ in ‘Fine Arts’ (given by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2019). He has risen to be both Professor at the Department of Drawing & Painting of the University of Dhaka, and a much lauded figure in the art world of Bangladesh. Like many modern Bangladeshi painters, Jamal Ahmed studied at the art school (Faculty of Fine Art) in the University of Dhaka, fondly called ‘Charukala’, then went on to study abroad in Poland, Japan and the USA. In Bangladesh’s 7th century city of Dhaka (developed out of Jahangirmagar) I had the great pleasure of seeing Jamal Ahmed on more than one occasion. Ultimately I was invited to visit his studio. We talked and ate traditional Mithai (or Bangladeshi sweets) in that airy studio where I had the privilege of seeing his half-finished figurative paintings. The artist had explained that there were only few paintings to see, for as soon as he finished a painting it flew (metaphorically), out the door and into waiting collectors’ hands. Nevertheless, I had felt honoured to be there and to see those paintings before completion, and to have the freedom to wander around this remarkable artist’s studio. While many artists in Bangladesh shift towards non-representational art, Ahmed is famed for his figurative work. He has, specifically, been 100

noted for his portraiture and romanticised figures of women. Although some may wish to label Ahmed’s work as ‘Realism’, to which some degree it is, his work flutters between the expectations of the sort of realism considered by Gustave Courbet Champfleury (Le Realisme, 1855) and textured ‘sketches’ or revelations and a search for the ‘truth’ of lives in Bangladesh. This may be witnessed in images included in one exhibition, at Galleri Kaya, Dkaka (2020), featuring works such as the textured, mixed media, ensemble ‘Way to home - 2’ which incorporates very vivid images of women and small children. Another (from the same catalogue) is, again another mixed media artwork titled ‘Bathing’, with a female figure seen half naked from the rear, with a backdrop of fishing vessels - a natural image with romanticised, hazy, colouration. There is ‘Nari o Nodi (women and rivers) -2’, more mixed media on paper with a stunning young woman with a red sari top expectantly looking out to the water. In ’Waiting - 2’ another young lady, with a red sari top and yellow raiment, holds a small child. Together they watch a lone fisherman at work with his boat and nets. Again there is expectancy and perhaps longing in a couple’s simple tale. Then there is ‘Gypsy’. In this highly textured painting a lone fisher-woman carries a wicker basket of fish from our right. She is painted a third of the way into the picture, and before she moves out of frame we her audience observe both her grace

Girl with pigeon 1

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Jamal Ahmed, 1977, when he was a 3 yr student

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Pigeon 1

Pigeon 2

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and her dedication to her hard life. A riverine pigeons are to be observed as symbols of love. swathe of blue cuts across the paper as a red sun However that is but the beginning of their sets. significance, for it is no wonder that the artist Jamal Ahmed should devote so much of his Ahmed’s figure suggests a homage to energy to capturing images of doves/pigeons, ‘Shilpacharya’ (great master of art), Zainul for they are so very prominent in the history Abedin’s painting ‘Santhal women’ (1969). of Dhaka as seen in Ahmed’s metaphorical Abedin was, of course, a founding father of meditations on nature’s beauty. modern Bangladeshi art. These images, and other figurative works by Jamal Ahmed, demonstrate The pastel and charcoal mediums are entirely the artist’s dexterity with, and his creative suited to Jamal Ahmed’s recreated peaceful understanding of the female form, as well as beauty, and his constant interest in people and an empathy for the plight of the Bangladesh nature. In this work there is an emphasis on the fisherfolk and a feeling for his country’s rurality. expression of emotion through a romantic quality or spirit in thought and sublime expression, for Beyond images of females, Ahmed’s oeuvre charcoal and pastel present the perfect mediums extends to horses and to bird life, specifically for this expression with its softened edges and pigeons. In the ‘Galleri Kaya exhibition catalogue’ subtle blending bringing an essence of calm. there are no less than ten of the artist’s works containing pigeons. Some include a female In a way these examples of Ahmed’s work figure, others are solely studies of pigeons. bring to mind the pastel drawing techniques While Ahmed also portrays other traditional which the Indian artist Abanindranath Tagore Bangladesh riverine life, such as fishermen, boats had learned from Olinto Ghilardi and Charles and nets, it is in his images of pigeons (the Stray Palmer in their idealistic romanticism, which Birds of this piece’s title) that he differs from the strike at the viewer's emotions. majority of his South Asian contemporaries. There are many varieties of dove/pigeon. Why pigeons ? Many languages use the same word for pigeon as for dove as, in many cases, there is little When Jamal Ahmed was a fourth year art distinction between them. Bangladesh has up student at ‘Charukala’ (1977), he had painted to seventeen species of pigeon and Dhaka, a (four foot by two feet six inches) painting depending upon what is read and where. Like of two pigeons sitting betwixt palm leaves. many other South Asian cities Bangladesh is Another story relates that he was in New York famed for its pigeon population, dating back when pigeons flew onto the balcony where he into antiquity. Pigeon rearing, like that in India’s was staying, and that it was from then that he Old Delhi where the art of ‘kabootarbaazi’ (or began to take a serious interest in the movement pigeon rearing) continues until today. In Dhaka, of pigeons and, later, used that form to convey pigeon flying and pigeon eating have long been another side of his figurative romanticism. part and parcel of the local tradition, as have its pigeon markets situated in Mirpur -1, Gulistan From another catalogue (Chronicles in and Tongi areas. Charcoal, November 2018, at Galleri Kaya), pigeons are prominent. There are sixteen pages It is believed that South Asian pigeon rearing devoted to them, including the catalogue’s front began during the Mughal period (1500s), as the cover (titled Pigeons - 2). For some, Ahmed’s rulers used pigeons to communicate with their 105

aristocracy. This was as true in Emperor Akbar’s (1556-1605) Eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh) as it was, at the time, for Delhi in Western Bengal.

But while you live you blithely acquiesce From head to claw in smug ungratefulness; Abandon such self-love and you will see The Way that leads us to Reality. There knowledge is your guide, and Khezr will bring Clear water drawn from life's eternal spring. “

History reveals that mankind has long coexisted with pigeons (through lifelike pigeon images existing beside figurines of the ‘Mother Goddess’ dating from the early Persians and, (The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din Attar. later, the time of Sumerian Mesopotamian Bronze Age 2400-1500 BC). In Mesopotamia, 1177 AD, trans Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis) Paintings of pigeons survive from the Mughal pigeons were domesticated, bred for food, and times, such as ‘Portrait of Zayn Khan Kokah kept in small ‘houses’. (c.1542–1601), Governor of Kabul. ‘ A portrait Pigeons have been religious symbols for dating from around 1595 which was extended Sikhism and Hinduism where they have been in the 1600s including pigeons to make it fit seen to be messengers, having association with a standard size album; or there again in the Yama (god of the dead) and Nirriti (a goddess 1788 work titled ‘Kabūtar nāmah’, by Sayyid of destruction). Doves/pigeons have been Muḥammad Mūsavī Vālih. used to represent the goddesses Ishtar, Venus Not just in antiquity, but ‘Modernist’ artists and Aphrodite. 2000 years ago the Greek poet Anacreon wrote a poem describing a pigeon/ too were fascinated by pigeons and doves. Jean dove’s flight as a messenger carrying a billet- Cocteau, ‘Le pigeon-terreur’ (1927) and Pablo doux to the poet’s lover (Ode IX in The Odes of Picasso, of course, contributed many images of Anacreon, translated by Thomas Moore, 1869, pigeons/doves to Modernism including ‘Child p54), while in the Persian poem ‘The Conference with dove’ (1901) ’Le pigeon aux petits pois’ of the Birds’ (1177) by the celebrated Sufi poet (Pigeong with peas, 1911) and ‘Studio Pigeons Farid ud-Din Attar both pigeon and dove are 3, (after Velázquez, 1957). It was an interested gleaned from Piccaso’s father José Ruiz Blasco, an mentioned. artist who also bred pigeons and became known as El Palomero (the pigeon/dove fancier). “Dear pigeon, welcome — with what joy you yearn Doves are frequently thought of as depicting To fly away, how sadly you return! Your heart is wrung with grief, you share the gaol beauty, gentleness and loyalty, in other words the more traditional famine traits. It is not That Jonah knew, the belly of a whale — difficult to see that the pigeon/dove form used The_Self has swallowed you for its delight; by Jamal Ahmed may become a metaphor for How long will you endure its mindless spite? particular notions of womankind, or intimations Cut off its head, seek out the moon, and fly of a romanticised figure. In a catalogue (Holbein Beyond the utmost limits of the sky; Gallery, Osaka, Japan, Contemporary Painting Escape this monster and become the friend from Bangladesh, AKA DOT show, 2019) Ahmed Of Jonah in that ocean without end. is represented by four (acrylic on canvas) paintings of doves/pigeons (‘Meeting’, ‘Futari’ Welcome, sweet turtle-dove, and softly coo [couple in Japanese], ‘Girl with a Pigeon’ and Until the heavens scatter jewels on you — ‘Two Pigeons’, out of the seven image spaces But what ingratitude you show ! allotted to him in the publication. Three paintings, Around Your neck a ring of loyalty is bound, 106

Pigeon 3

Pigeon 4

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Beauty in the river

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other than birds, are of women (‘Going Home’, ‘Waiting’ and ‘Beauty in the River’). The painting ‘Waiting’ also contains a (barely discernible) green pigeon within a conical cage. Throughout those works there is a heavy hint of symbolism, or a nod towards the romanticism of artists such as the Dutch Lawrence Alma-Tadema, renown for his classical symbolism. In the 2020 ‘Galleri Kaya (Dhaka) catalogue’ Ahmed uses the title ‘Couple’ (a mixed media piece) to signify the relationship between his two pigeon subjects. One bird is more erect than the other, the second appearing coy, its head turned slightly from the onlooker’s gaze. The two are set against a very dark background which throws their delicate colouration forward. The fowl to the viewer’s right has the appearance of being more alert than the other, a watcher and protector, while the other gives the impression of being more genteel and possibly in need of a protector. The painting seems to portray a more traditional view of ‘coupledom’. Jamal Ahmed, a strong Dhaka based figurative artist, has grown as his country has grown out from under the yoke of a foreign power into, finally, existing in liberation as Bangla - Desh (“Land of the Bengals”). He takes his inspiration from the country around him. He has a keen eye and an even keener interest for nature, human figure work and portraiture. He is as comfortable with charcoal and pastels as he is with acrylics and mixed media, depending on his feel for his subject(s). Ahmed, living in a riverine environment, is drawn both to aspects of Bangladesh’s rivers and their inhabitants, as well as to the city where he lives. He has encountered success through his commitment to romanticised figurative work which incorporates scenes of his motherland, his enormous stamina, work ethic and artistic diligence. And, due to the aforementioned, he is treasured by his peers.

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A girl and a pigeon

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rooster John Oh

Here comes the king

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After my art training from the art academy, my first challenge as an aspiring artist was to draw or paint the world around us as I saw it. Soon, however, I begin to realise a much more personal and valid goal. I began to look within myself to find the answers to what art can be, rather than depending on nature to supply theses answers for me. The moment I looked beyond the subject matter to find the answers to what painting can be, I took my first steps as true artist. Some of the materials that follows will be my own discovery, but most of the concepts are borrowed from painters with whom I have studied in one form or another. Paul Gauguin in particular was my mentor, his favourite quote was “Art is either Plagiarism or Revolution.” And “Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art.”; Otherwise, what would become of beauty. As an artist, I am so lucky to have learned and benefited from wonderful masters like Paul Gauguin and other postimpressionists. So very much to learn. Yet we know our art education will always be incomplete. I love to hear these masters confess their insecurities. Their attitudes are of searching rather than knowing; it is this attitude that has made them what they are. I am still facing struggle with painting. However, I enjoy the uncertainty that comes with creativity, expect to struggle. The day we learn how to paint is the day we stop being “ARTIST”. John Oh

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Ready to fight

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The playboy

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A gentleman

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Ready to shine

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Stay low

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Keep walking

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Moving forward

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Van Chhovorn

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Good Luck Fish

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Untitled

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Van Chhovorn was born in a refugee camp for Khmer Rouge genocide survivors in Thailand in 1982. Later, as a young man, he was enslaved on a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Thailand with 24 other Cambodian and Burmese men for more than two years. He luckily regained his freedom through much hardship and was able to study at a free non-profit art school, Phare Ponleu Selpak, in Battambang, Cambodia where he became a wood sculptor and painter. Important to his career is a recurring dream where an ancient “Dream Teacher” speaks to him and shows him what to do and which pieces of wood to select for his sculptures. He currently resides in Battambang with his family and is pursuing his art career in collaboration with Open Studio Cambodia (Siem Reap) and Romcheik 5 Artspace (Battambang).

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Repatriation of Slaves

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Untitled

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Untitled

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Father figure

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EVOLUTION Nak Noy 26 November 2021 until January 2022 Solo show curated by TRIBE at Seekers Spirit House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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I see love

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21 - self portrait

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Mother nature

Born in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in 1999, art was the only thing Nak Noy could think about for as long as he can remember, as he spent his days drawing and painting obsessively on paper as well as the walls of his family farm all through junior and high school. His passion for art continues to drive him forward and fill his life with joy, creating another world full of hope, beauty and love to escape into through the ups and downs of real life. Layered with metaphors and symbolisms, Nak Noy’s signature style is instantly recognisable and highly collectable. The recurring themes of strong women and female empowerment in his work stem from his love for the strongest Khmer women in his life – his mother and younger sister. The jewellery and intricate costumes further reinforce his ideas of beauty and independence. A self-taught artist, Nak Noy is currently in the midst of completing a three-year visual arts course at Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang, Cambodia. 136

Goddess

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Pieces of me

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The tribe

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Big sister

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Love heals

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Nguyễn Ngọc Đan

Tell me about the sky

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Narrow strip of the sky #7

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Narrow strip of the sky #9

Nguyễn Ngọc Đan completed her Master’s degree in one of the most prestigious art education environments in Europe, the Surikov National Academy of Fine Arts in Moscow. Before going to Russia to she studied at Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, Vietnam, and has participated in a number of exhibitions in Russia, India, Indonesia and in Vietnam too. She organises workshops to teach painting basic techniques, portrait drawing and still life paintings in various mediums.

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Upstream

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Narrow strip of the sky #2

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Narrow strip of the sky #3

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Narrow strip of the sky #4

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III Awards "Women and The Routes of Peace" SILK FRIENDLY 2021 Prof. Pilar Viviente Ah, blues of the Mediterranean sea! Paint me blue Of your confines, I am prisoner Paint me of eternity Of your unexpected confines I am prisoner A prisoner of freedom In The Routes of Peace

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Photo Credit: Pilar Viviente and Diana Chen in Casa Mediterraneo next to the advertising banner. By Amber Chow, 2021.

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Photo Credit: The 2021 winners after the Awards Ceremony. By Amber Chow, 2021.

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Photo Credit: Creative Silk Award "Woman and Peace Routes" to Ma. Pilar Viviente Solé from the Miguel Hernández University, Altea, Alicante, and Nimet Keser from the Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey, for their Observatory project of Mediterranean Women and Peace Routes. By Amber Chow, 2021.

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On November 4, 2021, the third edition of the renowned "Creative Silk", Women and Peace Routes awards of the Silk Spain Institute was held at the Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante city. The Casa Mediterráneo is a public consortium composed of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAUEC), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Generalitat Valenciana, the Alicante City Council, Benidorm City Council and the Alicante Provincial Council. These awards are given to initiatives and social participation related to silk, which incorporate women and young entrepreneurs in tourism entrepreneurship and women or organisations that highlight and influence equality and governance of women and their values in the various routes of Peace, highlighting the silk routes in the Mediterranean as routes of Peace. Likewise, it is awarded to outstanding Women in an individual, business or governance way who stand out for their support of initiatives that affect the development or promotion of the Land or Maritime Silk Routes. The awards consist of a trophy and an accrediting diploma, for each of the awarded women or organisations. Awards are delivered in an event after the celebration of the Thought and Action Forum (Foro Pensamiento y Acción, FPA) conference that under the title The Silk Roads and Women in Mediterranean Cultures is held at the Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante. This time we attended the III Conference "Migrant and Refugee Women in the Mediterranean" on the 3rd and 4th as protagonists of these round tables and presentations. The program and videos of the sessions are available on the Silk Spain Institute website and also on its YouTube channel.

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The delivery of the Creative Silk and Women Awards was presented by Rubén Sancho, Autonomous Secretary of Equality of the Generalitat Valenciana. This year's awards: In order of delivery. 1. Women 's Observatory of the Mediterranean and Peace Routes. Prize awarded to Pilar Viviente, Faculty of Fine Arts UMH, Altea, Alicante, and Nimet Kesser, University of Cukurova, Adana, Turkey. 2. Asia Business Silk Smart Center, Polop, Alicante. Award given to Anny Chen and Diana Chen President and Vice President respectively of the Asociación Alacant - China. 3. Sustainability 5.0 Cities and Tourism. Award given to Sandrine Gil, founder of Connect Clean for the organisation of the Digital District Days of Alicante. 4. Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Humanities at UNESCO, to her work on the Maritime Silk Routes and the Manila Galleon. See III Premios "Mujeres y Rutas de Paz" SILK FRIENDLY 2021 https://silkspaininstitute.com/terceros-premiossilkfriendly-mujer-y-rutas-de-paz-otorgados-porel-instituto-seda-espana-ise/ A video of the Awards Ceremony is available online: Terceros Premios Silk Friendly Mujer y Rutas de Paz - https://youtu.be/ql_45anNFC0 Creative Silk Award "Woman and Peace Routes" is an excellent way to implement the sustainable development goals. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go handin-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur 160

economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. It is an honour to have received this award. My heartfelt thanks to the Silk Spain Institute, the Generalitat Valenciana, Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Vicepresidencia y Consellería de Igualdad y Políticas Inclusivas, and Casa Mediterráneo. A very special thank you to Fernando Molina, President of the Silk Spain Institute, also to Enrique Gaspar, vice-President of the Silk Spain Institute. Thank you to Foro Pensamiento y Acción, Fundación Cultura de Paz, UNESCO - Chair of the International Silk Road Online Platform, and UNAOC United Nations Alliance of Civilisations. Thank you to all the team that has made this great event possible. And above all thank you to Federico Mayor Zaragoza for his enlightening teachings. Here a quote on women and peace that he mentioned in his speech at the opening ceremony: Her role will be, as Nelson Mandela told me in Pretoria in 1996, "the cornerstone of the new era, because women only exceptionally use force, and men only exceptionally do not use it. Federico Mayor Zaragoza. Recuerdos para el porvenir. (PDF available online). This goes for all the women. Wherever you are you can join the Silk Road. It is not a single way or Peace Route, but many: a web of choices. Be creative!

Photo Credit: Federico Mayor Zaragoza at the Opening Ceremony on November 3. By Pilar Viviente, 2021.

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Photo Credit: Third Silk Friendly Awards 'Women and Peace Routes' of the Silk Spain Institute. By Amber Chow, 2021.

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Malay Desserts

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Cendol

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bove is a bowl of silky, creamy coconut milk, sweetened with Malaysian local brown palm sugar (Gula Melaka) in a Malaysian dessert made from green pandan scented rice ‘noodles’ served with crushed ice, called ‘Cendol’. The name was officially mentioned in 1932 as part of the food list constructed by the ‘Malay Concordance Project’ of foods found in Kuala Lumpur. Beneath the adventurous coloured noodles often lurks a mixture of red azuki beans, yellow mung beans and sometimes grass jelly. Different versions of Cendol may be seen across South East Asia, in the Philippines, I have encountered Halo Halo and something very similar in Cambodia on the way to Angkor Wat, outside of Siem Reap. Another Malaysian variant is ‘Ais kachang’ or ice with nuts/beans. Some believe that this dish is not Malay as such but originated in what is now Indonesia, and dates back to the 12th century. Such a dish is mentioned in the ‘Kresnayana manuscript’ from Java. In Java, cendol is called ‘Dawet’ and instead of crushed ice is served as a drink. The name cendol may be a corruption of the

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Indonesian word ‘jendol’ which means bulging or swollen (referring to the green noodles). Others cite cendol’s similarities with the Indian drink ‘faluda’ (or falooda/faloodeh) which is essentially a Persian drink enjoyed on Jamshedi Navroze by the Zoroastrian Iranis and followed Persians into India and may have followed Indians into Indonesia when it became part of the Srivijaya empire. Other Malay desserts include heady aromatic pandan (screwpine), lusciously soft glutinous rice and exotically sweet pineapple. These are but few of the flavours to be found amongst the severely delicious sweet desserts known as ‘Kueh’ (or kuih), in sun blessed equatorial Malaysia. The dishes seen here are from Malay, as opposed to Chinese, Indian or indigenous peoples cuisines. Kueh (sometimes kuih) come wrapped in banana or pandan leaves, nestled in leaf boxes or rolled in fragrant pancakes, steamed or topped with quivering, mouth watering set

One variation on onde onde

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Pisang kolak

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Badak berendam (hippos dipping in the river)

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coconut cream; the sheer variety of Kueh sets the gourmet pulse racing and anxious mouths salivating. For the initiated they are heaven on a plate, ambrosia in a dish, for the uninitiated they are a delight waiting to happen. And, curiously enough, the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Malaysia, is the time when you will see more Malay Kueh being sold together than at any other time of the year. After the day’s fast, and as the sun sets, comes the evening feast, which brings all kinds of tantalising desserts offered at afternoon bazaars throughout the length and breadth of Malaysia. Those days of Ramadan are the long, hot, dry days of fasting in the kampong, when even the birds seem to sing with croaky voices, cats are strangely sullen, quiet and even monitoring monitor lizards seem more sluggish. Those are the days when activities in the kampong are reverse geared with day becoming night and night, surprising enough, becoming day. Languid thirsty days are frequently followed by frenetic thirst quenching nights seeing

fasting end and the feasting begin in earnest after a full day’s preparation. And oh what delicious drool inducing, delectable feasting it is. Visitors, amazed by the sight of so much food, will look longingly towards the Ramadan bazaar and smell the delicate or spicy aromas of the infamously delicious Ayam Percik (barbecued chicken), sticks of succulent chicken or beef satay, huge woks of cunningly fried rice and noodles waiting to be lovingly ladled into boxes of square, white polystyrene - for customers to consume with relish, at home, during their break of fast. As appetising as the savoured savoury dishes are, and they are lovely - oh so lovely; it is the Kueh, the sweet desserts, the fabulously well crafted and mouth wateringly delicious Sweetmeats which are the visitors’ inevitable downfall and, no doubt, more than any wine, women or whisky will be the ultimate ruination for many a traveller, for it is so stunningly easy to become addicted to the delights of Kueh.

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At other times of the year you can barely get by in Malaysia, because of the prolific offerings of food but at Ramadan, when the market is just simply crammed with all kinds of the most delicious foodstuffs any man’s pseudo stoic determination crumbles into dust as they recall their lust and longing for tongue teasing Kueh. You come to adore the spectacular, multicoloured flavoursome Kueh of all shapes and sizes and though Kueh takes little out of your pocket, it will inevitably pile on kilos around your waist. Even the very names of the Kueh are ultimately enticing as they seem wrapped in mystery and frequently banana leaf too. It is enough to get your oral juices flowing at the mere mention of their names. From the ubiquitous badak berendam (hippos dipping in the river), to anak dara baju koyak (maiden with a torn blouse) and anak dara dua sebilik (two maidens in the same room) the names are enough to send you into raptures of both laughter and wanton desire for these heaven -sent parcels of sheer joy and deliciousness. Badak berendam is a mixture of glutinous rice flour coloured green by pandan leaf

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infusion, mixed with sugar and boiled to make sweet gnocchi, then settled in a small ‘river’ of sweetened coconut milk – one or two to a 8cm x 4cm banana-leaf box. Without the coconut milk and then filled with dark brown palm sugar and coated with freshly scraped coconut the dry dish becomes the delicious Onde Onde. But made smaller, and floated in a bowl of coconut milk becomes Bubur Biji Nangka, or jackfruit seed dessert, because the ‘gnocchi’ are reminiscent of jackfruit seeds. Anak dara baju koyak is a dish made from bananas mashed with flour, rolled out then filled with sugar and grated coconut and then loosely wrapped with a banana leaf covering. Once covered, the dessert is dry fried - which cooks the filling. As the dish cooks and the aroma of banana and banana leaf fills the house, so the banana leaf becomes frayed and resembles a torn blouse - it is delicious hot or cold. The more adventurous visitor might even try this dish while it is still hot, with homemade vanilla ice cream, or it you can find it – cream, it’s not traditional but still very tasty. Anak dara dua sebilik is constructed from two pieces of a rice flour and coconut milk dough mix, wrapped in banana leaf and

Anak dara baju koyak

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Maiden with a torn dress

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Pineapple roll

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Cekodok Pisang

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individually filled with dark brown palm sugar and grated coconut, then steamed, making the two maidens (pieces) in the same room (container). The rambunctiously annual Ramadan bazaar (market), where many people shop just before it’s time to break fast, has long tables practically groaning under the weight of see-through plastic containers of lompat tikam (jump and stab), where delectable dark brown sugar made from palm sap, forms a flavoursome layer between the sweet velvet coconut cream and the soft, green, gelatinous pandan custard, it slips down so remarkably easily too. Frequently, unless shored up, tables bow under the load of the ever popular tahi itik (duck droppings) which are deliciously created from egg white, cloves, cinnamon and sugar, and is a particular favourite on Malaysia’s East Coast.

pineapple in question is homemade pineapple jam, lovingly prepared with fresh pineapple and sugar, stewed and reduced to make the preserve. This preserve is then wrapped in the softest, most melt-in-your-mouth butter pastry that you will ever have tasted brushed with egg and then baked until a golden brown. The result is pure heaven in a mouthful. Luckily, or unluckily for the weight watchers, pineapple rolls come sized to fit nicely into your mouth without undue indelicacy. But I issue a warning, pineapple rolls are distinctly moreish, which is why you will find boxes of these piled high on tables one minute and the next – empty tables. Bananas, coconuts and pineapples are readily found in and around the villages, so it is no wonder that so many desserts are based around them.

Another favourite is Ketayap, often called Kueh Gulung (rolled Kueh) or Kueh Dadar (pancake Kueh). These are green pancakes stuffed with dark brown palm sugar and freshly grated coconut. Yes, I know – green. Where once the pancake would have been coloured and flavoured with natural pandan infusion now green food colour is used and sometimes pandan essence instead. Freshly made these are soft, sweet and very, very tasty.

Left are delicious deep fried banana balls (Cekodok Pisang), grabbed straight from the wok while their still hot and ready to burn fingers and mouth, but oh so delicious too.

However, frequently the most glorious of Kueh is the most simple. This humble offering shelters under the most mundane of names Pineapple rolls. And they are exactly what they say they are – rolls of pineapple.

There are, of course, many, many more desserts up and down and across Malaysia. I have mentioned but a very small selection. When it becomes possible to do so, go and see for yourself, but remember to lose weight before you go as Malaysia is a foodie haven.

But oh what rolls of pineapple. The

Last, but certainly not least, are homemade biscuits which arrive freshly baked and decorated with a clove. They, like the pineapple rolls, are a melt in the mouth buttery shortbread delight, just as nice warm or cool.

All dishes here were cooked by Maznah binti Mohamad Yusop

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Clove ‘biscuits’

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Lotus The Blue

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Memories of Early Winter The leaves are falling, the wild geese flying south The water is cold here, the wind from the North. I remember my home, where the Xiang River bends Hidden by the clouds of Chu. I weep for my village, ’til my tears are spent I spy a lonely sail that stares at the sky Indulge me, where is the delta ferry? The lake is peaceful and boundless. Meng Haoran

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Martin Bradley is the author of a collection of poetry Remembering Whiteness and Other Poems (2012) Bougainvillea Press; a charity travelogue - A Story of Colors of Cambodia, which he also designed (2012) EverDay and Educare; a collection of his writings for various magazines called Buffalo and Breadfruit (2012) Monsoon Books; an art book for the Philippine artist Toro, called Uniquely Toro (2013), which he also designed, also has written a history of pharmacy for Malaysia, The Journey and Beyond (2014).

Martin Bradley

Singapore 2012

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Martin wrote a book about Modern Chinese Art with Chinese artist Luo Qi, Luo Qi and Calligraphyism from the China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China, and has had his book about Bangladesh artist Farida Zaman For the Love of Country published in Dhaka in December 2019.

Malaysia 2012

Bangladesh 2019

hilippines 2013

China 2017

Malaysia 2014

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THE BLUE LOTU

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US CHAP BOOKS

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THE BLUE LOTU

by Martin Br

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US BACK ISSUES

radley

...a selection The Blue Lotus magazine is published by Martin A Bradley (The Blue Lotus Publishing), in Colchester, England, UK, 2021

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