The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2011 02:20 AM PDT THERE is the juxtaposition of light and shadow in Liew Choong Ching's oil paintings as he tries to capture movement and motion. Looking at his paintings, you cannot help but feel he is trying to focus on life, energy, conflicts and, inevitably, the balance of life itself. While the subject matter is figures shadow boxing, the artist insists his works are not about violence. They are, in fact, about a man's conflicts within himself and the attempt to focus despite all distractions. The Mentakab, Pahang-born artist has always worked with oil on canvas. His past few series have been more figurative and concentrated on the subject of kampung children and traditional dancers. His new series, Secret Battle, plays with light and shadow, and the colours are influenced by tLomographic photography. Liew explains that he had grown tired of the same old traditional subjects and was searching for something new. "I tried to find a new subject to help me express myself as I needed an identity for my artwork. Although my past series did have a signature look and feel, I think they did not have a strong enough signature look to push them to a higher level and make them distinct, perhaps because the subject matter was too traditional." Kickboxing is a natural choice for him as Liew likes martial arts. Secret Battle is the result of the marriage of his love for martial arts and his background in fine arts. "I do kickboxing purely to practise the kicks, strikes and how to defend. Normally, I practise in front of the mirror or use my imagination. This is the source of inspiration for Secret Battle," he says, adding that while a person might look confident and proud, nobody knows his inner feelings and what is going on inside him. "In our lives, aren't we always sparring with our inner self? There are obstacles, weaknesses and fears hiding in the darkness of the shadow. Apparently, we need an indomitable spirit and courage – like the sparring master has – to handle the thoughts and willpower to confront emotional weaknesses and struggles. "My shadow boxing paintings have nothing to do with violence. Instead, I would like to present the sparring of the human mind. The most fierce enemy is nobody but ourselves most of the time," he says. His paintings aren't just refreshing because of the play of light and shadow, or because the subject matter is contemporary. There is also the use of luminescent colours that give it a Lomographic photography effect. While Liew does not indulge in photography, he does admire Lomo photographs as he thinks they are very current and urban. The images also seem to be in double or triple vision, as if there is a registration problem. Liew explains that this technique is inspired by a person's attempts to focus in meditation. In the process, blurry images are inevitable as "we are always facing distractions". Although some parts of his paintings do transcend the realistic into the abstract, the figurative elements still stand out. > ''Secret Battle' is on at Artseni Gallery, Muse Floor, Starhill Gallery, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, till Aug 31. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2011 02:18 AM PDT PAUL Whitaker, director of Sotheby's Institute of Art Singapore, believes Asian art in general is progressing and gaining recognition on the wider world stage. "This is particularly true of Indian, Chinese and Indonesian art," he says in an email interview. However, he thinks the art industry is much misunderstood by the general public. "They see a world that seems somehow remote and elitist, when in fact quite the opposite is true. The majority of the art community is simply passionate individuals who find that they can also make a career out of the passion." Whitaker (pic) himself came from a business background, spending four years at Ashridge, a UK-based management development college, where he was primarily involved in teaching the MBA and designing leadership courses. He also spent six years at the University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business as a lecturer in information systems strategy and data management. He holds two psychology degrees, an MA in management learning from Lancaster University, and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business. But he has always had a passion for the visual arts. In one of his research papers, he presented on the 2005-2008 market boom of Chinese contemporary art. Highlighting one recent "extreme" trend in art investment, he pointed out that during that period, the Chinese contemporary art index recorded gains of 2,500%! (The index has fallen by about 1,500% since the credit crisis of 2008. He started working for Sotheby's Institute of art in February 2007, in Singapore, a regional centre set up that same year. Having made a career switch into the art world himself, he sees many options in the commercial art world. "Because of (art's) very dynamic and fluid nature, it has a lot to offer people seeking an interesting and worthwhile career. The most obvious choices are to work either in art spaces, private or galleries, auction houses or museums. "However, the fragmented nature of the art world means that many of our students pursue careers in publishing, freelance curating, art banking, art insurance and many other diverse fields." The salary range is also diverse. "The head of Sotheby's makes more than US$6mil (RM18mil) a year in salary, while a junior assistant at an art gallery may earn less than US$2,000 (RM6,000)." On the practical aspects of collecting art in the global art market, he says: "The emphasis will be on the Asian markets, and we will endeavour to offer a more rigorous approach to art investment and valuation. Issues to be addressed include the subjective buying instinct, and a more structured and businesslike approach to art investment." For those venturing into art investment, the primary concern is lack of knowledge and experience. Buyers need to know the difference between a collector, who buys art for its aesthetic quality, and an investor, who buys for financial returns, he adds. With the recent boom in the regional art scene, Malaysia is fast catching up, going by the number of new art galleries in the country, and the increased interest in art. The recent Henry Butcher art auction held in Kuala Lumpur raked in over RM3.14mil in sales, well over the RM1.7mil figure for last year. "Art needs the support of the people," says Whittaker. "The community can help by buying the works, and governments can support the art industry in the same way it supports any other industry – by making the country attractive for business." > Paul Whittaker will talk about job opportunities for art graduates at a seminar titled 'Your Pathway To An International Career In The Art World' on Aug 16, 7pm, at MAP@Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Dutamas 1, KL. All are welcome. For details, call 03-6207 9732. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2011 09:15 PM PDT Creative diversity and freedom convey soulful beauty in Islamic calligraphy. THE relief is reminiscent of wood carvings, words overlapping like waves. Drawing on skills practised and perfected over the centuries, Mohammad Reza Amuzaad's works are created with modern technology, a white and sleek relief made of fibreglass. Enayat Nuri explores the tradition rather than the words. A collage of calligraphic reed pen strokes and diamond-shaped dots, layered, rainbow-coloured and transparent. Then there are the illuminated manuscripts my untrained but appreciative eye would have just as readily believed are lovingly preserved work created centuries ago by a contemporary master who has just as lovingly preserved this centuries' old art form. Of all the art forms in the world and over time, there is none that reaches me more deeply or completely than Islamic calligraphy. My introduction to this, at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia many years ago, was one of the defining moments of my life. And here I am now, drinking in this stunning exhibition, Contemporary Islamic Calligraphy Art – Masters from Iran, at the NN Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, feeling what I felt that first time and what I feel every time I am exposed to such soulful beauty. Even if you cannot understand the words, there is an exquisite grace to Islamic calligraphy. I myself can't read a word and yet there is something about these strokes that positively breathes. I can only imagine the significance of this work to those who recognise its literal meaning. "Islamic calligraphy is the most important form of Islamic art, sprouting from divine words,"says Dr Amir H. Zekrgoo, Professor of Islamic and Oriental Arts at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Dr Amir, from Iran himself, is a contributing artist to this show. His works consist of frames within frames, representing levels and layers of affinity and closeness to the sacred domain. Entering a mosque or any place of worship is just the first step one takes to "reach that spiritual nucleus". Some of the steps taken to reach that centre, those words, are in our rituals – removing our shoes, washing, lowering then quieting our voices. Others come from somewhere deeper inside each of us. I am especially drawn to his Gateway to Heaven, which has a dark blue outer realm that makes me think of early Islamic astronomers and navigators who taught the rest of the world about observing the heavens. The innermost frame contains the words, on a pale background, the light of knowledge. The starry night is contained within a plant that curves around the inner frames, looking like a crescent moon. A flower buds from its centre like a star. Dr Amir explains that while some Islamic countries such as Malaysia and Turkey have adopted the Roman alphabet, Iran is still using Islamic script, which means the connection between the artists and the words is very strong. "This exhibition is unique in that it covers work from the earliest style – Kufic - to the most modern approach. They have all been collected and commissioned for this exhibition. They have not been shown before," he says. Dr Mandana Barkeshli has been instrumental in bringing this exhibition, and many others, to the country. "Malaysia, being the platform for many Islamic venues, has a lot to learn from contemporary Islamic art," says the Associate Professor at IIUM's Department of Applied Art and Design, Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design. "Islamic calligraphy, especially from the Middle East, has gone up in the past five years in terms of worldwide recognition." This exhibition presents a unique opportunity then, not just to appreciate the talent and skill of Iranian artists, but to invest. "We have not just the masters, but also the potential masters – those starting to flourish. They are younger, the prices are not that high yet, but there is potential," says Dr Mandana. For although she has plenty of experience in putting together exhibitions – she has brought in five, three of them in collaboration with NN Gallery – this one presented special challenges as some of the pieces are quite big. They are indeed. Ali Reza Mohebi's red ribbon-like words seem to float off of their black background on square canvases two metres high. The size, the colours and the three-dimensionality of the work make you feel as if the flowing weave is reaching for you, pulling you in. As visually striking as the red on black – on the piece I really love the black gently carries softer colours – is a warm orange and a marine blue. The artists' mastery of colour and texture is second only to their mastery of calligraphy. In Ebrahim Olfat's piece, Bismillah Al-Raham Al-Rahim, blue lines curve and peak and fall off the gold painted canvas, stylised red and black words ride the waves and tuck into the crevices. In a second piece, the dominant lines are red, and although the background is closer to a pale ochre, the canvas shimmers as if it too was gold. Thick silver, gold and copper paint on Mohammed Reza Amuzaad's large black canvas creates a texture as three-dimensional as a forest floor. Dr Mandana hopes the exhibition will broaden our concept of Islamic art. "When you say 'Islamic art', most people don't see it as something creative," she says. This exhibition will undoubtedly change that. The calligraphy art shows remarkable diversity and freedom. I feel the artists must have felt as much joy in creating these works as I have in now observing them. There is an ethereal loveliness to the paintings of Alireza Karimpour, in which words seem to be the creators of nature. The world lifts like fog off Quranic Verse (64:1) and long, reed-like script is the foreground of Quranic Verse (96:1-3), the closer to us than the grass, wind, sea and sky. In every exhibition there is always one piece (or more) that makes me long to take it home. At this exhibition my favourite piece is whatever I'm standing before at the time. Any one and every one of these I'd treasure; though not a collector, I'm a grateful observer. Dr Mandana hopes this show will draw more than just collectors and art lovers. She hopes it will give Malaysian artists "some sort of motivation, some sort of idea how it can be abstract and modern in terms of creativity." Adds Dr Amir: "We are celebrating the month of Ramadan with divine words." Whether it is the inspiration or the actual work of one of the guest masters, I can think of no gift more perfect or unique. > 'Contemporary Islamic Calligraphy Art: Masters from Iran' is showing till Aug 22 at NN Gallery, 53A & 56, JalanSulaiman 1, Taman Ampang Hilir, KL. Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm. Closed on Sundays and public holidays. For details, call 03-4260 6588. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
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