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25.12.2005 - The long pause - Don't be a stranger
Reviews by Carmen Nge and myself have been added to the General Articles
and Group Shows
sections.
2006 will see me relocating to New Zealand for at least the next two
years, after which only the Universe knows where (husband and) I will be.
There, I plan to continue making art and to keep up the writing, and with
any grace or luck my fellow Malaysian artists will continue to involve me
in Malaysian art projects.
Is it possible to keep both my feet firmly in two countries? Dr Ang
Swee Chai, author of From Beirut To Jerusalem, has hers in not two
but three countries: Singapore, London and Palestine. So, there's
hope for me yet. It goes without saying that my heart will always belong
in Malaysia because I have a deep connection with its soil. It is my fulcrum.
Home is there to sail around, I like to think.
The Malaysian Art Database will still be up and running. (FYI, it is
currently funded through until mid-2007.) Admittedly, I will not have the
means to update it as often in 2006. Don't let that stop you from sending
me useful links and news; especially if you are an arts writer, I want to
include your work in the database.
With that, I'll wrap up the year 2005. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Please see the notice below about Lost Generation Space.
g
--------------------------------------NOTICES----------------------------------------
Mail-out from artist Wong Perng Fey reads:
PICTURESQUE : An exhibition of paintings by Wong Perng Fey
Date : Friday, 6th – Sunday, 8th of January 2006
Venue: New Asia Hotel, Room No. 2, 110, Jalan Pintal Tali ( Rope
Walk ) & 71, Lebuh Kimberly, 10100 Penang. Contact : 017-6211716
or email perngfey@yahoo.com
Built in 1938, New Asia Hotel, like some other old hotels found in
the heart of George Town, Peneng, forms part of the charm for this historic
city, with its Art Deco architecture, and interior. I choose to put up
an exhibition in one of the room here, because the theme of this body of
works fit in perfectly to the atmosphere of the hotel. Furthermore, this
will encourage visitors and near by residents to interact more easily with
the works as the space becomes an active part of the exhibition.
For this exhibition, the works are inspired by the idea of pin-up posters
and newspaper cut-out that captured our eyes in our younger days, and
adorned the walls of our room with them.
The posters we pasted on the walls at that time might be considered
the earlier form of our expressions, or preference to certain likings. The
only different in my works here is that instead of taking the convenience
of posting ready printed pictures from magazine or newspaper, I carefully
select the images from my own collection of photographs; and painted them
in the appearance of old pictures from some time ago.
This body of works is a survey of pictures making, in oppose to that
by photography. As myself is also a fan of photography, I always find these
two mediums cross influence my works. Some of these paintings derived from
photos that fail to deliver a message clearly to readers; others are from
photos that are ambiguous in its appearance and hence bringing another layer
of meaning to the pictures, and from there it seems to inspire greater imagination.
On a personal level, these works, paintings, they reveal and resemble
memories; from distant, or recent past.
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Lost Generation Space, the organizers of the annual notthatbalai
festival, are in need of funds to
(a) pay off debts incurred during the previous fest such as the purchase
of a projector for film screenings;
(b) cover rental of space; and
(c) plan the next notthatbalai fest.
It is suggested that donations come in the form of cheques written out to
Mr. Yeoh Lian Heng (one of the organizers who forked out his own money for
the expenses). Do call him at 019-6838397 or e-mail lostgenspace@yahoo.com
to find out more. The address of Lost Generation Space is 11, Lorong Permai,
Off Jln Syed Putra, Robson Heights, 50460 KL, Malaysia.
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