Pangrok Sulap

Recently, from social media, we read of a group of young artists from Sabah who have been active in printmaking to tell a tale, a tale about life, a "cerita rakyat"...

This their story :

• Pangrok Sulap bermula dari idea melukis karekter kartun mengenai realiti cerita rakyat yang gembira di negeri Sabah.Saat perkumpulan anak-anak muda yang liar dengan cerita-cerita yang direka menjadi bahan ketawa.
• Dari cerita rakyat sehingga menjadi aksi rakyat.Komuniti kecil bawah Kaki Gunung Kinabalu (Ranau) ini bergiat aktif dalam pelbagai aktiviti kesenian.Berjuang bersama seni rojak untuk terus hidup.
• Disini kami percaya setiap manusia itu adalah seniman. Kami ingin mengajak semua orang untuk berbuat apasaja berkaitan seni sebagai penyampai pesan dalam kehidupan seharian kita.
• Bersama-sama kami memperjuangkan hak-hak rakyat.
  
  'Kita tidak mampu melakukan yang besar, kita mulakan dengan yang kecil'
• 
  

  
  Teaching Chow Kit Kids about woodcut printing....  along with social activist, Syed Azmi

     

  
  Melakukan kerja-kerja amal disetiap ruang yang ada. Belajar berkongsi ilmu dan menjadi pendorong manusia yang lainnya.
  
  Kami akan terus belajar dengan kamu.
  
  Pangrok Sulap;-
  Pangrok = Punkrock
  Sulap = Pondok rehat di sawah/kebun petani (Dusun)

********************************************************************************************************************************

- Wonderful efforts by these young artists. Wishing them all the best in their creative & charitable ventures!

Do check out their FB page 

https://www.facebook.com/PangrokSulap/

Congrats to Long Thien Shih..

Please Note :
Dukacita dimaklumkan bahawa Encik Liao Shiou-Ping terpaksa membatalkan perjalanan beliau ke Malaysia atas sebab yang tidak dapat dielakkan. Manakala Encik Long Thien Shih akan menjayakan demonstrasi seni cetakan tersebut. Harap maklum.

We regret to inform that Mr. Liao Shiou-Ping had to cancel his trip to Malaysia due to unforseen circumstances. The demonstration of print making will be conducted by Mr. Long Thien Shih.

‘STORIES FROM THE SOIL’ - Solo Exhibition by Faizal Suhif

Faizal Suhif, born 1984 graduated from UiTM with his Master degree in Fine Art last year is having a solo exhibition entitled Stories From The Soil at the G13 Gallery from 1^st March to 22nd March 2014. Exhibiting 25 pieces of new works including oil paintings and transfer printings, the artist will also complete the exhibition by installing nature elements to enhance the visual communication.

Spending plenty of time while making art and has developed from the conventional printmaking, Faizal invented his very own printmaking skills to create artworks. “I like to wander around my living area with my tool kit, whenever I see interesting texture, the ground the cement, I will start doing the transfer print", said Faizal during an interview. To him the time consumed is not merely a process of art making but also a conversation with the nature and meditation to the artist himself.

Growing up from a farming family, Faizal's concern is about Mother Nature and he believes in the effort of seeding. "Seeds can grow into trees, they are the food and oxygen supplier, but people don't normally appreciate seeds", Faizal finds people often running after velocity and achievements but neglected the basic elements that breed us, he hopes his artworks can ease the pace and calm the soul, at the same moment convey his theory to the audiences.

‘STORIES FROM THE SOIL’ - Solo Exhibition by Faizal Suhif

Opening Reception                : 8pm, Saturday , 1^st March 2014

To be officiated by          :  Mr.Juhari Said

Exhibition period                         : 1^st March – 22^nd March 2014

Gallery opening  hour                  : Monday - Sunday, 11am – 5pm (Closed on Public Holiday)

Venue                                         : G13 Gallery, GL13,Ground Floor, Block B, Kelana Square, 

     Jalan SS7/26, 47301 Kelana Jaya, Selangor. (behind Paradigm Mall)

Email                                          : info@g13gallery.comFacebook                                    : www.facebook.com/G13gallery

To view the latest updates of the artworks availability, log to: http://g13faizalsuhif2014.blogspot.comTo view more about the exhibition, log on to : www.g13gallery.com

For all inquiries please contact :
G13 Gallery
Tel: 03-7880 0991 / 012-211 4697 (Kenny Teng)

Spot Art 2013 - Chua Shu Ruei

In the recently concluded Singapore Biennale 2013, there was a parallel event called Spot Art 2013.

SPOT ART is a high quality, juried art festival for art students and artists under 30 in Asia that aims to strengthen relationships between artists, art institutions and arts professionals in Southeast Asia. Our event will take root as a dynamic and meaningful event for the art world, as well as for the general public, where young artists can mingle with an international audience of art professionals, art collectors, peers and tourists. SPOT ART is an opportunity not only for artists to be seen and heard, but also for the audience to reflect on their creativity as a sign of our times. It is a time to look and listen to what they are saying, reach out to them as they do to us and offer our support and encouragement as they work tirelessly to enrich and advance our cultural heritage. SPOT ART is a new and innovative addition to the burgeoning art infrastructure in Singapore. 

Congrats to Chua Shu Ruei from ASWARA,  the only Malaysian entry selected under a rigourous process by a 7-person selection committee.

Two of her 'Manusia' series artworks were selected for the exhibition : Orang Boxes 2 and Orang Boxes 3

Orang Boxes 2

Orang Boxes 3

They are print installations that combine extended and alternative printmaking with light boxes. She uses digital print and ready made/industrial prints.

Look familiar? Aren't those orange boxes we see so much during Chinese New Year? Just how does Shu Ruei conceptualise her work?

She credits it mainly to her Fine Art training at ASWARA where they were encouraged to incorporate local traditional heritage culture into contemporary art. "This is as a way to preserve and evolve the significance of traditional culture so that it can continue to be relevant within a contemporary context", Shu Ruei explains.

The Manusia series is her Diploma graduation project at ASWARA. In her final semester, she majored in Printmaking and minored in Sculpture.

We first met Shu Ruei when she accompanied ACG members and Art Malaysia's Editor-in-Chief, Liew Kean Yap on a short visit to her lecturer, Juhari Said's Akal Di-Ulu (studio / home / farm).

She is a soft-spoken and a dedicated artist. Imagine, in her research of our Malaysian Chinese Lion Dance, she followed a local lion dance company (Wan Seng Hang Dragon and Lion Arts) for over 2 and a half years. She frequently visited their workshop to observe their materials and techniques. She also followed and documented them during performances and practice sessions.

And then incorporated this research into the Manusia series which deals with the issues of dehumanisation, identity and self-categorisation.

http://www.shuruei.weebly.com 

Loo Foh Sang - veteran printmaker

I was torn between work and visiting Loo Foh Sang's most recent exhibition. But duty (work) first, so i didnt make it to the opening. However our local daily, The Star gave a two-page spread of his exhibition opening. 

These are excerpts from the article

Tuesday May 28, 2013

Artist’s printmaking skills shine at solo

exhibition

By JADE CHAN
jade@thestar.com.my
Photos by ART CHEN and courtesy of Samadee Studio

...PRINTMAKING is not a common art medium in Malaysia, which is why Loo Foh Sang takes great pride in being one of the few local artists who has mastered the various printmaking techniques.

“Printmaking allows me to express my creativity and observations in a different manner,” said the 69-year-old, who also specialises in oil painting and Chinese contemporary ink painting.

“Printmaking is not an easy technique to master. The printing press machine and colours are also very costly. I adapted by converting rubber press machines into printing press machines and made my own colours.”

....The full-time artist and part-time teacher was speaking at the opening of Malaysia Master Printmaker: Loo Foh Sang Solo Show 2013 exhibition at Samadee Studio, Bukit Jalil.

Museums Malaysia Innovation Department director Zanita Anuar (left) officiated at the event.

“Printmaking can be categorised into four main categories — relief techniques such as woodcut and metalcut, intaglio techniques (etching and engraving), planographic techniques (monoprinting and lithography), and stencil technique (silkscreen printing),” said Loo.

He employed different techniques for the 46 pieces of print works featured in the exhibition.

.... Malaysia Master Printmaker: Loo Foh Sang Solo Show 2013 will be held until June 2 at Samadee Studio, 6-1, Block 4, Jalan Jalil Jaya 4, Jalil Link, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur (same row as Hailam Kopitiam, above Tutti Frutti).

The exhibition is open to the public from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 11am to 6pm.

For details, call 012-235 5661 or visit www.facebook.com/samadeestudio

Read more.. http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2013/5/28/central/13146005

While searching for this article online at thestar.com.my, i found another earlier 2011 article where Mr Loo speaks candidly about his life, his exhibition & his aspirations..

Sunday June 5, 2011

No flight of fancy

By ROUWEN LIN
star2@thestar.com.my

After years of dabbling in various art forms, a veteran artist has solid plans etched out for the future.

IT was 60 years ago when a nurse came to tend to his ill father in their little wooden house in Gambang, about 30 kilometres from Kuantan, Pahang, but Loo Foh Sang says the memory of that day is as clear as if it was yesterday. After all, she accurately predicted his future.

“Your little boy will grow up to be a successful artist one day,” the nurse told his mother, while admiring his charcoal works on the walls of the house.

Loo, the youngest boy in a family of nine children, was then seven.

“I drew on every surface I could find and my mother didn’t seem to mind. No one gave much thought to what the nurse said because it was not common then for people to pursue drawing seriously. 

.... The artist often ends up gesturing frantically with his hands when trying to get a point across.

“I think I’d be able to explain what I mean much better in French. Sometimes I feel like I’ve lived in France for so long, I’ve forgotten how to speak English!” he adds, referring to the 20 over years he spent abroad.

It was there that he learned the art of printmaking – the focus of this exhibition – under the tutelage of Englishman Stanley William Hayter, the printmaker and painter who founded Atelier 17, one of the most influential print workshops of the last century.

“Paris is nice, very nice. There was plenty going on in the art scene there, although I did sometimes find it difficult to make friends with the locals. I studied French for a year and spent four years studying art at the École Nationale Supérieure Des Beaux-Arts in Paris before printmaking.

The handsome, young Loo in Paris

“I took twice as many classes as anyone else with Hayter because I wanted to return to Malaysia as quickly as possible. But after coming home, I changed my mind and instead returned to Paris, where I opened my own studio and lived for another 17 years. My twin sons were born and raised there and I only returned to Malaysia in 1988.”

For the next 15 years or so, Loo taught printmaking at the Malaysian Institute of Art and was subsequently appointed head of the fine arts department at Central Academy of Art (unfortunately now defunct), both in KL.

“That was the reason I came back to Malaysia – to teach and educate others. Many people here do not know much about printmaking and I thought it was time to come home and give back what I can.”

..... He believes it is his unique spin on a traditional printmaking technique that sets him apart from the other artists.

“Coming up with the ‘right’ composition to best capture the motion in these works, with the level of detail that I incorporate, is not something easy to do. But you have to work hard,” he says.

And work hard he does. Particularly as he is determined to be a centenarian.

“I have big plans and I plan to live up to at least 100. I will start a printmaking research centre and workshop. Once I hit 70, I will make arrangements to open an art museum. Maybe I’ll call it the Loo Foh Sang Museum of Art,” he adds, grinning.

*********************************************************************************

Well, i for one certainly feel that he can be a centenarian and beyond! ...cos when we were walking up the slope to our hotel in Macau, Mr Loo (the oldest of our group) was the first to reach the top :)

And having chatted and travelled with him for 5 days during our printmakers sojourn to Macau 1st Triennial Exhibition last year, it's his attitude to life, his passion for his art balanced by a good sense of humour and a sense of purpose is what makes him succeed in all he does, coupled by the support he gets from his loving artist wife, we look forward to his future ventures!!

☆ Coming Soon ☆

Malaysia Master Printmaker: 
Mr. Loo Foh Sang, Solo Show 2013

Exhibition Period:
11~31 May, 2013

Opening Ceremony:
3 pm, 18 May 2013
(Refreshment will be served)

Opening Hours:
11am - 6pm, Tue - Sun (Monday Closed)

Venue:
Samadee Studio
6-1, Block 4, Jalan Jalil Jaya 4,
Jalil Link, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

Contact Us:
012-235-5661
samadeestudio@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/samadeestudio

FOR MORE ABOUT HIS BEAUTIFUL WORK :
https://www.facebook.com/LooFohSang?group_id=0

Visit to Juhari Said's Akal di Ulu

We were eager to meet up with Juhari Said, one of Malaysia's dedicated printmaker. So much has he contributed to printmaking in Malaysia during his 2 decades of printmaking, always pushing to further the art. He's life and work is best summarised in Prof. A. Rahman Mohamed's essay.  Recently he has found a new direction as chronicled by Dr Tony Donalson.

Here's a photo essay of our visit :

Entrance to Juhari Said's studio 

Our mode of transport - Art Malaysia's Defender

Vanilla plants (background), lime plants (foreground) 

A passionate artist as he tells of his experiences

The poultry farm enclosure... We heard there was a python nearby..

Such cool ambiance!

 

 Juhari Said's studio

Juhari's woodcuts (background) with his newer passion for wood carving sculptures (foreground)

One for the album

Bye - bye!

Day 2 - Macao Museum

16 Nov - Macau

Walking down the steep slope we climbed last night

Since we already knew how to go to Senado Square, the main shopping cum historical centre with the iconic ruins of St Paul’s over-looking the square, we ventured out confidentally. Some of our team have split, so our group was a bit smaller.  The weather was pleasantly cool and cold intermittently.   

So jealous, watching the seasoned shoppers going about in boots and sweaters.  But we managed either with a jacket or shawl. 

We have not seen the sun, since we arrived yesterday.  The skies would be what we, in Malaysia, call ‘mendung’ – cloudy with likeliness of rain.  However, we were luckily. No rain until the following day.
 

Along the way, we notice the subtle juxtaposing of old and new buildings. In fact the old historical buildings are better maintained than the modern ones..Haha..

Our self-arranged itinerary was to include Macau Art Museum (one end of Macau) & Anshun Batik & Tin Embroidery (on the other side). So, we decided on Museum of Macau, which was near to the ruins of St Paul's Church.

Ruins of St Paul's Church

A shop selling orignal works by Macau Designers (right next to the Ruins of St Paul's Church)

 The MACAO MUSEUM -

 It was a nondescript building set in the hill slope and so the sight of escalators delighted some of us. The has  a uniqueness about it as u can see in the photos.

 Entrance to the museum exhibits.. on the left side, artifacts from western world

 On the right side, is the Chinese world!

First printing press in Macao

Other exhibits showed the mix of architecture, Portuguese way of life, Christian artifacts, pottery, making of firecrackers, silk, astronomy, marriage certificates, etc.

The museum also had a garden called Fortress Garden on the upper level.

It gives a good view of the city landmarks like the very imposing Grand Lisboa Hotel & Casino (in gold colour).

Then headed down to the streets to look for lunch..  All restaurants were small, so difficult to get one that had 7 empty chairs. Finally got a corner restaurant, no frills restaurant. We called individual meals. Some had fish porridge, wantan-like mee, and i chose the quite unusual dish of ox-tongue stew. Very European food is a Chinese family restaurant.

Then we walked back to Senado Square, taking the scenic look...which meant that we got lost, even with maps in hand. Small roads were not listed in the map. That excursion tested us. But our group members were cool about it, everyone trying to help figure out the way. Finally after going one big circle, we landed back in Senado Square. What a way to see the city!

A bit short of time now. Welcome Dinner is to start at 7pm. At 3pm we were still looking for Casa Lou Kou, where the tourist brochure said Anshun Batik and Tin Embroidery demo & exhibition were to be held. Our navigation skills were put to the test again. Again we missed it as it was nestled between other buildings with no visible markings. Opposite it were many shops selling the same food - Beef Offal with additional steamboat stuff on satay sticks. The smell was to strong, we were looking right instead of left. Eventually after another round of walking & map reading, we got back to the 'beef offal' street,  This time we looked to our left and voila! It was right opposite the beef offal shops.

Another joke awaited us. As we entered it's like a old nyonya house, with carvings & decorations all in dark wood, we could find the exhibition. We asked the guard. She sheepishly pointed us towards a young man as she (and many others) cant speak English. Luckily the young man who is involved in setting up the exhibition could help us out. Where's the exhibition, I asked. TOMORO...was the answer!

Aiyah! I was paying attention to the ending date & forgot to check the starting date. Well, at least we know where it is... So, we said goodbye to them and hurried to find transport back to the hotel.