Two artists hope to convey messages about our sociopolitical landscape through their surreal artworks, writes Rachel JenagaratnamThere’s something surreal gripping some of our local artists and you’ll see this at I Too Squatted On A Stool Eating Melon Fried Mushrooms, a two-man exhibition currently held at Findars in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur.
Previously based in Central Market’s annexe, the independent space, which had been premise-less for a couple of years, is back with Tey Beng Tze and Lim Keh Soon’s paintings.
The show’s curator, Goh Lee Kwang, had this to say about the artists’ works: “Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, nuclear proliferation, demonstrations and demands from the inner self, the artists swim naked on the sound and fury of the living today.”
His words paint an accurate picture of what the works in the show entail. A motley crew of subjects, symbols and signs proliferate in their surreal landscapes, creating scenes so far removed from our surrounding, and whilst there’s a cartoon-like appearance to both artists’ works, they are anything but jovial. A sense of the morbid perpetuates and there’s an apocalyptic mood signalling that things have gone awry.
A statement and a half
In Tey’s four paintings, for instance, vicious giant cockroaches prowl and attack, ghoulish faces seem to appear from beneath the artist’s brushstrokes, and characters and objects swirl about in darkness, whirlpools and flames.
It’s like Dante’s inferno and perhaps what new Greek PM Lucas Papademos and other PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) leaders’ nightmares about their country’s economic situation must look like at the moment.
In fact, it’s precisely the contemporaneous that Tey and Lim’s works are all about, specifically Malaysia’s sociopolitical landscape and how it affects them. “No choice,” says Lim. “I can’t escape. It’s what I breathe every day,” he says, when asked about the subjectmatter of his paintings.
His works are highly personal. In Kingdom of Slogan, Lim addresses disillusions about how he envisaged our country as a child and how things have actually panned out. “I was strongly impressed when Dr Mahathir talked about Vision 2020. I totally believed it. I was in Standard Six, thinking our country would become an advanced country when I turned 40, and I was so proud. But growing up, you realise that everything is just a slogan. When you talk about application, it’s different, it’s another story,” he laments.
Of symbolisms and...
The artist points out the ribbon tied around a hand in the top left-hand corner of Kingdom of Slogan. It symbolises how things are often packaged beautifully, but often turn out to be marketing gimmicks (“very nice to hear and see, but actually it’s different”) and the train in the painting, where bodies and entrails spill onto a checkerboard surface, refers to Malaysia’s huge working population of which he is a part of.
Tey addresses similar themes in his works, painting with angst about incidents that have happened in Malaysia in the last few years. “Basically, I use many brushstrokes and I am influenced by anime characters,” he reveals.
Like his contemporary Lim, his works are replete with elements (“I use a lot of hidden symbols,” he states). There is a mat rempit hidden in one of his paintings, and in Fleshes and Space, a minute figure of Superman refers to the shooting of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah by a policeman in Shah Alam last year.
“The content is about what’s happening today in our society, but we just presented it with surreal (qualities) and a comic-like style,” explains Lim.
“And we chose this theme (I Too Squatted On A Stool Eating Melon Fried Mushrooms) because we wanted to illustrate our pictures. Those who read the title will picture someone in an uncomfortable situation but who still keeps doing normal, daily things. We also try to inject something funny in what you read, to capture people’s attention,” he continues.
Small but arresting
For a fairly small showcase, a lot is being said in this exhibition. Two young Malaysians are making observations about their country on a fairly quiet level, but they touch on big themes that make you take notice. Plus, visually, the exhibits do arrest your attention.
Indeed, there’s precedence for their style of painting, and all justifiably popular. Salvador Dali’s surreal landscapes come to mind. But perhaps more relevant, we have Hieronymus Bosch, that 15th Century Dutch artist whose imagination knew no bounds and who created fantastical images to convey messages on morality.
It’s arguable that Tey and Lim’s paintings even bear traces of Chinese paintings depicting hell, where punishments for sins are depicted in all its brutal glory. But of more interest is that their paintings only have one or two degrees of separation from other Malaysian artists.
The element of fantasy is also seen in the works of current Rimbun Dahan artist-in-residence, Haslin Ismail (and a few others), and the mention of Chan Kok Hooi’s early works (his Non
Series I and II especially) was greeted with an affirmation that the older artist has indeed been a point of influence.
Also, it turns out that Tan Chin Kuan, another senior artist, was one of their teachers at the Malaysian Institute of Art.
Solving a surreal dilemma
With categories still being a little vague with regards to Malaysian contemporary art, where do put this showcase? The surreal? A sociosurreal style of painting? Tey and Lim’s paintings are minefields of symbols and signs, all combusting in colourful disarray. Elements float about the canvas — some mundane, some eliciting a second glance from the viewers — and with both admitting that much of their inspiration come from their fascination with manga and comic books, we have one bit of the mystery unveiled — that many of our local artists, especially male, have applied the aesthetics of these graphic works into their art, lending to images that are at once highly narrative and distinct.
Tey and Lim’s works in I Too Squatted On A Stool Eating Melon Fried Mushrooms have been a conduit for them to speak about the happenings around us, and the issues they raise in their works are symptomatic of a generation of Malaysians that were fed so many promises in their youth and who have now grown up and become disillusioned.
The abuse of power, Diaspora, and the growing gulf between the haves and have-nots are just some of the themes that their works loosely encapsulate, and it’s certain these concerns hit home for so many today. And like the comic books these artists have been inspired by, you are reminded of the good versus evil theme when you look at their paintings.
Deceiving, enticing reality
Tey and Lim haven’t just made marks on canvases, but have in fact painted very poignant pictures. But can their artworks change what’s happening in our country? Can their paintings mobilise social change — if not now, at some point later? “I think if you want to change something, everyone should have the same thought. If it’s just one individual, then it’s impossible,” says Lim pragmatically.
No illusions there, but artworks doused in fantasy can be a potent tool to engage audiences to consider the present. Like a symbol-laden dream, it’s just about uncovering the meaning behind each element presented.
Surreal, imaginative and yet intensely real, these are great artworks to have in our sphere.
The Exhibition
WHAT: I Too Squatted On A Stool Eating Melon Fried Mushrooms
WHEN: Until Dec 18
WHERE: FINDARS, 25-2, Jalan Metro Wangsa, Wangsa Maju Section 2, 53300 Kuala Lumpur (above 99 SpeedMart & Smart Hotel)
0 意見:
張貼意見