Three close friends are pooling their talents in an exhibition titled, what else, “Friendship” to show what Malaysian art is all about.
MANVEET KAUR writes.

IT is funny how things turn out sometimes. For instance, little did local artist Keng Seng Choo realise that a brief meeting with Goh Yee (his junior at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore in 1964), would lead to a 43-year-old friendship.

And now, together with another artist friend, Fong Kim Sing, they will be displaying their paintings together for the first time, in an exhibition called “Friendship”.

Starting today at the Lookiss Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, each artist will feature 10 or more of their works, for a month. The collection is an interesting mixture of nature, landscapes and people, with a sharp contrast in each artist’s style.

“Each of them have their own unique style but for this exhibition, there is some unconscious convergence of theme,” enthuses the gallery owner Kerk Boon Leong.

For example, most of Fong’s paintings are influenced by the Chinese art style of composition and take on a dreamlike quality. But occasionally, you will come across some which have bold, daring splashes of primary colour.

“It’s like the dreamlike quality is still there but more of a dream bursting into reality,” says Kerk.

Fong admits that his paintings from the “Lotus in Bloom” collection conceals many secrets of his childhood. For example, the painting with the black and white butterflies portrays him “growing in a wonderful world and is capable of reducing the sorrows of his heart.

“I don’t know how to express my feelings of sorrow that has been inside me for so long,” Fong says.

Keng’s art is more figurative and distinctive and are mostly representative of rural Malaysia.

“These are scenes from my childhood,” he says, not without a dollop of nostalgia. “These scenes are slowly disappearing as development takes place.”

Keng says he also likes to paint white pigeons because they symbolize peace and freedom.

Goh, who spent most of the 1970s and ’80s focusing on painting batik, has transferred his energies to acrylic on canvas, but still in that batik-ish style. “From afar, some people might even mistake it for batik kain,” he says. “At least now they are more permanent, compared to a cloth which will get faded over time with washings.”

The most happy-go-lucky of the three, Goh was encouraged (or rather, coerced) by his two friends to put together a collection of paintings for this exhibition. “They forced me!” Goh grumbles, then laughs to show he’s joking. “I’m not so interested in making a lot of money. I do it because I love it.”

All these years, the three men have been diligent in maintaining their friendship. Although Keng and Fong live in Alor Star and Goh lives in Kuala Lumpur, they talk on the phone and try to meet at least once a month “just to catch up”.

Recently, Keng and Fong went to Sabah together to do some outdoor sketching as they had an interest to capture the scenery and lives of the natives.

Keng says what’s interesting is that when they are together, they may get the same idea for a painting, but the results will often be totally different.

“The subject may be the same but our interpretations are what makes each work unique.”

Of the three, it seems that Keng has the most number of paintings on exhibit and Kerk explains that this is because Keng is also exhibiting some of his older work.

Some of Keng’s work can be classified as semi-abstract, he says. And while on the subject of abstract art, Kerk voices his disapproval of young artists, who throw paint randomly on a canvas and call it “abstract art”.

“A lot of young artists cannot draw, so they just slap on some paint on a canvas and call it ‘abstract’,” he says. “But even abstract art has form and has to come from experience.”

A good piece of art has four elements to it, he explains. “The first three — drawing, composition and colour — are mandatory. But the fourth, poetic expression, is the hardest and makes the difference between an amazing painting and an average one.

“All three of these artists have poetic expression in abundance and most Malaysians haven’t seen paintings like these in a long time,” he says. “I want the public, especially young people, to come and see the beauty of simplicity, and why superior drawings are so important to a painting.”

The gallery, which opened last October, specialises in Malaysian contemporary art by both emerging and established Malaysian artists and has already held five exhibitions.

“It’s important not to forget our local artists, especially the older ones. It’s what gives our country history and roots,” says Kerk. “In this case, it’s about three old friends who have come together to show us what Malaysian art is all about.”

The ‘Friendship’ exhibition is on till today at The Lookiss Gallery at 6, Lorong Enau, Jalan Ampang, KL. Open seven days a week from 11am tp 7pm. Free parking and admission. For more information, call 03-4257 7366 or go to www.lookissgallery.com.