Clement Ooi is an artist who captures powerful emotions in his work.

When the National Art Gallery ended its monthly Saturday market last December, Annie Kam thought the door had closed on her son, Clement Ooi, 18. For two years, she had faithfully accompanied him to the gallery to sell his artworks, which range from black and white animated series to acrylic paint on canvas.

The weekend market had been a good avenue for Clement, Kam says, as he had attracted buyers from Japan, Germany, the United States, Australia and Britain. His best- selling pieces were – and still are – the Heliconia series, in which the flowers inflamed in blood red hues are contrasted against a backdrop of leaves of various shapes and sizes etched intricately in charcoal.

But the closing of the gallery was a just a temporary setback. Through a friend last year, Kam was introduced to Lookiss art gallery owner, Kerk Boon Leng, who took an immediate liking to Clement’s art and decided to help him.

Kerk, a corporate lawyer, has been buying paintings that capture the essence of the history and geography of Malaysia, for more than two decades.

“Clement is a fantastic artist. The emotions he captures are very powerful. They have to do with his artistic talent and not his condition,” he says.

Telling a story: Clement Ooi is one happy teenager... and it shows in his artwork. When one tries to sell a piece of painting on the basis that it is done by a person with a disability, it does not give the artist due credit as this would be a case of trying to sell sympathy. “That’s not right,” says Kerk.

He feels Clement’s visuals embody “naïve art” in that he is able to tell a story as it is, without pretending to be profound. And, unlike some artists, he is not consumed by the need to perfect the techniques.

Clement is the youngest among 13 artists producing works for Lookiss, which is housed in a whitewashed double-storey bungalow in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Last weekend, he held his first solo exhibition, themed Unadulterated, at the gallery. On display were over 40 drawings and paintings which he did between 2003 and 2007.

Ever since meeting Kerk, Kam and her husband have learnt to recognise that their son is indeed a gifted artist and that his autism is secondary. Kam admits that previously, when Clement had joint exhibitions with others, the caveat was that he is a person with autism who has a talent for art. But now she sees him as an artist in his own right and hopes others can see him in the same light.

Clement started drawing at seven. But at that time, Kam did not know how to appreciate his art.

“I threw most of his drawings away, thinking he should do something better than doodling,” she says.

Nevertheless, she enrolled him for art classes – probably one of the best things she has done for him, she says. Today, Clement is learning the finer points of art under the tutelage of Chee Sek Thim and Yau Bee Ling. Besides drawing and painting, he enjoys a hectic social life that can put his peers to shame.

Thanks to the untiring zeal of his mother, Clement is actively involved in dancing, acting and bowling, besides being schooled at Kairos in Petaling Jaya. He joins the monthly social clubs organised by Calvary Church and Damansara Utama Methodist Church for the learning disabled community. He is also learning about his rights through a self advocacy group for the learning disabled called United Voice.

“He is a very happy guy and I think it shows in his art work,” says Kam. Indeed his latest series of paintings on sunflowers with vivid hues of yellow seems to be bursting with energy and joy.