RURAL landscapes of fishing villages, kampung scenes, still-life and flora and fauna. These are some of the subjects you can expect to see at NN Gallery at the "Malaysian Watercolours 2005 Exhibition".
To be held from April 4-25, it will showcase recent works by the members of the Malaysian Watercolour Organisation (MWO). Its chairman, Dr Wong Seng-tong, first mooted the idea of the MWO in 1992 with the aim of promoting watercolour art both locally and internationally.
Since then, it has participated actively in the local art scene and held two state-collaborated shows; the first in Malacca in 2002 and then in Kelantan in 2004. Its next project will be an exhibition in association with the Pahang Government.
Members of the MWO have actively participated in many international programmes in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, and also in Sweden, Brazil and Jordan.
The quiet fashion of watercolours is ideal for capturing everyday scenes. A favourite among the MWO members are rural scenes. Lives of our fishermen, especially depicting daybreak and the return of the fishermen after a day’s catch, allude to the traditions of these romantic painters.
With strong affiliation to our roots, they continue to paint scenes that are reminiscent of years gone by, life in the kampung, images of our cottage industry such as weaving and batik-making and the goings-on of morning market scenes.
But not all the works are nostalgic. In contrast, some of the works show the onset of industrialisation in many of these rural areas. Images of nature against the harshness of newly-built edifices, stately colonial buildings towered and hidden by glass and steel symbolising the harsh eroding effect of modernity in cities.
Indeed, the exhibition is not about art appreciation alone. It is also about elevating one’s sensitivity towards ordinary people and the land. Works by 24 MWO members can be found here. They include those by Yeo Eng Peng, Mansor Ghazalli, Datuk S.K. Choo, Abdul Ghani Ahmad, Koh Shim Luen, Cheah Yew Saik, Sharifah Zuriah Aljefri and Tengku Datuk Alaudin Tengku A Majid.
NN Gallery is located 53A & 56 Jalan Sulaiman 1, Taman Ampang Hilir, Ampang, Selangor. Call 03-4270-6588 or visit www.nngallery. com.my
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