“MALAYSIA has never failed to impress me,” begins the lovely woman sitting across me at the National Visual Arts Gallery in Jalan Temerloh, Kuala Lumpur. Her eyes glistening, artist Grace Cong Lige who hails from China continues: “Every race here has its own culture and tradition which are respected by each other. Take the lion dance for example. The joy I see in people’s eyes when they watch a lion dance inspired me to immortalise this folk dance on canvas.”
Smiling, she points to four paintings ― all oil on canvas ― on display at the main lobby which show different facets of the lion dance. Opting for hues of bright red, orange and yellow as her colour palette, Grace proceeds to explain the synergy between one painting to the next.
“I wanted to create a flow, similar to the movements that you see in a lion dance. That’s why I chose to do it in a series. See how different the lion’s position is in every canvas and yet the colours for all three are quite the same,” she explains, adding that it took her three months to complete the work.
The paintings were among the 45 artworks by Grace which had been displayed at the Creative Space of the National Visual Arts Gallery in a recently concluded exhibition called ‘The Power of Tradition: Belt and Road’, which featured two motifs and two mediums ― oil paintings of lion dance and batik paintings on wau (kite). Both motifs are recognised as the symbols of Malay and Chinese culture and tradition respectively.
The lion dance, batik craft and kite flying are traditions that have existed for hundreds if not thousands of years, continuing from generation to generation. The lion dance is a Chinese folk dance performed on occasions such as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year for good luck and prosperity.
“I was impressed with the celebration here in Malaysia. It just seems more exciting! The lion dance here is similar to that found in the southern part of China. I had never seen a lion dance like this before as I come from northern China, where the (lion) dance in the north is fiercer and more lion-like,” explains Grace, smiling.
Continuing, Grace confides her admiration of our batik and wau heritage. Inspired by her own encounter with these art forms, she developed her own style of kite art which combines batik painting, the lion dance and Malayan tiger motifs.
“The batik painting is different from oil painting. It was really fun expressing and designing a batik painting. It makes me want to do batik painting more,” confesses Grace.
BELT AND ROAD
This exhibition is thus named in a nod to China’s Belt and Road initiative of which Malaysia is a key partner. Launched in 2013 as “one belt, one road”, it involves China underwriting billions of dollars of infrastructural investment in countries along the old Silk Road.
The initiative was unveiled by Xi Jinping in late 2013, and was thereafter promoted by Premier Li Keqiang during state visits to Asia and Europe. Essentially, the ‘belt’ includes countries situated on the original Silk Road through Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The ‘road’ refers to the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West.
As reported in the NST recently, Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, Bai Tian, said three Chinese enterprises have invested RM1.2 billion in Malaysia in the first week following the formation of the new government led by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. This year also marks the 44th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia.
CULTURAL APPRECIATION
We proceed to the Creative Space where the rest of Grace’s paintings are being displayed. As the artist excuses herself to attend to some guest queries, I make my way towards a couple of black and white paintings depicting a lion dance. These appear to be the only black and white paintings among the sea of colours. “These are inspired by the art of calligraphy,” explains Grace, who’s enjoying her second solo outing with this exhibition, suddenly appearing by my side. We both smile as we turn simultaneously to study the paintings in greater detail.
As we walk on to check on the rest of the exhibits, I learn that Grace’s love for Malaysia doesn’t stop at culture. She also loves to paint the rainforest, as can be seen from her body of works displayed in her first solo exhibition in 2010 as well as tropical flowers.
She shares that she only gets to see these flowers during spring time in her hometown in Dalian, about an hour’s flight from Beijing.
Smiling, she tells me that she’s planning to bring the lion dance paintings, batik and the wau to Beijing to show to the people of China, so that they can better understand her love and experience living overseas.
“I want to introduce Malaysian culture and tradition. I notice that the Malaysian Chinese here strive to stay true to their tradition, even more than those in China. Take the cheongsam, for example. Here everyone wears it, regardless of race or religion. That’s the power of tradition ― it can really bring people together,” says Grace, admiration lacing her voice.
DEEP-SEATED PASSION
Graduated from the oldest art academy in China, Luxun Academy of Fine Art, Grace has been painting for almost 30 years. She attributes her passion in art to her upbringing of being surrounded by creative people in the family.
“My father is a composer of folk songs in China and my sister is a violinist. Music is also a form of art, yes? And I do need to listen to music such as classical and jazz when I paint. When I painted the lion dance though, I listened to some Chinese songs,” she muses, adding that music helps keep her pumped while painting.
Citing the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh as her biggest influence, she shares that her works have evolved from realistic to impression and to expression over the years. At the moment, her favourite subject to draw is the cityscape at night time. “Other artists prefer to paint day time but I personally find night time more interesting, more soothing and relaxed. Living in the city and feeling the city vibes inspire me a lot,” she confides.
Enthusiastically, she also tells me just how much she enjoys nature and everything connected to nature. Grace, who’s married to a Malaysian, makes it a habit to take photos whenever she travels and then paint virtually everything that captures her affection in this foreign land which she has called home for the past 20 years. “I’ll never run out of creative spark because Malaysia is so exciting. I’ll always have ideas. I feel like I have the best job in the world!” she remarks, smiling.
And she will continue to fall in love with the country’s natural beauty and cultural diversity. “Tradition reminds us of who we are and our roots and it’s important that we uphold it for the generations to come. Through art, I hope I can inspire a finer appreciation for the beauty of cultural diversity,” concludes Grace, her voice low.