JOHOR BARU: WHEN Eric Tan and his artist wife, Grace Lim, opened Art52Gallery in January, it occupied a modest space on the ground floor to showcase Lim’s work, created in her signature naïve art style.
When Tan took over the building which was earlier used as a gallery for visiting exhibitions organised by the Johor Baru Chinese Heritage Museum, he worked hard at refurbishing it to make it a more attractive place at Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk.
Gradually the Art52Gallery took shape in the double-storey shop unit and as art enthusiasts often dropped by to admire the art, the gallery also started to attract artists who wanted to exhibit their work in solo exhibitions.
From Dec 14 to 27, the gallery hosted its first group show, “Art & Material” to showcase the work of seven artists. As the curator, Tan made sure that the group featured art by an eclectic group who expressed their individuality in a variety of forms.
Pieces by Johor-based local artists like Lim, Tay Poi San, Chong Choon Foh, Elley Tan and British national, Matt Thorpe were exhibited alongside work by Singapore-based British artist Jane Walker and San Francisco-based Malaysian artist, Alvin Tan.
Lim, whose preferred medium of painting is in oil, applied her signature painting style with bold strokes, bright colours, cute faces and curvy figures in scenes inspired by idyllic village life in Asia.
Two of her latest pieces, Gathering and Take A Break features women and children in an Asian setting with details meticulously painted into the scene and even onto the batik sarongs the women wore.
Lim also often includes a small cat in the scene as a symbol of the simple and serene lifestyle that we are quickly losing in our fast-paced urban lives.
British designer, Thorpe, who enjoys capturing the essence of a city through street photography, exhibited his art in streets scenes that he captured along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. Having lived in Johor Baru for two years, he is familiar with this heritage area and was fascinated by some of the chairs seen in the area so he decided to give these objects some personality. His favourite piece, named “Party Girl,” features a collapsible chair with torn upholstery which Thorpe explained, reminded him of the off-balance feeling in the aftermath of a party.
Chong Choon Foh’s uses a Chinese brush for his paintings. Hailing from Kulaijaya, he draws his inspiration from village life in nearby oil palm plantations and scenes with boys’ playing in a tranquil, carefree world. His paintings, which also feature swirls of clouds, are titled in Chinese and are translated as, Rhythm of the Wind and Beauty of the Clouds.
“I grew up in Asahan, a village near Gunung Ledang at the Johor-Malacca border,” said Tay Poi San, another artist skilled in Chinese brush painting who had two pieces on exhibit, Full Moon in New Village and Good Neighbour in his unique minimalistic style. His paintings featured clusters of homes built with zinc roofs, typical of villages in those days.
Tay, a wood engraver for furniture used in temples, started doing Chinese brush painting as a hobby and now teaches this subject at a class with the Dessin Professional Art Academy in JB.
San Francisco-based Malaysian artist, Alvin Tan, is no stranger to Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk as he had the opportunity to create, “Connect Disconnect”, an art installation that occupied a 15-meter length of the street last December.
For the group show, he presented several paintings which were done layer-by-layer in overlapping colours including an oil on canvas painting entitled Moonrise.
This piece reflects his interest in the universe.
Elley Tan’s realistic art evoked an interesting response from visitors who could relate to the nostalgia of childhood games and familiar items like Jacobs cream crackers, glass marbles, plastic toy soldiers and Chinese comics depicted in his paintings.
Created in acrylic on canvas, his pieces entitled, Fighting Fish, Attap Chee, Origami Airplane and Soda Caps were reminiscent of a bygone era when children created their own games from used bottle caps and folded paper planes.
“Back then, we used to build relationships with our neighbours through playing games and we even had specific seasons for different games,” said Elley.
Art52Gallery is at 52, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, 80000 Johor Bahru. For details, call 016 – 788 2420 or email eric.art52@gmail.com