Folk Art Forum 2008

I was invited to take part in this inaugural art forum cum exhibition, held from July 10th to 13th 2008, in conjunction with the Rainforest World Music Festival.

At first, I find it a bit weird when I was introduced in the local press as a representative from Singapore when I am a Sarawakian but now residing in Singapore, probably an identity crisis of some sort eh? Anyway, I had a good time there, getting to know new friends and enjoying the art works and music on offer....

Although I think more works need to be done in terms of publicity and promoting this event, it is a good idea to incorporate an art exhibition at this popular music festival, so kudos to the Sarawak Tourism Board and Galleria, the organizer of Folk Art Forum.

Here are some photos taken during the event.

Then, we had the priviledge to listen to Tuyang Tan Ngam, the first Chinese sape player LIVE at the exhibition venue... he agreed on the spot to play for us despite not feeling well that day. Tuyang, thank you if you're reading this!


He switched effortlessly from traditional music to more upbeat raggae and rock style using his self-made sape, a traditional guitar-like instrument used by the Orang Ulu in Sarawak.

Obviously, I had a grand time! :)

More photos in my facebook album

Singapore Chinese Cultural Festival Grand Art Exhibition 2008

I was invited to participate in this group exhibition in conjunction with Singapore's Chinese Cultural Festival 2008. There are many different types of artworks in the show, ranging from traditional chinese brush, calligraphy to 'western' arts like watercolour, oil, sculpture, etc. There were even bonsai plants amongst the display. The exhibition was opened on 29 Feb 2008 and ended on 5 March 2008

Here are some photos taken on the opening day.

... and my boy decided to pay a visit over the weekend.

There was a huge drum outside the exhibition hall, and he definitely had a great fun hitting it.... I think he wants to be the new Kitaro.


Hope you enjoy the photos... :)

Bridging Ties With Watercolours - A Success!

Here are some pictures taken during our exhibition Bridging Ties With Watercolours - Singapore Watercolour Society's 38th Annual Exhibition, which is also the second joint watercolour exhibition between SWS and Penang Water Colour Society (PWCS). It was held from 31 August - 4 September at Ngee Ann Cultural Centre, Singapore.

It was a success as everything went as planned, although we had initial hiccups when we lost the detailed painting information submitted by our Penang counterparts. If you're reading this, thank you Mr Khoo, for calling back to Penang to gather all the important information. We really appreciate your help.

We had a big crowd on the opening day, and we got some rave reviews from friends who attended it.... and I had another good reason to be excited this year too.... you'll understand when you see the pics below... :)

Preparation

Arrival of Guest-of-Honour, Mr Seng Han Thong

Visitors admiring the artworks on display

SWS President, Dr Michael Lim making his opening speech

President of PWCS, Mr Khoo Cheang Jin addressing the audience

Guest-of-Honour, Mr Seng Han Thong officiating the opening of the exhibition

Mr Seng Han Thong touring the exhibition hall,
accompanied by Dr Michael Lim and Mr Ong Kim Seng
(can you spot me at the background? Haa!)

(From L to R) Me, Ms Anne Lim, Mr D.J. Tan, Ong Kim Seng, Dr Michael Lim,
Mr Seng Han Thong, Mr Ho Yee Ping, Mr Khoo Cheang Jin

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and finally... me and my two paintings

Little India, Singapore .... SOLD on the opening day! Yay!!!

Flinders Street Station, Melbourne .... still available :P

You can see more photos of the event in my facebook album

Inviting All Watercolour Art Lovers...

Singapore Watercolour Society will be holding its 38th Annual Exhibition 2007 from 31st August to 4th September 2007 at Ngee Ann Cultural Centre, Teochew Building.

This year's event will be bigger than ever before as members of Penang Water Colour Society (PWCS) will jointly participate in the exhibition in conjunction with the 2nd Singapore-Penang Watercolour Exhibition. Hence, the exhibition is titled Bridging Ties With Watercolours, which significantly represents the co-operation and close friendship not only amongst artists from both islands but between the young and senior artists in both societies.

Over 60 artists from both societies are participating and 120 pieces of high quality watercolour artworks on display and most of them are for sale. Don't miss this opportunity to see for yourselves the magic of watercolour works done by established watercolourists.

The opening of the exhibition will be held at 6:30pm on Friday 31 August 2007.

If you wish to attend the opening, kindly drop me a mail at marvin@marvinchew.com so that I can send you an invitation card.

See you on the 31st August!

In Love With Penang

Javier is now 3 months old... he can roll-over, hold his head up and smile back us... too cute!

I was part of a 6-person contingent from Singapore Watercolour Society (SWS) that paid Penang a visit in conjuction with the Penang-Singapore Watercolour Exhibition. Our travelling group consists of Seah Kam Chuan, Seah Kang Chui, Chew Piak San, Loy Chye Chuan, Anne Lim Geok Kuan and myself.














We are indeed very honoured to be invited by Penang Watercolour Society (PWCS) to participate in their annual exhibition this year. There were 16 and 36 artists from SWS and PWCS respectively who took part in this joint-exhibition held from 21 September - 10 October 2006 at The Penang State Art Gallery.

Unlike Singapore, Penang still exudes a sense of old-world charm where old buildings and shophouses are still not heavily renovated, and even those that were, they were done tastefully and their original architecture and facade remained intact, unlike the many weird combination of colours (think pink, orange, green, magenta, etc) found in the refurbished shophouses in Singapore. Who in the right mind could think of such mismatched of colours?




















There are still roadside hawker stalls selling mouth-watering local dishes like Penang laksa, Char Kway Tiaw, and Wanton Noodles just to name a few. While taking pictures of the scene, I was fascinated by the hustle and bustle on the busy market and the somewhat disorganized traffic flow where trishaw riders, scooters and pedestrians tried to move about in the congested market. With old shophouses lining the street that serve as the backdrop, it is indeed a refreshing and interesting sight.

There are also plenty of fishing villages and ports where people lives a more laid-back lifestyle but yet diligently work on their trade to provide seafood supplies to the local markets and restaurants. We visited Chew Jetty where villagers of the surname Chew live in houses with stilts on top of the seaside and theirhouses are connected by wooden walkway. **We joked that Chew Piak San and I will be always welcomed to stay there for free since we share their surname** :-)

We managed to spend some time at Telok Bahang doing sketches and plein air paintings at a jetty with many fishing boats docking at the side (I'll blog on the painting on another post).
















Penang is also famous for its many places of worship like the Kek Lok Si Temple, the Snake Temple, etc. We visited Wat Chayamangkalaram Temple with the giant Reclining Buddha, Dharmikarama Burmese Temple and The Khoo Kongsi. Each temple has its own unique architecture and have its own importance in Penang's rich historical and cultural background.

Another site that worth mentioning is the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, a blue coloured building that is so rich with Chinese heritage that it was deservedly awarded the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award 2000. The building itself is a masterpiece of chinese architecture and its breathtaking exterior walls and interior halls and courtyards are incorporated with many feng shui symbols which explain the owner's fascination with this ancient study of yin and yang.
















It has been the most enjoyable and memorable trip to Penang. I've tried Penang Laksa at a roadside stall (but of course my favourite is still Sarawak Laksa), walked around the city center and being mesmerized by the colonial buildings and the many old shophouses and most important of all, made new friends who shared the love of painting.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Khoo Cheang Jin (the president of PWCS), Ch'ng Kiah Kiean, Alex Leong, Ooi Chee Kheng and Tan Tee Hean for taking time out from their busy schedules to fetch us from the airport, taking us around your beautiful island of Penang and being the most gracious host. Your friendship and hospitality are very much appreciated. We hope to return the favour when you visit Singapore.

SWS 37th Annual Exhibition - Watercolour Splashes

Singapore Watercolour Society held its 37th Annual Exhibition, Watercolour Splashes, recently from 1st to 3rd September 2006.

Although the exhibtion dates are shorter than previous years and given the limited resources we had, I think it should be considered a satisfactory show. However, the disturbing fact remains that some artists chose not to participate in the exhibition and I must admit this doesn't bode well with the long-term progress and development of the society as a whole when there are more and more inactive members. :(

Well, 30 members participated in this year's exhibition and there were over 50 paintings on show. Five paintings were sold at the end although mine wasn't. Don't worry, I'm not disappointed or anything... it would have been nice to sell something, but the art market here especially for traditional watercolour paintings are quite poor in the first place, so I didn't put too much hope into selling mine. :-)


Anyway, here are some photos taken during the opening.

Opening speech by the President of the society, Seah Kam Chuan

The exhibition was officially opened by the
guest-of-honour, Mr D.J. Tan who subsequently
bought two paintings... thanks for supporting
our artists even though he didn't pick mine ;)

Here are the crowds on the opening day...

...and me with one of my paintings (Fullerton Hotel painted earlier this year)

Later this month, I'll be exhibiting two half-sheets in an exhibition in Penang, Malaysia on the 21st September. It's a collaboration between Penang Watercolour Society and Singapore Watercolour Society.... and we plan to have a plein aire/outdoor painting session with members of both societies. It should be fun :)