English artist Thomas Powell’s From Here to There art exhibition at the Hin Bus Depot Art Centre is a collection of intricate and layered paintings, a visual representation of the influence of the past and current exchanges between peoples and cultures. How did the graduate of fine arts end up half a world away from home, and what makes him so “Charles Dickens-y”? Penang Monthly catches up with the talented artist.
How did you end up from there to here?
Thomas Powell: Six years ago, after graduating from university, a friend and I decided to travel around South-East Asia. We eventually ended up in Penang, where (festival director of George Town Festival) Joe Sidek stopped us on the streets and told us of a project that we may be able to help him with. Sidek then introduced me to Fuan Wong, a glass artist, and Howard Tan, a photographer, and I subsequently got connected to the artist residency programme at Malihom Private Estate in Balik Pulau.
