Penang Palette - Penang Monthly (Page 6)

The festival may be back, but it's no repeat

6 min read

The George Town Festival is back! Mark down the dates, from June 7 to July 7, when the streets and arts centres of Penang will resonate with scintillating sig...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Let’s take Malaysian art global again!

6 min read

On the global stage, Malaysian artists have, in comparison to neighbouring countries, become shrinking violets.There was a time when Malaysian art went to Lon...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

When artists come together

7 min read

One for the album: Some of the artists in the Malaysia-Philippines July exhibition at Galeri Seri Mutiara with the gallerist-artist Koay Soo Kau.In art, n...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Culture in the centre: Arts-ED makes full use of our heritage

6 min read

Experiential and hands-on learning on a real site.Cultural mapping has become the new mantra used by dedicated groups in engaging and interacting with spe...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Constraints on artistic expression multiply

5 min read

Ng Sek San's Malaysian Spring installation "terkongkong" (constricted) inside a room.The latest blow to strike Malaysia’s art scene was the banning...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Championing Chinese Ink- Perception Is What Is

5 min read

At the head of the Neo-Nanyang movement to promote Chinese ink tradition is Cheah Thien Soong @ Cheah Mei. At 71, he has been reinventing and revitalising the g...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Abundant treasures in Penang Batik's Painting Museum

5 min read

It is no surprise that the Batik Painting Museum has been set up in Penang, only that it took that long. The enterprising Dr Tan Chong Guan, an obstetrician cum...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Art goes far beyond simple imaging

6 min read

Chinese New Year (acrylic on canvas, 2005).Tan Chiang Kiong, better known as C.K. Tan, is an artist with a very low profile, although his career started o...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

In endless search for inspiration

6 min read

Iguazu Falls, from the Brazilian side (94cm x 215cm,1982).Up to your crown, O Willow, dressed in the greens of jade Myriads of twigs so verdant, droop lik...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Raising the Stakes in Asia’s Art World

7 min read

Art Stage Singapore 2014 saw a record-breaking 45,700 visitors walk past the Joko Avianto-constructed archways at its Marina Bay Sands venue. It was the centrepiece of a giddying Singapore Art Week which witnessed some 70 events all over the island republic accompanying the Chinese New Year revelry.

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Top 12 earners at art auctions

7 min read

Chuah Thean Teng, Lullaby (batik, 90cm x 90cm, c.1970s-1980s).Once, the honour of top grosser in Malaysian art in auctions was a toss-up between Datuk Ibr...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Art space expands in Penang

7 min read

The squat Art Decor facade that only seven years ago hid grease, grime and smoke, with behemoth stage buses trundling in and out, has undergone an unexpected ma...

by Ooi Kok Chuen