Choong Ching Liew

(Interview by The Star newspaper)

By YIP YOKE TENG

A WARM feeling envelops you as soon as you step into Starhill Gallery, where artist Liew Choong Ching’s solo exhibition titled Dialogue is being displayed.

The gallery resembled a garden with paintings bearing full bloom flowers in lively colours and intricate details. Liew who had been into figurative painting for the past nine years decided to focus on flowers this time for a change. His figurative works characterised by earthy tones, as well as dewy bubbles resembling photographic flaws resulted from water stains on camera lenses, always touched on serious social issues.

“I needed something lighter, it's time I let my hair down,” he said with a smile.

Even when dealing with social issues, the 34 year-old artist didn’t dwell on the negative aspect of things. For example, he would paint the beauty of an unpolluted land instead of a garbage-loaded backyard to convey messages on environmental conservation.

With flowers, Liew believes his works are controversial-free.

“Flower is universal. It is non-politic. People used to have misconceptions about my earlier works. Once when I painted Balinese people, someone asked why didn’t I focus on Malaysians. Sometimes, even the racial background of the people that I paint are questioned. With flowers I am not burdened with such inconsequential issues,” he explained.

Eventhough flowers had played small roles in his earlier work, now they take centrestage.

Hibiscus, orchid, lilies and rose come alive on the canvas. Despite the common element, Liew's fresh strokes give the paintings a different perspective. Every aspect of the paintings from the colour, angle, lighting, composition to the technique speak of a different school of thoughts.

“Common subjects have many possibilities. An artist's job is to give them a fresh perspective with their skills and creativity,” he said.

The exquisite composition of Chinese fine line painting was one of the many new elements he introduced into his oil on canvas flower portrayals.

Many of the blooms are set in circles – either the canvas is skilfully stretched over a round frame or the flower is highlighted in a circle within a square canvas, inspired by Chinese fine line paintings.

On top of that, his trademark blurry and translucent bubbles are scattered all over the works.

“In the Chinese context, circle connotes fullness and smooth flow. The shape makes one comfortable, too,” he said.

Unexpectedly to his delight, he found painting flowers gave him a different sense of pleasure. According to him, the peculiar manner of the branches, stems and petals had hypnotised him.

“As the title of the exhibition suggests, I am trying to bring forth a conversation between plants and humans. It's a verb, an activity that requires interaction,” he said.

Through his 'dialogues' with the many flowers he had seen and planted, Liew had his own interpretations of their characters. The most interesting of his discoveries is that he thinks hibiscus is a masculine flower.

“It is a gentleman. Its petal shape, the solid red colour and the character make it a masculine flower, unlike other flowers that share feminine traits,” he said.

He pointed out that the national flower had not been given due attention in the art arena, and hoped his painting of hibiscus would spawn a new trend among local artists to celebrate its beauty.

On a more personal note, the Zen Buddhism follower said flowers had given him the same peacefulness he experienced during meditation sessions.

“There's a saying in Zen Buddhism that reads: “Every flower has its world, every leaf has its value.”

“Flower is life. Flower blossoms in the same way life blossoms; each type of flower does it in its own unique manner. That should be the way human deal with his or her life, flourish in the way it is meant to be,” he added.

Solo Exhibition:

2009 : Tropical Fragrance, Balai Berita New Straits Times Press, Kuala Lumpur

2007 : Dialogue in Blossom, Artseni Gallery, Starhill, Kuala Lumpur

2006 : Visual Innovations, Alpha Utara Gallery, Penang

2005 : Voices of Nature, Hillside Corner Cafe & Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
: Tropical Reflections, Bon Ton Resort, Langkawi
: Tropical Reflections, Badan Warisan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

2004 : Strode 30 Solo Art Exhibition, Balai Berita New Straits Times Press, Kuala Lumpur


Group Exhibitions:

2009 : "Stretch Your Imagination", Penang State Art Gallery, Penang
: "Stretch Your Imagination", SGM Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

2008 : South East Asian Contemporary, Richard Koh Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur
: "Ini Baru Ini", Vivi Yip art room, Jakarta, Indonesia
: "Other Stories" from the Recent USM Fine Art Collection, Museum & Gallery USM, Penang

2007 : Pesta Pulau Pinang 2007, Penang State Art Gallery, Penang
: Art Life Learning 2, Artseni Gallery, Starhill, Kuala Lumpur
: Still Life, Galeri Citra, Kuala Lumpur
: "Artist's Favourite" Art Exhibition, Penang State Art Gallery, Penang

2006 : Landscape Malaysia 2006, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
: Arts & Earth 2006 art exhibition, KLPac, Kuala Lumpur

2005 : "Life-Perceived & Depicted" 3 Man Show, Artist 3 Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
: Selections-Exploring Private Collections, MIA Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

2004 : 3 Man Show, Hillside Corner Cafe & Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

2003 : Our Heritage, Citra Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
: Visual Delight Two Man Show, Concorde Hotel, Shah Alam
: Bare-a look at the nude, Townhouse Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
: The National Cancer Society of Malaysia Charity Art Exhibition, Elle Six Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

2002 : Identities - Self Portrait , National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Figuring Splendour, Metro Fine Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

2001 : Open Show 2001, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

1999 : Children of The Land, Metro Fine Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

1998 : Pesta Open Art Exhibition'98, Penang State Gallery, Penang
: Bakat Muda '98 Pesta Pulau Pinang, Penang State Gallery, Penang

1997 : Pameran Karya Seni Kreatif Kebangsaan PNB'97, Theatrette Menara PNB, Kuala Lumpur

1993 : Young Talent Exhibition'93, Bank Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
: Rural Malaysia, Shah Alam Gallery, Shah Alam
: Open Show '93, Shah Alam Gallery, Shah Alam


Selected Public Collections:

PNB (Permodalan Nasional Berhad), Kuala Lumpur
Kontena Nasional, Kuala Lumpur
Balai Berita NSTP, Kuala Lumpur
Mahkota Parade, Melaka
Museum & Gallery USM, Penang
Istana Negeri, Terengganu

& private collector from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Middle East, United States,
England, Switzerland, France, New Zealand & Australia

By YIP YOKE TENG

A WARM feeling envelops you as soon as you step into ArtSeni Gallery, where artist Liew Choong Ching’s solo exhibition titled Dialogue is being displayed.

The gallery resembled a garden with paintings bearing full bloom flowers in lively colours and intricate details. Liew who had been into figurative painting for the past nine years decided to focus on flowers this time for a change. His figurative works characterised by earthy tones, as well as dewy bubbles resembling photographic flaws resulted from water stains on camera lenses, always touched on serious social issues.

“I needed something lighter, it's time I let my hair down,” he said with a smile.

Even when dealing with social issues, the 34 year-old artist didn’t dwell on the negative aspect of things. For example, he would paint the beauty of an unpolluted land instead of a garbage-loaded backyard to convey messages on environmental conservation.

With flowers, Liew believes his works are controversial-free.

“Flower is universal. It is non-politic. People used to have misconceptions about my earlier works. Once when I painted Balinese people, someone asked why didn’t I focus on Malaysians. Sometimes, even the racial background of the people that I paint are questioned. With flowers I am not burdened with such inconsequential issues,” he explained.

Eventhough flowers had played small roles in his earlier work, now they take centrestage.

Hibiscus, orchid, lilies and rose come alive on the canvas. Despite the common element, Liew's fresh strokes give the paintings a different perspective. Every aspect of the paintings from the colour, angle, lighting, composition to the technique speak of a different school of thoughts.

“Common subjects have many possibilities. An artist's job is to give them a fresh perspective with their skills and creativity,” he said.

The exquisite composition of Chinese fine line painting was one of the many new elements he introduced into his oil on canvas flower portrayals.

Many of the blooms are set in circles – either the canvas is skilfully stretched over a round frame or the flower is highlighted in a circle within a square canvas, inspired by Chinese fine line paintings.

On top of that, his trademark blurry and translucent bubbles are scattered all over the works.

“In the Chinese context, circle connotes fullness and smooth flow. The shape makes one comfortable, too,” he said.

Unexpectedly to his delight, he found painting flowers gave him a different sense of pleasure. According to him, the peculiar manner of the branches, stems and petals had hypnotised him.

“As the title of the exhibition suggests, I am trying to bring forth a conversation between plants and humans. It's a verb, an activity that requires interaction,” he said.

Through his 'dialogues' with the many flowers he had seen and planted, Liew had his own interpretations of their characters. The most interesting of his discoveries is that he thinks hibiscus is a masculine flower.

“It is a gentleman. Its petal shape, the solid red colour and the character make it a masculine flower, unlike other flowers that share feminine traits,” he said.

He pointed out that the national flower had not been given due attention in the art arena, and hoped his painting of hibiscus would spawn a new trend among local artists to celebrate its beauty.

On a more personal note, the Zen Buddhism follower said flowers had given him the same peacefulness he experienced during meditation sessions.

“There's a saying in Zen Buddhism that reads: “Every flower has its world, every leaf has its value.”

“Flower is life. Flower blossoms in the same way life blossoms; each type of flower does it in its own unique manner. That should be the way human deal with his or her life, flourish in the way it is meant to be,” he added.

Group Exhibitions:

2006
: "Landscape Malaysia 2006", National Art Gallery, K.L.

2005
: Group Exhibition Artist 3 Gallery, K.L.
: "Selections", Exploring Private Collections Exhibitions, MIA Gallery, K.L.

2004
: 3 Man Show, Hillside Corner Cafe, K.L.
: 3 Man Show, Artist 3 Gallery, K.L.

2003
: Our Heritage, Citra Gallery, K.L.
: Visual Delight Two Man Show, Concorde Hotel, Shah Alam
: Bare-a look at the nude, Townhouse Gallery, K.L.
: The National Cancer Society of Malaysia Charity Art Exhibition, Elle Six Gallery, K.L.

2002
: Identities - Self Portrait , National Art Gallery, K.L.
: Figuring Splendour, Metro Fine Art Gallery, K.L.

2001
: Open Show 2001, National Art Gallery, K.L.

1999
: Children of The Land, Metro Fine Art Gallery, K.L.

1998
: Pesta Open Art Exhibition'98, Penang State Gallery, Penang
: Bakat Muda '98 Pesta Pulau Pinang, Penang State Gallery, Penang

1997
: Pameran Karya Seni Kreatif Kebangsaan PNB'97, Theatrette Menara PNB, K.L.

1993
: Young Talent Exhibition'93, Bank Negara Malaysia, K.L.
: Rural Malaysia, Shah Alam Gallery, Shah Alam
: Open Show '93, Shah Alam Gallery, Shah Alam

Solo Exhibition:

2005
: Voices of Nature, Hillside Corner Restaurant & Gallery, K.L
: Tropical Reflections, Bon Ton Resort, Langkawi
: Tropical Reflections, Badan Warisan Malaysia, K.L.

2004
: Strode 30 Solo Art Exhibition, Balai Berita New Straits Times Press, K.L.

Beginning from his roots as a small town boy hailing from Jerantut, Pahang, Liew Choong Ching spent a lot of time during his childhood in the midst of indigenous people. This started his fascination and interest with them that eventually lead to his very first venture into art - the orang asli series.

Thus began the artistic exploration of Liew Choong Ching. He later moved on to the east coast and it was there that he captured the essence of life of the Malay fishing community. Through the years, Liew moved on to the peaceful island of Bali. The vibrant colours and senses of Bali was astounding, as was the clash of Hinduism cultures which left a strong impact upon Liew. Back to Malaysia, Liew found renewed inspiration in both figurative and nature’s scenes from Bali. Dancing and daily activities became an appealing focus for his figurative paintings. The flowers Frangipani and Hibiscus evolved as focal subjects for a tropical & still life series.