Never-before-seen Chong Liew Syn artworks debut at La Promenade Mall’s Hoan Gallery

KOTA SAMARAHAN (Jan 18): More than 100 art works of realism artist, the late Chong Liew Syn, are now being exhibited at the ‘Hidden Gems: The Life Works of Chong Liew Syn’ art show at Hoan Gallery, La Promenade Mall here.

The paintings, many of which are on public view for the first time, are among the many creative pieces of Chong whose works range from realistic still life arts to memory-evoking landscapes of Kuching.

The late Chong, who passed away in 1999 at age 50, was the founder of Sarawak Fine Arts School, the first government accredited art school in the state.

Her institution at Padungan, Kuching, produced numerous luminaries of Sarawak’s present art scene in addition to a host of VIPs in various fields, including politics and scientific research.

Hoan Gallery, with the aid of Hock Seng Lee, has been working on Chong’s show for almost a decade.

“Chong’s son, Ken Loh, has opened up the family archive and allowed us the privilege to sift through important, never-before-seen works. There are real gems, historical and significant to Sarawak’s art scene, that we’ve recovered,” said the gallery’s director Hoan Kee Huang.

The artworks in the show’s collection, which encompasses Chong’s entire career, were produced with acrylic, oil, and watercolour paints.

Loh told The Borneo Post that the paintings were selected by the expert team of Hoan Gallery and former students of his mother.

“We chose paintings from the 1960s to the 1990s, from the time my mum studied art in Hong Kong to the time she passed away in 1999. Picking these paintings was not an easy task because each one is unique and we all have our favourites,” he said, adding that artworks selected for the exhibition are only a portion of the family collection.

He described the art show as ‘a dream come true’ since many of these paintings are stored in the family’s shop, which once housed the previous art school.

“Her teaching materials, books and paintings were mostly untouched since she left us in 1999. In addition, I was preoccupied with business, so I lacked the time, resources, and expertise to kick start an art exhibition. However, things began to shift when Hoan showed up, offered to tidy up the art pieces, and proposed that we begin the process of ‘paving the road’ for a solo exhibition.

“Now here we are with some of my mum’s finest artworks on display. It’s a celebration of colour, life, and reunion, and I’m so thankful to the team that made this all happen,” he remarked.

Loh, who currently runs the family business of Chinese medicine, shared that while he did not share the same artistic talents of his late mother, he fondly remembers her selfless nature.

“I was probably her worst student in her class and the one who had the most scolding from her, but that was just me being rebellious at the time. Nevertheless, my mum wasn’t just a great painter in my eyes. She was always present and cared for me from the day I was born until I graduated from university,” he said.

He described Chong, a Hainanese, as a good cook who often prepared his favourite Hainan chicken rice. He added that his mum liked to paint flowers, play the piano, and belt out some of her favourite karaoke tunes at home.

“Our backyard was like a mini zoo with all kinds of birds, fishes, and flowers. I think that’s partly how she got her inspiration, from the objects she saw and touched.”

He hoped that visitors to the art show would be able to see ‘the beauty of our homeland, paintings of landscapes, the people, the culture, and the many things around us’ through his mother’s paintings.

“The art show is absolutely stunning and unique, something you wouldn’t find elsewhere. I hope that we can learn to love the things that surround us. Art is powerful because it promotes communication between cultures and preserves history. I hope that with this exhibition, we will contribute to the local art scene and inspire our local art community to thrive and grow,” he said.

The public art show will serve as an emotional reunion for Chong’s loved ones as well as her students. One of her former students, Augustine Lau, had selected the paintings to be exhibited at the art show, along with Hoan.

“We selected works from different periods to show the transformation of her style and how her art has evolved over the years. Some of the artworks in the collection included her early paintings when she became the protégé of famous Chinese realism artist and oil painter Ma Jiabao during her time in Hong Kong.

“We also came across a painting dated 1998 that had a big bouquet of flowers in it. Based on what we can tell, this was likely her last painting because she was ill at the time,” Lau said.

He said it was quite an emotional experience when he first stepped foot back to Chong’s art studio to select the paintings.

“I left the school in the 1980s but continued to see her sometimes for the next 10 years. I did not have the chance to see any of her works since then, so to the paintings after all these years…wow! Furthermore, the paintings – some of which date back to the 1970s – remain preserved in the studio after all these years,” he said.

Lau also said the art show is held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Chong’s passing. The purpose of the exhibition is to pay tribute to her work and raise public knowledge of her existence as a talented artist who made significant contributions to Sarawak.

‘Hidden Gems: The Life Works of Chong Liew Syn’, which will run for eight weeks, will be officiated by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian on Jan 19, at 7pm.

Some paintings will remain a private collection of Chong’s family, but art collectors will get a chance to purchase these artworks during the exhibition period before the family archive is closed again.

For more information, visit hoangallery.com or search @HoanArtGallery on social media. Updates are also available at lapromenademall.com.my and @LaPromenadeMall.