Painting Borneo’s Heritage

By Sulok Tawie

Joshua Jabeng, a retired insurance agency director, is a self-taught artist known for his oil paintings of rural Borneo life. His work, including a piece gifted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, reflects Iban culture and has also explored Malay and Melanau traditions.

Self-taught artist showcases talent through oil painting

Not many people know that Joshua Jabeng, 74, a retired insurance agency director, is also a talented artist — until they see his oil paintings.

One of his works, depicting a longhouse, is displayed on the wall of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s residence in Putrajaya.

The self-taught artist gifted the painting to the prime minister during his official visit to Sarawak earlier this year.

“I was glad to present the painting to the prime minister,” Joshua said.

Joshua is a member of the Sarawak Artists Society, which is currently holding a three-week exhibition at a shopping mall in Kuching.

His works are primarily set in rural areas and often depict the lives of the Dayak longhouse community in Tatau, Bintulu.

“I am more of an expressive artist, rather than an impressive or abstract one,” he said.

He believes that three key ingredients are needed to be a successful artist: inspiration, the right mood, and time.

“Before you start your work, you need to have inspiration, be in the right mood, as it involves your feelings, and have enough time. If you lack these ingredients, it will take longer to complete your work,” he said.

Joshua noted that it usually takes him two to three weeks to finish each painting.

“But there are cases when people make specific orders asking me to paint something, like fish or flowers.

“For example, a couple once requested a painting of a school of koi fish, and I had to complete it before they moved into their newly finished house,” he said.

Joshua also mentioned being asked to paint a heart for the Sarawak Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan.

His role model as an artist is the legendary Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452-May 2, 1519), an Italian artist known for his work as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect.

Joshua admires Leonardo for masterpieces such as the “Mona Lisa”, a half-length portrait painting, and “The Last Supper”, a mural depicting Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples.

He said his main critic and adviser is his wife, Linda Bong, who always gives him good ideas and is a major source of encouragement.

However, he does not consider himself a serious oil painter and views painting more as a hobby.

“I started showing interest in drawing a long time ago when I was in primary school. I realised that I had some talent in drawing, mostly with a pencil. I drew many things that came to my mind,” he said.

“I even drew objects on the blank margins of newspapers that my father brought home. One day, my father scolded me because I was drawing on the blank margins of a Bible,” Joshua recalled.

He said he would draw whatever image came to his mind.

He said he continued his hobby while studying in secondary school.

“I even obtained a distinction in the art subject in my Sarawak Junior, Senior Cambridge, and Higher School Certificate examinations,” he said.

However, he switched to watercolour during secondary school.

“I preferred watercolour to crayon. In watercolour painting, you need to have the right mixture of colours; otherwise, your painting may not turn out well,” he said.

Joshua said he switched to oil painting after attending tertiary education at Indonesian Adventist University in Bandung from 1971 to 1974.

He said it was not because he studied oil painting at the university, but rather through observing the works of Indonesian oil painters.

“There were many art shops around the university, and I would observe and study these oil paintings for hours.

“I also watched the Indonesian oil painters at work. From this, I learned techniques, such as oil painting on canvas. The Indonesians are skilled in using oil and canvas,” he said.

“As I mentioned, I don’t have formal training as an artist; my skills are more from observing other artists,” he added.

Joshua said he prefers oil-based canvas painting, unlike other artists who paint on wood or paper.

“After completing tertiary education, I taught art in secondary schools, including Sunny Hill,” he said.

Joshua mentioned that one of his students was Narong Daun, a Bidayuh lady from the Penrissen area and one of Borneo’s finest indigenous artists.

He noted that she is known for her batik silk paintings of flora and fauna.

“She has been very successful in her career as a batik silk painter,” he said.

Narong is now based in Germany.

In 1981, he was invited to submit an entry for an art competition organised by the Sarawak Artists Society.

He won third prize with his entry, “The Longhouse”.

The legendary artist, the late Raphael Scott Ahbeng, took first prize, while Lee Hock Kia came in second.

Joshua noted that expatriates, especially those involved in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in Bintulu, were great admirers of his oil paintings due to their cultural characteristics.

“The admiration shown by the expatriates made me realise that my oil paintings have some appeal to art lovers,” he said.

However, his hobby as an artist took a long break due to his involvement in the insurance business for 34 years, as well as in active politics.

After retiring from the insurance business last year, he decided to revive his interest in oil painting.

“I am glad to be back to my old hobby,” he admitted.

He said it keeps him busy and allows him to mingle with people who share his interests.

Coming from a rural area in Tatau, his oil paintings naturally reflect his background, depicting life in a longhouse.

“My longhouse paintings are based on my imagination of what a longhouse would have looked like over 100 years ago. These longhouses were made of belian wood, from the poles to the attap, while the walls were made from tree bark.

“You had to climb a ladder made of poles to enter the stilt longhouses.

“Animals such as domesticated pigs and chickens roamed freely underneath, and these longhouses were usually located near riverbanks.

“My paintings reflect what these longhouses looked like many years ago, not the concrete structures of modern longhouses,” he said.

Joshua added that people who appreciate Iban culture and traditions should also appreciate his paintings.

He said his paintings are based on Iban culture and traditions in a longhouse setting.

All his oil paintings carry meanings that he intends to convey.

“My aspiration is to perpetuate the cultural values of the Dayaks of the Borneo community,” he said, adding that he has also created paintings inspired by the cultures and traditions of the Malay and Melanau communities.