dots, lines etc....
Tan Kuan Aw's Second Solo Show
5 – 14 January 2014
Island Gallery, No. 4 & 6 Phuah Hin Leong Road, Penang
Proceeds in aid of BOLD Association for Children with Special Needs, Penang
This exhibition consists mainly of drawings of heritage buildings in George Town, a subject that Kuan Aw began exploring artistically in 2002, using the technique of basic dots and lines. He continued with this technique, even when illness impaired his ability to control his hand movements, producing more drawings of heritage buildings before moving on to other subjects. Also included are some oil paintings done in 2012, in which the artist returns to the use of colour to create a sense of depth and illusion, an aesthetic preoccupation that dominated his first solo art exhibition in 1998 entitled “The Watermarks Series”.
5 – 14 January 2014
Island Gallery, No. 4 & 6 Phuah Hin Leong Road, Penang
Proceeds in aid of BOLD Association for Children with Special Needs, Penang
This exhibition consists mainly of drawings of heritage buildings in George Town, a subject that Kuan Aw began exploring artistically in 2002, using the technique of basic dots and lines. He continued with this technique, even when illness impaired his ability to control his hand movements, producing more drawings of heritage buildings before moving on to other subjects. Also included are some oil paintings done in 2012, in which the artist returns to the use of colour to create a sense of depth and illusion, an aesthetic preoccupation that dominated his first solo art exhibition in 1998 entitled “The Watermarks Series”.
Tan Kuan Aw's Statement for Second Solo Show
My first solo art exhibition was in 1998. Since then I have often been asked why so many years have passed and there is no second show?
I have always been torn between my first love for art and my drive to be actively involved in activities to motivate the disabled. A friend had once said to me that there are many artists but there are very few disabled persons who are able to lead such groups. His remark provoked me to focus on activities for the disabled for several years. In the late 1990s, I was the chairperson of Society of the Disabled Persons Penang.
Even though I had very little time for art during that period, I discovered a way to satisfy my creative needs. I started to draw heritage buildings scattered around George Town. When I found an interesting building, like the Acheen Street Mosque, I would stop the car, stay in it for an hour, and finish drawing the piece in one sitting. That was the beginning of this Dots & Lines series.
In 2004, a doctor found a tumour in my colon. After the operation, I had to slow down on my activities with the disabled groups. This left more time for me to go back to art. But, in 2009, I had severe pneumonia and lost the strength to use my hands for a few months. I was even unable to write my own name. At that point, I was filled with doubts whether I could ever return to drawing and painting again.
Then one day I picked up a pencil and started to draw. Although I was unable to control my hands like before, I rediscovered the joy of drawing. I then persisted in continuing to draw.
In my 1998 exhibition, I presented the Watermarks series in which I explored the inherent qualities of working with water colour, pushed the medium to its extreme. In Dots & Lines, I went back to the basics of making dots and lines on a piece of paper. I used short lines or dots to depict the forms that I wanted to represent because I had problems controlling my hands. I continued the theme of heritage buildings, which I had started in 2002, because it allowed me to explore how far I was able to go using just dots and lines.
I used simple lines for my earlier drawings as I completed them within an hour, while sitting in the car. Later, as I began to use photos I had taken of my subject, my drawings became more detailed and fine. The drawings done after my pneumonia are careful and detailed. But recently, I have started to loosen up. I feel the best of my lines are presented in the nudes. Organic forms are more difficult to control but they allow the artist more freedom of expression.
I have always dated my works and if you examine the dates, you will see how my drawing ability has changed over the years.
The oil paintings I did in 2012 are connecting points between the Watermarks and the Dots and Lines series. I used brush strokes to replace water marks in my attempts to delve into how colours react to each other, creating a sense of depth and illusion. The aesthetic preoccupations of these works remain the same as the Watermark series. In fact, the brush strokes developed later into the expressive lines in the nude drawings.
I stopped working with oil after someone said that it might trigger a recurrence of tumours in my body. So I have done less than 10 pieces of oil. Now, I have switched to acrylic, a medium I used very often during my university days. Perhaps, this may be the beginning of another stage in my artistic exploration.
Tan Kuan Aw
(Jan 11, 2014)
My first solo art exhibition was in 1998. Since then I have often been asked why so many years have passed and there is no second show?
I have always been torn between my first love for art and my drive to be actively involved in activities to motivate the disabled. A friend had once said to me that there are many artists but there are very few disabled persons who are able to lead such groups. His remark provoked me to focus on activities for the disabled for several years. In the late 1990s, I was the chairperson of Society of the Disabled Persons Penang.
Even though I had very little time for art during that period, I discovered a way to satisfy my creative needs. I started to draw heritage buildings scattered around George Town. When I found an interesting building, like the Acheen Street Mosque, I would stop the car, stay in it for an hour, and finish drawing the piece in one sitting. That was the beginning of this Dots & Lines series.
In 2004, a doctor found a tumour in my colon. After the operation, I had to slow down on my activities with the disabled groups. This left more time for me to go back to art. But, in 2009, I had severe pneumonia and lost the strength to use my hands for a few months. I was even unable to write my own name. At that point, I was filled with doubts whether I could ever return to drawing and painting again.
Then one day I picked up a pencil and started to draw. Although I was unable to control my hands like before, I rediscovered the joy of drawing. I then persisted in continuing to draw.
In my 1998 exhibition, I presented the Watermarks series in which I explored the inherent qualities of working with water colour, pushed the medium to its extreme. In Dots & Lines, I went back to the basics of making dots and lines on a piece of paper. I used short lines or dots to depict the forms that I wanted to represent because I had problems controlling my hands. I continued the theme of heritage buildings, which I had started in 2002, because it allowed me to explore how far I was able to go using just dots and lines.
I used simple lines for my earlier drawings as I completed them within an hour, while sitting in the car. Later, as I began to use photos I had taken of my subject, my drawings became more detailed and fine. The drawings done after my pneumonia are careful and detailed. But recently, I have started to loosen up. I feel the best of my lines are presented in the nudes. Organic forms are more difficult to control but they allow the artist more freedom of expression.
I have always dated my works and if you examine the dates, you will see how my drawing ability has changed over the years.
The oil paintings I did in 2012 are connecting points between the Watermarks and the Dots and Lines series. I used brush strokes to replace water marks in my attempts to delve into how colours react to each other, creating a sense of depth and illusion. The aesthetic preoccupations of these works remain the same as the Watermark series. In fact, the brush strokes developed later into the expressive lines in the nude drawings.
I stopped working with oil after someone said that it might trigger a recurrence of tumours in my body. So I have done less than 10 pieces of oil. Now, I have switched to acrylic, a medium I used very often during my university days. Perhaps, this may be the beginning of another stage in my artistic exploration.
Tan Kuan Aw
(Jan 11, 2014)