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Description

Post Colonial Encounter

by Gan Chin Lee

Oil and jute

213.4 x 426.7 cm each

2015

Painting as the Path to Social Landscape

Nobu Takamori

In 2015, tens of thousands of Rohingyas, unwanted in their homeland and duped by trafficking syndicates, were left to die in the open sea. While the world watched in shock at these atrocities perpetrated against humanity, Myanmar and its Southeast Asian counterparts displayed their indifference and racist mindset regarding the cruelty.

Acting against the recurring footages that were repeatedly aired on the television, artist Gan Chin Lee rose to respond to this crisis against humanity through what he had seen at a street corner in Kuala Lumpur.

With his brush, Gan brought to life an elderly Rohingya man curled up in a hidden corner of a dingy street in the Malaysian cosmopolitan. The man lives in a different reality, unaware of debates and discussions about refugees and the migrant crisis. The interpretation of the Rohingyan in Gan’s work titled No Place for Diaspora might appear to represent any other urban dweller forced to the fringes of society, but it is also a reflection of a political and cultural symbol shunned by Myanmar and the rest of ASEAN.

While members of ASEAN continue work on strengthening their political and economic influence in the last few years, many contemporary works of art from the region have received critical reception in the global art scene. Prior to artworks from the ASEAN region, contemporary art from China was the benchmark in the global contemporary art market. Gan’s identity as a Malaysian Chinese may appear as an advantage in the ASEAN and Chinese markets, but Gan was unsuccessful in both despite his seemingly privileged identity.

Like the Rohingyas he paints, Gan, who descended from Chinese migrants, felt a similar sense of loss and had an identity crisis as most Malaysian Chinese do; at the same time, he was unable to blend in well and be a part of the “Mainland Chinese” while pursuing his studies at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China. The anxiety shown in No Place for Diaspora is not only a struggle for recognition. It also signifies one’s humility and a longing to belong. In the painting, the elder Rohingyan is juxtaposed with a scene showing young migrant workers sleeping in a cramped single room.This juxtaposition represents a strong symbol in response to the harsh realities of society.

A critical stance against the absurdity of social reality has always been a characteristic found in works by many ethnic Chinese and Indian artists in Malaysia. They have adopted a creative path to explore, construct, reproduce and deconstruct the history of their immigrant forefathers in order to cope with their identity crisis. However, Gan adopted a different path. He diverted his attention to the current crisis and the influx of a new generation of migrants in Malaysia. It is in the eyes of these communities that Gan fills the gaps of his past.

In Malaysia, there is almost no room for an objective discussion on migrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar and other countries. Stringent immigration laws and policies are more often than not daunting and impeded by opaque rules.

Gan’s depiction of migrants in his works mostly showcases them as individuals, which he finds serves as a mirror for self-reflection. Perhaps to Gan, drawing a portrait of himself, of diners enjoying seafood at street side stalls in Taipei, or images of expressionless young adults finishing their meals at mamak stalls, is similar to the restlessness and anxiety felt by migrants in a new land. They, the migrants, are his mirror.

Through his paintings and observations of these communities, the young artist senses their feeling of loss, having been stripped of their identities, similar to his own experiences studying abroad. Through his work, Gan has tried to capture the realities of the identity crisis faced by the migrants as an extension of contemporary Malaysia. The depiction has not only become a bridge that connects his internal expressions with the external social context, it also serves as a coping mechanism for the artist.

In Reunion Island, his depiction of the diners’ faces, which is an emphasis on the details of expressions in his earlier work, has been replaced by another type of symbolic art form. Sitting on stools propped along a food stall at a poorly lit street, the diners are seen communicating with each other, but they also appear to be gradually losing their recognisable features. This is explained in the deliberate use of black paint to mask the subjects’ bodies or faces, as if they are fading into the darkness of the night. All the customers in the restaurant are seen to be merging as an entity.

In his Self and the Other painting, some of the figures appear translucent while other faces are drawn in white paint. The depiction of these pale street characters brought to life on canvas is a great contrast to those fading into the darkness.

The anxious and solemn mood portrayed in the street scene is distinct from the painting on the right, which illustrates female bodies symbolising a desire for consumption. The juxtaposition allows plenty of room for imagination.

Ethnic Chinese, Indians and other minority races in Malaysia are very much aware of the pain of going through an identity crisis. Would looking at a bigger scar - such as the crisis faced by the Rohingyas - mitigate the painful experiences?

While handling the historical scar of the “new village”, Gan chose a macro perspective in an attempt at reconciliation. In Post Colonial Encounter, he did not point directly at the historical scars, but chose to fill the streets of the new village with people from all walks of life. The new village, constructed by the British colonialists, is not only a historical scar for the ethnic Chinese but it is also filled with migrants from different backgrounds. The term “colonial” in this context has multiple interpretations. It is through this contemporary ethnic landscape that Gan has found a path to fill up the historical gaps. It is not a mere reflec- tion of the future, but also of the heart of the artist.

Realistic painting does not seem to be a favourite of contemporary art. Realistic painting has roots in the religious and social aspects from the Western tradition that gives a sense of “dignity” to the subject, which could not be achieved through other forms. It is through this form that people from different social classes became icons of their time.

However, as far as the painter is concerned, realistic painting is a path that requires in-depth analysis and observation. This enables the audience to dissect the social landscape from the beginning to further explore the meaning of the work of art. In Gan’s work, we see many pale faces of the migrants, the restless looks, the boredom and messy arrangement of cutleries, as well as opaque bodies painted from a humanitarian perspective. He has turned these into a lively landscape.

The subjects seem to possess a certain ownership on canvas and reclaim their dignity as individuals. It is at this moment when these dignified faces are observed by the audience that the artist is able to let go of the feeling of being rejected and uprooted, and to be able find his sense of belonging.

Description

Post Colonial Encounter

by Gan Chin Lee

Oil and jute

213.4 x 426.7 cm each

2015

Painting as the Path to Social Landscape

Nobu Takamori

In 2015, tens of thousands of Rohingyas, unwanted in their homeland and duped by trafficking syndicates, were left to die in the open sea. While the world watched in shock at these atrocities perpetrated against humanity, Myanmar and its Southeast Asian counterparts displayed their indifference and racist mindset regarding the cruelty.

Acting against the recurring footages that were repeatedly aired on the television, artist Gan Chin Lee rose to respond to this crisis against humanity through what he had seen at a street corner in Kuala Lumpur.

With his brush, Gan brought to life an elderly Rohingya man curled up in a hidden corner of a dingy street in the Malaysian cosmopolitan. The man lives in a different reality, unaware of debates and discussions about refugees and the migrant crisis. The interpretation of the Rohingyan in Gan’s work titled No Place for Diaspora might appear to represent any other urban dweller forced to the fringes of society, but it is also a reflection of a political and cultural symbol shunned by Myanmar and the rest of ASEAN.

While members of ASEAN continue work on strengthening their political and economic influence in the last few years, many contemporary works of art from the region have received critical reception in the global art scene. Prior to artworks from the ASEAN region, contemporary art from China was the benchmark in the global contemporary art market. Gan’s identity as a Malaysian Chinese may appear as an advantage in the ASEAN and Chinese markets, but Gan was unsuccessful in both despite his seemingly privileged identity.

Like the Rohingyas he paints, Gan, who descended from Chinese migrants, felt a similar sense of loss and had an identity crisis as most Malaysian Chinese do; at the same time, he was unable to blend in well and be a part of the “Mainland Chinese” while pursuing his studies at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China. The anxiety shown in No Place for Diaspora is not only a struggle for recognition. It also signifies one’s humility and a longing to belong. In the painting, the elder Rohingyan is juxtaposed with a scene showing young migrant workers sleeping in a cramped single room.This juxtaposition represents a strong symbol in response to the harsh realities of society.

A critical stance against the absurdity of social reality has always been a characteristic found in works by many ethnic Chinese and Indian artists in Malaysia. They have adopted a creative path to explore, construct, reproduce and deconstruct the history of their immigrant forefathers in order to cope with their identity crisis. However, Gan adopted a different path. He diverted his attention to the current crisis and the influx of a new generation of migrants in Malaysia. It is in the eyes of these communities that Gan fills the gaps of his past.

In Malaysia, there is almost no room for an objective discussion on migrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar and other countries. Stringent immigration laws and policies are more often than not daunting and impeded by opaque rules.

Gan’s depiction of migrants in his works mostly showcases them as individuals, which he finds serves as a mirror for self-reflection. Perhaps to Gan, drawing a portrait of himself, of diners enjoying seafood at street side stalls in Taipei, or images of expressionless young adults finishing their meals at mamak stalls, is similar to the restlessness and anxiety felt by migrants in a new land. They, the migrants, are his mirror.

Through his paintings and observations of these communities, the young artist senses their feeling of loss, having been stripped of their identities, similar to his own experiences studying abroad. Through his work, Gan has tried to capture the realities of the identity crisis faced by the migrants as an extension of contemporary Malaysia. The depiction has not only become a bridge that connects his internal expressions with the external social context, it also serves as a coping mechanism for the artist.

In Reunion Island, his depiction of the diners’ faces, which is an emphasis on the details of expressions in his earlier work, has been replaced by another type of symbolic art form. Sitting on stools propped along a food stall at a poorly lit street, the diners are seen communicating with each other, but they also appear to be gradually losing their recognisable features. This is explained in the deliberate use of black paint to mask the subjects’ bodies or faces, as if they are fading into the darkness of the night. All the customers in the restaurant are seen to be merging as an entity.

In his Self and the Other painting, some of the figures appear translucent while other faces are drawn in white paint. The depiction of these pale street characters brought to life on canvas is a great contrast to those fading into the darkness.

The anxious and solemn mood portrayed in the street scene is distinct from the painting on the right, which illustrates female bodies symbolising a desire for consumption. The juxtaposition allows plenty of room for imagination.

Ethnic Chinese, Indians and other minority races in Malaysia are very much aware of the pain of going through an identity crisis. Would looking at a bigger scar - such as the crisis faced by the Rohingyas - mitigate the painful experiences?

While handling the historical scar of the “new village”, Gan chose a macro perspective in an attempt at reconciliation. In Post Colonial Encounter, he did not point directly at the historical scars, but chose to fill the streets of the new village with people from all walks of life. The new village, constructed by the British colonialists, is not only a historical scar for the ethnic Chinese but it is also filled with migrants from different backgrounds. The term “colonial” in this context has multiple interpretations. It is through this contemporary ethnic landscape that Gan has found a path to fill up the historical gaps. It is not a mere reflec- tion of the future, but also of the heart of the artist.

Realistic painting does not seem to be a favourite of contemporary art. Realistic painting has roots in the religious and social aspects from the Western tradition that gives a sense of “dignity” to the subject, which could not be achieved through other forms. It is through this form that people from different social classes became icons of their time.

However, as far as the painter is concerned, realistic painting is a path that requires in-depth analysis and observation. This enables the audience to dissect the social landscape from the beginning to further explore the meaning of the work of art. In Gan’s work, we see many pale faces of the migrants, the restless looks, the boredom and messy arrangement of cutleries, as well as opaque bodies painted from a humanitarian perspective. He has turned these into a lively landscape.

The subjects seem to possess a certain ownership on canvas and reclaim their dignity as individuals. It is at this moment when these dignified faces are observed by the audience that the artist is able to let go of the feeling of being rejected and uprooted, and to be able find his sense of belonging.