CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY: A collage of four paintings entitled ‘Gallop of 10,000 horses; ambition that reaches the sky’ by Siaw Quan Cheng.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Exhibit 1 from Zaini Zainul’s Warisan architectural photography series, which questions the widespread practice of destroying the old to make way for the new.
KUCHING: Art lovers will be in for a treat when Löv Gallery launches a brand new art exhibition ‘Strong Words’, which will run from Dec 13 to Jan 12, 2014.
This second exhibition by Löv Gallery will feature paintings, posters, 3D paper art, video and calligraphy.
‘Strong Words’ is a brainchild of decorated local graphics artist Soo Boon Ang who is an alumni of Rhode Island School of Design and formerly a graphics design lecturer at Swinburne University Kuching.
Soo Boon collaborated with Löv Gallery to compose an exhibition that amalgamates art, graphic design, typography and calligraphy. The result is an exciting and diverse collection of works from both established and emerging artists (snapshots):
Siaw Quan Cheng – a full-time designer/illustrator. His painting style is distinctive, combining abstract expressionist technique with elements of traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy and local art. His horse series integrates semi-abstract technique with Chinese calligraphy.
Ivan Tertius Joanis – full-time Kuching graphic designer. Inspired by cartoons, video games and Sarawak, his drawings are uniquely modern. His current fixation is ‘reverse graffiti’ which is a method of creating a temporary on walls or other surfaces by removing dirt from a surface. It is an environmental approach to graffiti art. His black and white video-game inspired doodles with messages in Bidayuh and English will be on exhibit.
Michelle Ferreira – a graphic designer and photographer; will be showing lighthearted cartoon posters on serious social issues close to her heart. She has worked in Lisbon, Prague, Melbourne and Kuching for 20 years. While she was in Melbourne, she was the in-house designer and photographer for Niagara Galleries, a leading contemporary art gallery in Australia.
Bibiana Lee – a well-established artist in Jakarta. Having honed her skills in Singapore and Indonesia, she produces paintings, object art, sculptures and video art. Her video is a tribute to comfort women during the World War II.
Zaini Zainul – from the award-winning architectural firm Zaini Dubus Richez, is passionate about art. He experiments with ink, crayon, acrylic, oil and other materials, creating fascinating and intriguing works. His Warisan Series 1 is part of an architecture photography series which questions the practice of destruction of the old to make way for the new.
Soo Sian Lim – an emerging artist based in Kuching whose unconventional paintings are abstract themed – inspired by both the colourful and mundane aspects of life. Her abstract paintings with messages on love and life will be on display.
Desmond Liew – inspired by the comic artist Akira Toriyama as a child and continued to pursue his love for graphic design and animation. He is now working as a graphic designer in Kuching, and will have some of his surrealist computer graphic posters on show.
Sim Chiap Hin – a well-known painter and art teacher. He is a founder and life member of the Sarawak Artists Society and Kuching Chung Hua Arts Association, and a member of a number of other national and international arts associations.
Ceres Lau – loves to experiment with papercraft and creates stunning 3D paper art that is full of characters and creative energy.
To celebrate spoken words as well as written words and to create a cross-media environment for art lovers to congregate, Löv Gallery will be hosting an open mic session in the gallery at the launch date of Strong Words exhibition.
The session will start at 8pm on Dec 13 (Friday), with performances of original compositions by Bertram Duerr (song lyric), Georgette Tan, Angelina Bong and Ashly Nandong (poetry), and Robert Raymer and Maclean Patrick (prose).
The public is welcome as audience or to present their original pieces at this open mic session. Entrance is free and food and drinks may be ordered from Batik Boutique Hotel.
Löv Gallery is located next to Batik Boutique Hotel at 38, Jalan Padungan, and is open to the public for free from 11am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
The Batik Boutique Hotel Crew can open the gate for visitors outside of those hours. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/lovgallerysarawak or email [email protected].