3Gen: A Family Affair

10 Oct 3Gen: A Family Affair

It’s a well-known fact that certain traits and mannerisms are passed down from one generation to the next. But what about artistic talent?

3Gen: A Family Affair is a group exhibition that showcases the works of three artists from the same family, spanning three generations. Granted their styles are quite different, one does get a sense that perhaps artistic inclinations and talents does get transmitted from one generation to the next.

The exhibition starts on Thursday, October 16 and continues its run until November 3, 2014.

Born in 1919, Wan Kim Tiang was a civil servant with the Malacca state government. Although he was never gained notoriety as artist during his lifetime, some of Kim Tiang’s artistry has endured until today, most notably the logo for the Malacca Badminton Hall, which still adorns the building.

According to his family, Kim Tiang was often responsible for designing street decorations and buntings for important occasions, such as Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Malacca, and numerous Merdeka Day celebrations post-independence.

3Gen features two of Kim Tiang’s surviving oil paintings as well as several of his drawings. Albeit posthumous, this marks the first exhibition for the late artist.

For one of Kim Tiang’s daughters, Evelyn Wan, growing up with art was something she remembers as being natural and normal. Evelyn sees her father as someone she drew inspiration from, and recalls the sheer joy of watching him draw and paint whenever he did.

Evelyn started dabbling in art from an early age, and continued throughout her schooling days. She remembers getting tutelage from him as well, particularly when it came close to examination time. Today, many years later, Evelyn continues to paint, an activity she finds joy in.

Mists by Evelyn Wan (watercolour)

Painting for Evelyn is therapeutic, allowing her a few hours of escape into a different world fueled by her own vivid imagination. 3Gen will showcase her works in watercolour, a medium she is most comfortable with, as well as in acrylics.

Like her late father, this exhibition marks the first time Evelyn’s works will be publicly exhibited.

Unlike his mother and grandfather, however, Yuli Yap has had his works exhibited more extensively, and the young artist is no stranger to Artemis Art. Back in 2012, Yuli participated in a group exhibition, Pieces Of Joy, hosted by the gallery, and a year later in 2013 had his second solo exhibition here, entitled Mythologies.

What makes 3Gen a departure from these two exhibitions is the media used to create the artworks. Whereas previously Yuli exhibited primarily his colour marker on paper artworks, this time around the young artist showcases his more recent artworks using acrylics. Over the past year or so, Yuli has been studying with Malaysia-based Korean artist Yang Dong Kyu to familiarize himself with this medium, one that he is now starting to be comfortable with.

Bad Boy Texas by Yuli Yap (acrylic on canvas)

The works on exhibit covers urban and rural landscapes as well as re-rendering in acrylic of art that Yuli had previously created digitally, for instance the whimsical UFO Cow Abduction. In addition, a few of his digital creations, printed on canvas, will be exhibited.

If one looks at the subject matter from one generation to the next, clear differences can certainly be discerned. But it does give us pause to wonder at the artistic talent that has spanned three whole generations, from Wan K.T. to Evelyn Wan, and finally to Yuli Yap, almost like an artistic continuum defying time.

The exhibition begins on Thursday, October 16, 2014, and an opening reception will be held on Sunday, October 19, 2014, at 3pm. It is a privilege to have, as our guest of honor, Dato’ Dr. Cyrus V. Das, Managing Partner, Shook Lin & Bok, one of Malaysia’s foremost law firms.

From the opening reception day, the exhibition continues its run until November 3, 2014.

UPDATE:

We have uploaded an electronic copy of the publication made for this exhibition, via Issuu.com.