Woman
Mixed media and collage size: 5ft x 5ft. Artist Statemnt: “This artwork began with a sketch of self-portrait as the work is about how a person ( I ) changes throughout life. So, layers of portraits of my mother, my grandmother and I are drawn with exploration of variety materials and media in order to obtain structures and details of the portraits such as wrinkles, the texture of skin and size of the faces from birth, childhood, teenage years, maturity and lastly, getting old. So this artwork is more on cycle of a girl’s life through the generations as they all will look like their own mothers and grandmothers in the end in such endless cycle of reality.”
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The Mah Meri is an ethnic group native to western part of Peninsular Malaysia. They are one of the 18 Orang Asli groups named by the Malaysian government. They are of the Senoi subgroup. Most of the members of the Mah Meri tribe live along the coast of South Selangor from Sungai Pelek up to Pulau Carey, although there is at least one Mah Meri Community on the other side of the Klang River.
When the first time I hear about the local ‘Mah Meri, I feel very excited because having lived in Selangor for a long time I had never hear about them but they are nearby. I can feel that, before Malaysia gain its ‘Merdeka’ they already have been here for more than 2000 years. Actually they are an important cultural heritage, but we are oblivious and ignorant. So through this series on Mah Meri, I would like to share about their special skill, wood crafting product and craft weaving. Previously women of the Mah Meri did not make handicrafts for a living but produce it for personal and everyday use only. Most women in this village are not well educated. They prefer to stay at home and look after their families. Only the youngster and better-educated women have managed to secure jobs on the mainland. However, the women have always managed to supplement their family’s income by doing odd jobs between household chores. These include making stick brooms from discarded oil palm fronds or by husking coconuts. Those whose husbands are woodcarvers would help them to sand, wax and polish their finished sculptures. By 2000, there was a revival of interest in the Mah Meri woodcarving, but the scenario is totally opposite to pandanus weaving. The loss of pandanus (hake) clumps due to land clearance led to the loss of raw material and eventually interest in woven craft. Terrified by the decline in woven craft, women in this settlement began to weave, first for documentation purposes and later, for sale. In 2003, they gathered with family and friends to revive the weaving of betel pouches, mats and baskets Aided by several individuals, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (MHDC), the women managed to improve on processing, weaving and dyeing skills. Skillful Grandma
Mixed Media & collage on canvas , size: A1 Artist statement : “The sewing machine represents my best memories of my grandmother – I used to sit beside her and watch her sew spectacular and colourful textiles and fabric.” Foong Yeng Yeng #EhWauBulan, Art show case. The exhibition, feature 59 selected artists to commemorate the nation’s 59th year of independence. Thw show curated by a distinguished panel of experts led by street artist Fritilldea, contemporary artist Ivan Lam and National Visual Arts Development Board trustee and artist Phillip Wong. |