MASTER OF LIGHT

Light-as-a-whisper strokes. An ephemeral touch of the brush. Luminous glory captured in feather-like layers of colour on canvas. It’s hardly surprising that watercolour remains one of the best-loved of all the artistic mediums. From the expressive masterpieces of JMW Turner and Winslow Homer to the sensuous shapes and hues of Georgia O’Keeffe and the intricate details of Albrecht Dürer, it is clear why watercolour, regarded as a simple yet approachable art form, remains one of its hardest to master.

For followers of Asian watercolourists, one of this medium’s greatest exponents is undoubtedly Chang Fee Ming. A son of Terengganu, Chang was born in 1959 in Kampung Baru Batu Lima, a Chinese New Village in the town of Dungun, on the Malaysian East Coast. “I spent the first five years of my life there before moving to a Malay kampong by the sea,” he says, as we met at Sekuchi, his studio in Kuala Lumpur, named for the small traditional boats of his home state that are popularly used for catching squid and small fish.

Wearing his trademark scarf, draped casually around the neck, paired with a bright blue fisherman’s shirt picked up while travelling through Corsica, Chang has been busy juggling time between his home in the East Coast and Kuala Lumpur as he readies pieces for his upcoming exhibition at Christie’s Hong Kong – a landmark event, considering it will be the first time the venerable auction house is hosting a solo exhibition for a South-East Asian artist. For Wang Zineng, Christie’s vice-president and senior specialist with Asian 20th Century Art & Contemporary Art Department, Chang was an obvious choice. “Fee Ming is the contemporary painter-traveller par excellence and easily the artist who has set foot in more places in the South-East Asian region than any other I know. Evident in his works, and reinforced in conversations with him, his depth of understanding of Asian cultures and way of life is unrivalled. His works derive from a sense of curiosity to learn, understand and bring to the fore various ways of life in a diverse Asia; from secluded tribal communities to people tied to the sea.  These are ways of life that we understand exist but rarely encounter personally. Fee Ming’s works lend a real immediacy to such seemingly familiar yet foreign cultures around us.”

“Familiar yet foreign” is an astute observation. Having been treated to a special preview of most of the 70 artworks that will be exhibited, including over a dozen seminal pieces, those fortunate enough to catch the exhibition will be taken on a journey through South-East Asia, real and mythical, weaving in Chang’s personal experiences and recollections with figments of his imagination. In Cukup Berat?, nuances of a jubilant, hopeful post-election Indonesia is captured amidst the colour and rich details of a traditional Indonesian market scene, where Jokowi’s image is subtly hidden amidst a riot of chillies and jering, a local fruit with medicinal properties. Another piece, Dream of Missing Roots in the Red Earth Kingdom, captures the artist’s continuing fascination with the ancient lost kingdom of Langkasuka, believed to be somewhere along the east coast of the Malay Peninsula and the south of Songkhla. A veritable tapestry of travel tales, viewers will be taken along with Chang as he captures visages of myth, folklore and everyday life in compelling intricacy, journeying from his home state northwards to Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat as well as down south to Nusantara, all the while conjuring up vibrant and richly detailed portraits that speak of, perhaps, the anguish of a diseased king or the spirit of a vengeful queen.

One of the key personalities of ancient Malaya that has consistently piqued Chang’s imagination is Putri Sa’dong, the adopted daughter of Kelantan’s legendary queen, Che Siti Wan Kembang. History buffs would no doubt be familiar with the tale of the beauty who became the concubine of a Siamese king in order to save her husband’s life. It has been said that he had promised to wait for her and never to remarry. However, upon her release several years later, she returned home only to find he had broken his word. Enraged, she killed him with her cucuk sanggul (hair pin).

“I like to dream up and imagine my subjects,” points out Chang wistfully. “I capture images in my mind and then merge them with my memory to create the paintings you see. Travel is indeed my source of inspiration. I’m not a researcher per se but I do make it a point to study the history of the place, which I then intersperse with my imagination. I do have a few musts whenever I travel, though. The first place I head to is always the market, as I love seeing how other people eat, shop for their food as well as observe the authentic personalities there. I also must go to the local post office to pick up my stamps, which I then use to create my ‘mail’ art. I always incorporate this element in my works or exhibitions – it’s part documentation, part fun for me. Ultimately, the message I want to share or showcase is the environment in which I live, work and am inspired by,” he points out.

“I am Malaysian. I live in Terengganu and I am most inspired by the South-East Asian region. The last three years of my works are largely based on affairs that affect my home state directly as well as the neighbouring state of Kelantan and southern Thailand. Meanwhile, I continue to be fascinated by Langkasuka. Sadly, the political situation doesn’t allow me to travel there all the time,” he says, referring to the unrest that occurs periodically in southern Thailand.

Visitors to Chang’s upcoming show will also be treated to pieces that predate even the artist’s first solo exhibition. Joshua Lim, Chang’s exhibition coordinator, points out that the pieces were chosen to give visitors an overview of the artist’s career path to date, taking them through a constant evolution, from Chang’s early British “transparent” style to the richly detailed works today. The exhibition will see the watercolourist follow in the path of names like Andy Warhol and the Hong Kong-based Chinese ink artist He Baili, the rare few individual artists for whom Christie’s has held private sale exhibitions.

“Christie’s specialists also constantly seek to expand and advance the markets they work in,” adds Wang. “Having worked with South-East Asian art for close to a decade now, I’ve always been aware of how porous the region is, both geographically and culturally. The trade winds pass through the region’s land masses and sea in a regular, systematic pattern. And historical patterns of travel for trade have resulted in local cultures being extremely syncretic, with episodes of cultural encounters defining the history of the region. We mustn’t forget the auction business is a very ‘cultural’ business, too. We speak about history and culture in the same breath as art. Our clients’ motivations for collecting are driven by a universally shared love of art, oftentimes through an instinctive understanding of the cultural value of art.

“Through art, their lives are enriched. As such, we are always on the lookout to work with artists whose visions are truly unique and can positively influence and broaden the perspectives of collectors. Fee Ming is definitely among the few artists who come to mind and we are indeed privileged to be able to work with him on this exhibition.”

With Christie’s courting him, it’s clear Chang has come a long way from his humble beginnings. “Did you know that when I was 12 years old, all I ever wanted in life was to be able to earn MYR300 per month and own my own 100cc Yamaha motorcycle, the same model my brother, who was a construction worker, had? That was my dream. I’d never planned on art,” he says with a smile.

Dropping out of school at Form Three, Chang began painting signboards for a living. “Everything from cinema movie posters to signboards were hand-painted in those days,” he notes. “I’d always enjoyed drawing as a child and remember spending much of my time drawing on the beach sand with a stick!”

Chang’s epiphany occurred when he befriended some Singaporean artists in Terengganu in the late 1970s. “I heard from them that artists would gather every weekend to paint at the waterfront of the Singapore River. I decided to travel to Singapore to join them and learn how to paint in watercolour.” Pulau Duyung, a small island on the Terengganu River, also proved to be an inspirational spot for Chang. “It’s where I did my outdoor painting and sketching in the old days. Sometimes, I would also stay overnight in a small guest house there. That was where I met many travellers and learnt of their travel experiences. Their stories made me decide to embark on my first journey – to Nepal and India. To this day, I consider the guest house as my first ‘academy’. It opened my eyes to the world of art and watercolour, in particular. I then bought art materials and taught myself how to paint,” he says simply.

From Singapore, Chang’s restless feet took him further away from home, as he made his way to India and Nepal – and never looking back. “I saved whatever money I could to spend it on travel. Travel is and always has been my greatest source of inspiration.

“With an exciting body of new watercolours and a representative selection of past works – from iconic works on loan from collectors to rarely-exhibited ‘mail’ art, there is really a great deal to see in the exhibition,” adds Wang on a parting note.

“Anyone who shares Fee Ming’s love for travelling and who has an interest in Asian cultures should visit. It becomes immediately apparent the freshness of perspective Fee Ming brings to the subjects he paints. Hong Kongers are, in general, cosmopolitan travellers and we anticipate a considerable number of visitors who have never seen Fee Ming’s works before and, of course, we are very excited by this.”

Chang Fee Ming: Weaving the World in Watercolour will be held from 17 June – 24 July, 2015 at the James Christie Room at Christie’s Hong Kong, Alexandra House, Central.