Lot 24
TAN CHEE HON
b. Johor, 1975
THE BURNING, 2009
Signed and dated ‘tchon 2006-09' lower right
Oil on canvas
71cm x 117cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur
ESTIMATE RM 4,500 - 5,500
|
Tan Chee Hon graduated from Kuala Lumpur College of Art in 1997 with a Diploma in Fine Art. He is not only an artist but also a photographer and teacher of visual arts. Since 1996, he has been exhibiting in Malaysia across Southeast Asia, Japan and China. His artworks combine painting and photography, exuding distinct atmospheric qualities.
Chee Hon has been showing in exhibitions since 2006: ‘Open Show’ at Galeri Shah Alam in 1996, ‘1st Young Chinese Artist’ at NN Gallery in 2000, the Philip Morris Awards at National Art Gallery Malaysia, ‘Art + 1000 Exhibition’ at Valentine Willie Fine Art in 2007 and the ‘70th Annual Exhibition of Mokwoohoe’ at Seoul Museum of Art, South Korea in 2008. In 2006, Reka Art Space held a solo exhibition of Chee Hon’s photography, drawings and paintings.
An air of mystery pervades this oil painting. A pillar of smoke rises into the air resembling a force of nature such as a hurricane, yet the piece retains a feeling of stillness and quietness of moment. It gives rise to wonder and curiosity on what is causing the burning but also leaves one with an impression of awe for what could be the origin of this column. The Burning is part of Chee Hon’s Inner Landscape series where each scene represents a metaphor for places he has seen in Malaysia. This scene was inspired by harvest season which he observed in Sekinchan when farmers burned the padi field. It also references ‘911’ which happened in New York in 2001.
EXHIBITED
Rising Dreams, NN Gallery, Kuala Lumpur 2008, illustrated in catalogue
|
