Long Thien Shih And His Times (2014)

Long Thien Shih And His Times ( 2014)

Long Thien Shih Man of the Times

Published by Balai Seni Negara (NAG)

FIRST LESSON IN LIFE

There were two significant incidents many years ago that had left deep indelible marks on Long Thien Shih which he believes played a pivotal role in shaping his general outlook on life and art. When he was a precocious boy of about 5 or 6 years of age, his illiterate mother would occasionally bring him and his 3-month-old sister to a letter writer in Klang who could help write letters to her family back in Hainan Island. When her relatives wrote back, Thien Shih’s mother would ask him to read the contents out loud to her. Later, when he was old enough, he was tasked to reply the letters on her behalf. Once he received a letter from a relative praising his writing skills, it pleased him no end. Thien Shih’s mother surprised him one day when she asked him to teach her how to read and write. He was initially puzzled at this strange request since he thought only children had to learn such rudimentary skills while ALL adults were supposed to know at both. He came to realize and appreciate her motivation, seeing how a young woman who was busy raising a family would still make the effort to improve herself and was not ashamed to learn from her young son. This touching incident taught Thien Shih his first profound lesson in life. One should always make an effort to improve oneself and to never resign oneself to the circumstances one was born into. This strong belief in one’s ability to make better for one’s self is the reason why Thien Shih had at an early age, a healthy respect for talent, diligence and discipline. These traits stood him in good stead over the years, while his innovative use of materials as well as interesting choice of subject matter places him at a distinctive position in the country’s contemporary art history.

SECOND LESSON FROM A DEAD MONKEY

Long Thien Shih have always loved animals. When he was very young, his favourite places to see live and exotic animals were the circus when they came to town or in his favourite movie ‘Tarzan’. And he remembers to keeping many wild and domesticated animals as pets on a small plot of land with makeshift shades and fences just behind his father’s coffee shop, Yew Choon Cafe (meaning ‘Awakening of Spring’ in Chinese). He kept puppies, squirrels, mouse deer, rabbits, chickens, aquariums of fishes and many more. On his first trip to Pulau Ketam, he was given a baby monkey by a relative. He never chained his pets as he was happy to see them move about freely. One day, a regular customer stopped by the coffee shop for a cuppa after returning from one of his hunting trips. Frustrated at coming back empty-handed from the day’s hunt, this person suddenly whipped out his rifle and shot Thien Shih’s pet monkey that happened to be resting on the branches of the tree located beside his father’s shop. The young Thien Shih stood there stunned in disbelief as blood dripped down from the lifeless little carcass, now hanging motionless from the tree. His father who happened to witness the disturbing incident was unable to do anything while Thien Shih could only walked away in silent rage, with tears streaming down his eyes. That sense of powerlessness in preventing a senseless death of a beloved pet made him realize that humans in general, when given power or authority, have an irrational inclination to abuse it on whims, fancies or for selfish ends at the expense of the weak. A few months after the incident, the same individual was accidentally shot in the shoulder by a colleague in a hunting trip. Though it was only a flesh wound, he however succumbed to his injury a few months afterwards. Thus, the real lesson learnt from this incident was the reality of karmic cycles. Every action has a reaction that is equivalent in its value or far dire in its consequences. The adage “We reap what we sow” continues to be Thien Shih’s favourite theme in his many issue-based works, especially delivered in droll or wryly humorous ways. His later prints and paintings serve to bring attention to humanity’s foibles namely, pride, greed, prejudice and general stupidity which they unleashed on the environment and against each other with predictably destructive repercussions.

EARLY LESSONS IN ART

Born in Klang, Selangor in 1946, Long Thien Shih began schooling at the age of 5. He attended a private Chinese school (Pin Hua Primary School from 1950 -1956) where students were trained to write Chinese characters with brush and ink. Thien Shih’s earliest recollection of his emerging artistic abilities was when in primary one, he realized he could actually write better than the older classmates, especially in Chinese calligraphy. Never mind that his’ was never selected for the display boards along the corridors during each school term, Thien Shih was keenly aware of his innate artistic talents and this confidence in his abilities never left him. Thien Shih also remembers being very skilful with his hands, having constructed a miniature bridge with pieces of bamboo cut into strips modelled after the one in the movie ‘Bridge Over the River Kwai’ which he saw in a cinema in Klang. He recollects with some fondness at making clay figurines from the red soil taken off the road just behind his father’s coffee shop. However, his mother put a stop to this early artistic activity as she feared such figurines might become the temporary abodes of malevolent spirits.

It was in primary four that Thien Shih was properly introduced to the rudiments of art when they had a trained art teacher from the Special Teachers Training Institute (STTI). He was taught charcoal and still life drawing, usually a copy of a bust of a Greek god or goddess made from plaster of Paris. In 1958, while studying at Hin Hwa Secondary School, he was taught Chinese ink painting and western oil painting by his late teacher Mr. Chong Kim Siew, who was at that time, the first Nanyang Academy of Fine Art (NAFA) graduate from Klang. He learnt perspectives, chiaroscuro and sfumato, the elements behind the ingenuity of trompe l’ oeil. It was from such academic lessons that Thien Shih became sensitively aware and developed a feel for illusion of space, depth, colors and volume which were put to good use in his paintings. According to Thien Shih, it was his teacher’s confidence in his ability that was instrumental in setting him on his path to art. Chong Kim Siew submitted one of Thien Shih’s ink painting to the Young Friends Art Competition organized by the Malayan Arts Council in 1959 where he won an Honorable Mention. The prize was a small art book on Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890). A few months later, his teacher submitted Thien Shih’s oil painting titled “Jambatan Kota” which was rendered in the style of Van Gogh to the yearly Young Malayan Artists Competition, also organized by the Malayan Arts Council, where he came in second. The prize was an art book on British painter John Constable (1776-1836).

Long Thien Shih became the national champion the following year at the age of 15 with his winning entry “Abstract Hut “, an oil painting painted in the style inspired by the Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956).

As his artistic journey began to steadily unfold, his life as a student had come to an abrupt end, or several endings. Between the ages of 14 and 15, Thien Shih had already been expelled from three schools around the Klang Valley for, in Thien Shih’s own words, “being himself”. By then he had grown weary of school and was already working part time as signboard painter where he painted for shop signboards, illustrations on commercial vehicles, cigarette and tea boxes, without his parent’s knowledge. Winning the competitions at that time introduced him to the local art scene where he met fellow aspiring artists, attended exhibitions and also met many key figures who will play both major and minor roles in his artistic journey and life.

He soon became a regular at the drawing and painting sessions held by the Wednesday Art Group (WAG), The Selangor Art Society (whose members were older with lessons held on every Thursdays) and the Angkatan Pelukis Semenanjung (APS) which conducted its lessons, focusing mostly on western style portraiture at a shop house located at Jalan Raja Muda.

THE WEDNESDAY ART GROUP (1960-1962)

The journey to the capital by bus at that time took about an hour and on every Wednesdays, the young Thien Shih would eagerly travel from Klang to attend the art classes conducted by Peter Harris (1923-2009), who was the Superintendent of Art Education credited for laying the foundation of art education in the then Malaya. Peter Harris formed the Wednesday Art Group as an informal gathering of likeminded individuals to learn, study and explore various artistic approaches and ideation. It was not curriculum-based and the group was made up mostly of English-speaking teachers as well as individuals with keen interest in art. The drawing sessions, with live models, still life etc using dry and wet media was held usually from 6pm to 8pm at one of the government’s quarters located near Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman, the original site of the National Art Gallery in 1958 (now the Malaysian Tourism Center or MATIC). In attendance were some young individuals who later became respected luminaries in the nation’s nascent art scene. Among them were Patrick Ng Kah Oon (1932-1989), Cheong Lai Tong, Ismail Mustam, Hajeedar Majid and the child prodigy Dzulkifli Buyong (1948- 2004).

Growing up in a rural area, Thien Shih’s early works reflected his surroundings. Thien Shih used to cycle along the riverbanks into the Malay kampungs, passing by fishing villagers, coconut plantations and rubber estates and had spent countless hours in communion with nature. His earlier water colors hints at the influences of Yong Mun Sen (1896-1962) and Lim Cheng Hoe (1912-1979) but his technique gradually expanded when he was exposed to western masters of landscape painting such as J M W Turner (1775-1851), John Constable and Winslow Homer (1836-1910) just to name a few, from books and magazines. Besides producing paintings that celebrated the rustic and idyllic life in the villages, he also documented the busy developments that were taking place in the city as he had begun to travelled more frequently into Kuala Lumpur (KL) for work and other art related purposes. Thien Shih kept himself abreast on the current developments in art locally and abroad by immersing in books and magazines which he spent countless hours studying the colour-plates of artworks at the British Council’s Library (formerly located near Bukit Aman) or the US Information Service Center in KL. He would also attend exhibitions by local and foreign artists at the National Art Gallery, the Selangor Club, the British Council etc. This habit of attending exhibitions began when his father who, though not highly educated, understood the importance of exposure to art and culture, would bring the family whenever there were exhibitions or opera performances in and outside of the Klang Valley. He singles out the exhibitions by Chen Wen Shi (1906-1991) from Singapore and Bazuki Abdullah (1915-1993) from Indonesia as being personally noteworthy.

Though Thien Shih had expanded his stylistic repertoire and was adeptly employing the style of painting pioneered by the celebrated Cheong Soo Pieng (1917-1983) and Batik as Art originator Chuah Thean Teng (1912-2008) in producing his Kampung scenes and the activities of the everyday people, he felt the loose and informal teachings by Peter Harris was more to his liking as the emphasis was on the personal and exploratory, not the rigid adherence to the style or ideology of a group’s, movement’s or school’s founder(s). Members of WAG were encouraged to pursue directions/ paths reflective of their interests and temperaments. Though initially, Thien Shih had difficulty in following the lessons or discussions as it was conducted in English, the gracious and helpful Patrick Ng would sometimes translate what was discussed into Cantonese. But the most important part of the informal classes organized by WAG was the critique sessions led mainly by Peter Harris with Cheong Lai Tong and Patrick Ng. Members would bring to the sessions works done at home for evaluation. For the young Thien Shih still looking to improve his artistry, these sessions were most useful and priceless.

Within these few years, Thien Shih experimented with different mediums; batik, Artline-type pen drawings, bronze sheet sculpture making, mainly in a combination of European and Nanyang styles with local subjects as the main themes. Thien Shih continue to paint and exhibited in group exhibitions where some of his works were purchased by National Art Gallery as part of the national collection. As the then Malaya’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman’s press secretary, Frank Sullivan was credited as the man who was instrumental behind the setting up of the National Art Gallery in 1958 and its first honorary secretary with the Tunku as its first patron. Frank Sullivan has been a supportive figure in Thien Shih’s early beginnings as an artist by purchasing his works and later by hosting exhibitions at his private gallery, Samat Gallery.

THE NANYANG CONNECTION (1962-1963)

Prior to the political turbulence that led to Singapore leaving Malaysia in 1965, artists from both causeways moved to and fro freely and would often visit each other or attend exhibition openings. In 1962, Thien Shih moved to Singapore for a short duration due to an unforeseen circumstance. He had planned to enrol at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art (NAFA) but his hopes were dashed when he could not meet the minimum academic requirement having left school before completing his form five. To make the best of the situation, he enrolled in an English Language course and continued to paint to support himself. Though he was not admitted to NAFA, he made many acquaintances with NAFA students and met Yong Cheng Wah, the son of Yong Mun Sen (1896-1962) at Straits Commercial Art Supplies Shop. It was through Yong Cheng Wah that Thien Shih was introduced to Chen Wen Shi, one of Singapore’s pioneer and modern artist as well as Lim Cheng Hoe (1912-1979) a giant in the medium of water color. He was briefly under the tutelage of Chen Wen Shi and joined the Singaporean watercolorists group led by Lim Cheng Hoe on their outdoor sketching activities during weekends. He however did not manage to meet Cheong Soo Pieng as the artist was away on tour in Europe at that time.

Thien Shih, whose style of painting was influenced by Cheong Soo Pieng among others, had his works displayed at the Straits Commercial Art Supplies Shop. It was established by Tay Nong, a first batch of graduates from the NAFA. The shop not only sold art materials, but also art books, where Thien Shih would spend much time browsing or purchased with the money he made from the paintings sold at the shop. He would also spend much time browsing the books on art at the MPH Bookstore, Donald Moore Books while for references in Chinese, he would go to the Shanghai Bookstore and other smaller shops. Thien Shih, who was only 16 at that time, was able to make between 50 and 60 dollars per painting every month. In addition to providing the opportunity to exhibit at the shop, Tay Long would give pointers on improving his technical skills, with encouragements to Thien Shih to develop his own style as well as to explore other subject matter.

TELEVISYEN MALAYSIA (1963-66)

About a year and a half later, Thein Shih came back and secured a job as a set artist at the Malaysia Televisyen (Television) in KL. Established under the Colombo Plan, Malaysia Televisyen provided not only a stable income for the young Thien Shih who had just started a family but staffs also received top notch professional training. Conducted by Mr. Arthur Warwick, a Canadian adviser in charge of art direction, Thien Shih together with fellow artist and colleague, Nik Zainal Abidin Nik Mohd Salleh (1931-1993) known for his distinctive paintings of Wayang Kulit, were taught Western art and design history, theory as well as the practical aspects in TV production. It was here he first encountered names like Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), Ben Shahn (1898-1969) the Cobra Group from Amsterdam, Bauhaus and also studied the latest art and design trends taking place in the US and Europe. They were given training in scriptwriting, graphic design, animation, story board illustration and stage design related to TV production. Thien Shih remembers his three-year stint at Televisyen Malaysia as being an important learning experience which prepared him well professionally.

Thien Shih moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1964, renting a modest unit at Selangor Mansion. He lived on the same floor with the NAFA graduate and Paris trained painter, Chia Yu Chian (1936-1990) whom he had long talks with about the art scene in Paris. He also met Lim Peng Fei, an art graduate from Taiwan Normal University who introduced him to the works of the Taipei Modern Art Group, The May Art Society and the Oriental Art Society, meeting some of them when he went to Paris on the French government’s scholarship.

These members of these groups from Taiwan were among the earliest to champion the fusion of western abstraction with Chinese painting.

Though Thien Shih had a secure job that pays well and with his works selling on a regular basis, he still harbours the dream of studying and making a living as an artist abroad. He took lessons in French language at the KL branch of Alliance Francaise with the hopes of securing a scholarship to study in France. Thien Shih began experimenting with abstract art using impasto technique inspired by Anthony Tapies and Alberto Burri. He also read up more on French modern art from the references found in the Alliance Francaise resource center.

In 1965, Thien Shih held his first one man show at Samat Gallery, then located in the AIA Building which is near the Selangor Mansion in KL that was sponsored by the Malayan Arts Council. He also formed a six artists group that secured one exhibition in KL and another at the Victoria Memorial Hall in Singapore. Besides Thien Shih, the other members of this group were Lim Peng Fei, Mazli Mat Som ( ), Nik Zainal Abidin Nik Mohd Salleh, Phoon Poh Hoong ( ) and Tay Mo Leong (Dato). The show in Singapore was mandated by the Singapore Chinese Art Society where Liu Kang (1911-2004), another prominent Singaporean modern artist was then its president. In the same year, Thien Shih became the first Malaysian to specialize in print making as an artistic medium when he was secured a scholarship from the French Ministry of Culture. The French Ambassador to Malaysia at that time was thoroughly impressed with Thien Shih’s exhibition at the Alliance Francaise as well as his active involvement in both local and international exhibitions. His Excellency promptly endorsed Thien Shih’s candidature when scholarships became available.

THE PARIS YEARS (1966-69)

Thien Shih left for Paris in September 1966 to study art under the French government’s scholarship. Though he was supposed to enrolled as a fulltime student at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA), a chance meeting with a fellow student from Thailand by the name of Ananpaning led him to the print studio of Atelier 17 where he came under the tutelage of Stanley William Hayter (1901-1988). With a strong foundation in art and design in TV production as well as experiences gathered from various participations in exhibitions, competitions and art groups back in KL, Thien Shih reasoned that he should study part time at both Atelier 17, which operated under the teacher-apprentice system recognized by the Education Ministry and at the ENSBA, where Thien Shih received instructions in lithography under a Professor Dayez. Given Thien Shih’s strong aversion to the stifling environment of a classroom, with its routine, tight schedules and dry instructions, this arrangement suited his temperament well and allowed him the luxury to pursue other educational opportunities that Paris had to offer, its art and cultural life. Thien Shih managed to secure a room which he shared with another student at the La Methode Cabaret at Rue Descartes located in the Latin quarters. It was only 5 minutes away from the Sorbonne and the Museum of Cinematography. Thien Shih took the opportunity to watch many classic and art-house movies during the weekends. The language of the cinematography and the symbolism employed is acknowledged by Thien Shih as having a particular impact on his prints and paintings.

LA METHODE CABARET

Unbeknownst to Thien Shih at the time, La Methode Cabaret was established in 1958 by Michele Bernstein(b1932) and Guy Debord (1931-1994), both of the Situationist International fame, with the latter much celebrated for his theses “Society of the Spectacle” published in 1967. La Methode Cabaret was the meeting place and artistic platform for radicals and the avant-garde, with periodical stagings of experimental theater, nightly performances of Jazz, Blues, Flamenco and Latin music in addition to poetry recitals and performance art. Thien Shih may not have been taken by the experimental performances, he however remembers a particular jazz blues guitarist by the name of Mickey Baker (1925-2012) whose skilful musicianship and performances impressed him immensely. As Thien Shih’s working space in the room was one floor directly above the corner stage, it meant he was exposed daily to the activities, rehearsals that took place in the afternoons and performances in the evenings. It was only after coming back to Malaysia did he realized the significance of this particular individual. An informally trained guitarist who wrote two D.I.Y ‘complete’ course in jazz guitar that is still in print after more than 50 years, Mickey Baker is popularly known to the public for his duet with his student Sylvia Robinson (1936-2011) as Mickey and Sylvia for their cover of “Love is Strange” which was a hit in 1956. This partial focus on music has to do with Thien Shih’s early exposure to various types of musical genres when he was very young. His father had installed a jukebox at the shop back in 1955 to generate additional income. Thien Shih had grown up surrounded by various types of music catering to the cafe’s patrons who were made up of Expats, Malays, Chinese and Indians. There were the usual pop songs from Shanghai and Hong Kong, local Malay and Hindustani hits as well as the rock and roll from the US and UK, singling out Chuck Berry (b1926), Buddy Holly (1936-1959) and Paul Anka (b1941) among his favorites at that time. A love for music also led him to busk in the streets of Paris for a while just to make ends meet, as well as meeting with other colorful characters, from the hippies, draft dodgers from the US to the art and literary figures.

HAYTER AND ATELIER 17

Established in 1927, Hayter’s studio moved a few times before, during and after the war and settled at its current location in the 1950s. Though William Hayter may not be known to many Malaysian artists, he was considered an influential figure for his promotion of printmaking as a modern art practice especially through the method of automatism. An English printmaker and painter decorated by both the British and the French government since the late 1950s, Hayter, who has a degree in chemistry and geology and worked briefly for an oil and gas company before pursuing art, was among the original members of Surrealism in the 1930s in France and later abstract expressionism in the 1940s in New York. Hayter was cited as having influenced some of the great luminaries of modern art, namely Picasso, Giacometti, Miró, Alexander Calder, Chagall, Pollock and Rothko just to name a few. In Atelier 17, not only was Thien Shih introduced to Viscosity printing, a multicolor printing technique pioneered by Hayter, in addition to more traditional printing methods, he was also introduced to automatism as a way to produce abstract images and forms. Thien Shih remembers Hayter to be an energetic and good teacher who does not impose his own thoughts or styles on his students, though it is undeniable that automatism initially played a role in Thien Shih’s early prints. Classes were conducted in French, with minimal contact hours and on every Thursdays, students would come in and have their works assessed in a casual atmosphere. Hayter was also a generous teacher who would exhibit with his students in local and international exhibitions. It meant that there were opportunities to exhibit with a master printmaker in well regarded platforms. The techniques and lessons proved useful when Thien Shih’s works were accepted to important exhibitions. In 1967, Thien Shih visited London and met with Charles Spencer, who was the curator of Grosvenor Gallery where he was invited to join the exhibition “Oriental Themes” exhibiting alongside the works of influential Chinese painter Qi Bai Shi (1864-1957), among significant others. He also had his prints marketed by Curven Press Gallery in London, which had worked with the renowned modernist sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986) to produce a few editions of his lithographic works.

1968

The last few decades had been turbulent with revolutions, popular uprisings and social unrests taking place in countries around the world. It reflected the ebb and flow of the various forces at play, as unwitting pawns or diabolical puppet masters behind an ideological war that began since the end of the Second World War. It was the era marked by the assassinations of Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr (1929-1968) and presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy (1925-1968) the brother of Us President John F Kennedy (1917-1963) who was also assassinated 5 years before. The rise and defeat of the “Prague Spring” with the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviets, the American atrocities in Vietnam as exemplified by the mass murders in the village of My Lai and the Anti-War movements gained traction around the capitals of the world. It was also the year that the image of Che Guevara (1928-1967) was stylized from the original photograph by Alberto Korda (1928-2001) became an international icon for revolutionary struggle that is still popular today. Che was captured and executed in Bolivia the year before.

On the art front, Andy Warhol (1928-1987), leading figure of Pop Art was shot and wounded in New York by Valerie Solanas (1936-1988). The iconic figure of Dada, Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), died a few months after another significant dadaist John Heartfield (1891-1968). Heartfield, together with fellow dadaist George Grosz (1893-1959) experimented with cut out images from mass media to produce biting political satire against Nazism and Fascism. The technique became known as photomontage. It was also marked by the release of Jimi Hendrix’s (1942-1970) “Electric Ladyland” album, the Beatles’ “White Album” and the Rolling Stones’ “Beggar’s Banquet” whose song “Street Fighting Man” was inspired by the riots in the US and Paris. And the Psychedelic Art Movement was in full swing!

What later became known as May 1968 in history was an insurrection that shook the cultural and political structures of the old order, however momentarily. It began a few months earlier by a small group of students, with poets and musicians occupying the University of Nanterre to protest class discrimination in society and creeping government interference in university administration via the funding process. Later the students from the Sorbonne joined in the protest in a show of solidarity for fellow students there who were to be penalized for their actions. The participation of students’ and teachers’ unions, joined by workers and other interested parties saw the numbers swell to about a million by May 13, representing the largest strike against the government of Charles De Gaulle (1890-1970) while bringing the whole economic life of the country to a halt. The brutal police repressions worsened the situation, leading to violent street battles, especially in the Latin quarter. Even though by that time Thien Shih had already moved to another area, it was to have significant consequences. On one of the evenings during that month of protests and skirmishes, Thien Shih was beaten and arrested with another Malaysian student who came for a short course in printmaking and took up lodging with him for weeks. They were caught for loitering and taking photos of the riots and subsequently spent the night in jail. Thien Shih had his camera confiscated and was put in a cell with more than 40 student protesters who continued to protest and chanted slogans through the night. While the other fellow promptly left the country the following day, Thien Shih had his scholarship revoked by the French government the following month. De Gaulle dissolved parliament for fresh elections, proceeding to win an even bigger majority with the whole uprising dissipated as abruptly as it spontaneously began.

Without a scholarship, Thien Shih could not continue with his studies. Thien Shih began busking full time at sidewalk cafes and the metro in Paris with an African American by the name of Bruce Harrington just to make ends meet. Thien Shih and Bruce, who left the US to avoid being drafted to fight in Vietnam, had been busking together sporadically before the riots. During this period, Thien Shih also sold his prints through galleries and exhibitions. Thien Shih came back to Malaysia briefly to organize a group exhibition of prints with his course mates from Atelier 17 and Hayter at Samat Gallery, followed by a second group exhibition at the Singapore National Library. Shortly, after returning to Paris that year, he wrote to the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London for admission to their postgraduate course in printmaking. His “Last day of 1968” etching was included in 'Modern Prints ' authored by Pat Gilmor, who came across it at Curven Press Gallery. It was published by E P Dutton (June 1970) while his other prints were accepted for the 1st British Print Biennale (1968).

ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART, LONDON (1970-71)

Thien Shih merrily continued with his life as a fulltime struggling artist and busker in Paris, supplying his works to the European market while crooning Spanish and English songs aided by his trusty acoustic guitar to supplement his meagre income. Abdul Latiff Mohidin came over from New York and stayed with Thien Shih for about three weeks. The two had spent time together abroad about a year ago when Thien Shih made a transit stop at Bangkok on the way to Paris. He met up with Abdul Latiff and Thai artist Damrong Wong and visited Silpakorn University, which specializes in fine arts and archaeology at that time.

1969 continues to be a year of turmoil and upheaval. The communal riots in Kuala Lumpur that began on 13th May made international headlines, (as well as other communal riots around the world.) Further nuclear testing was carried out by the US, Soviets, China and France with destructive impacts on the environment. The space race between the Soviets and the Americans intensified, resulting with the Americans landing on the moon and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) as the first human to step foot on that barren and lifeless satellite 384, 400 kilometers from Earth. On the art front, David Bowie released the single “Space Oddity” in reference to the landing, The Beatles released their 11th studio album” Abbey Road” (with that iconic photo of them at the zebra crossing) one year before they disbanded and of course the first Woodstock Music and Art Fair which drew a crowd of half a million.

On September 1969, after two successful interviews, Thien Shih was admitted as a fulltime student at the Royal College of Art (RCA). He moved to London and stayed at Woolwich, South east, London which was 45 minutes away from RCA by train. He met Julian Trevelyan (1910-1988) head of the printmaking department, who had also studied under Hayter in Paris and as a member of Surrealism who had worked with Max Ernst, Kokoschka, Picasso and Miro in the past. He also taught David Hockney, who continues to be one of the biggest names in contemporary art today. Thien Shih who saw and was impressed by Julian’s prints in Paris regretted he did not have the opportunity to study under Julian as he retire soon from RCA due to health problems. Thien Shih had also stumble upon a small book written by Julian in RCA’s library where he posed three questions to would-be artists. It was a small but significant book that was personally inspiring to Thien Shih.

While at RCA, Thien Shih also took supplementary studies in photography under John Hedgecoe (1932-2010), an award-winning photographer who had established the photography department in RCA and an author of 30 books on photography. The following year, Thien Shih attended part-time, lessons in cinematography at the school of film at RCA. Here his growing interest in film as a complete artistic communicative tool in conveying ideas, messages or emotions.

The RCA would engage artists as visiting lecturers and Thien Shih had the pleasure of meeting Henry Moore, David Hockney and Allen Jones who did works at the printmaking studio with students. While in London, new editions of his erotic prints were acquired by the Felicity Samuel Gallery while his abstract pieces from the Atelier 17 days by Pallas Gallery. His print works was accepted for the 2nd British Print Biennale in 1970 and a few months later, the 7th International Biennale of Prints, Tokyo. Thien Shih also sold prints at Bayswater Rd at Hyde Park on weekends.

Even though things were looking very encouraging, with Thien Shih learning a lot, taking in the latest art and cultural trends of the Brits, it was obvious that London didn't have the kind artistic climate that is the natural charm of Paris. As money was running short, with no other means available to ameliorate his financial circumstances, Thien Shih requested to complete his postgraduate studies within 2 years instead of the stipulated 3. He graduated in June 1971 and promptly went back to Paris.

CITE INTERNATIONALE DES ART STUDIO (1972-1974)

Thien Shih continued with his plebeian existence of painting, printing and busking in Paris. He visited museums, galleries and went to the cinemas on weekends. He submitted 5 explicit prints to the Biennale de Paris 1971, went on a tour to West Germany and visited Documenta 5. He struck a friendship with the American avant garde jazz musician Anthony Braxton, whom he met when he taught silkscreen printing at the American Center for Students and Artists which hosts contemporary artistic practices and expressions. He befriended the poet-novelist Pierre Lexert (who was later awarded the National Order of Merit and Order of Academic Palms for his contributions to literature) while busking in a Chinese restaurant in Paris. Thien Shih contributed some lithographic works for “DU”, a journal Lexert edited. In 1972, Pierre Lexert decided to relocate back to his hometown in Valle D'aosta, Italy and traded with Thien Shih his 2CV Citroen for two of his prints, “Test Tube Plant” and “Tongue and Egg”. That same vehicle is depicted in Thien Shih’s famous “Dead Souls are Laughing at Us” screen print. During this period, two of his prints were also acquired for the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France).

He had works on consignment in a few galleries, among them Galerie de Varenne, established by Jacque Damase, a famous publisher and editor who had worked with some of the giants in Modern art namely Picasso, Braque, Chagall, Robert and Sonia Delaunay as well as significant others. Jacque was impressed enough with Thien Shih’s erotic prints and offered to organize his first one man show at the gallery in two years’ time showcasing paintings based on the same erotic themes.

In the meantime, Thien Shih applied to the Cite Internationale des Arts, with a recommendation letter from Jacque Damase, and was accepted as an artist in residence in 1973. Cite Internationale des Arts is an arts foundation established by the City of Paris, Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1965 which provides residencies for arts practitioners from around the world for a duration of a few months to a maximum of 2 years. Set in a prestigious location overlooking the Cathedral of Norte Dame and the Seine River, Thien Shih was surrounded and inspired by an international cast of architects, sculptors, painters, designers, writers, musicians, etc. Anthony Braxton, whom he met earlier also had a room in the same building and was constantly experimenting with different types of wind instruments. He continues to make music today. From the countless hours of cultural and creative exchanges with these outstanding individuals, Thien Shih gained a new perspective towards his calling as an artist. The different methods and ways of arriving at their creative objectives were an eye opener, and their passionate commitment to their work was inspiring.

His significant prints especially from this period already displayed his high technical proficiency and conceptual maturity where he combined aspects of Surrealism with social commentary. Influences from Psychedelic art are also evident in terms of color use and background patterns. Issues highlighted in his works especially the ecological and cultural together with a critical observation of humanity’s foibles, became staple themes in Thien Shih’s creative outputs. It was this period when he produced “Dead Soul are laughing at us” and “Not yet! but it’s going to happen”. After completing his tenure, Thien Shih made the decision to return to Malaysia.

Coming home in the mid 1970’s did not mean coming back to the land of coconut milk and satay marinated with honey or scenic fishing villages and a kampung of happy, laid-back natives with comely buxom maidens unrealistically romanticized by so many of Malaya’s pioneer artists, charmingly presented in their picturesque paintings. The nationhood of Malaysia itself was beset with many teething problems just 12 years after its inception in 1963. It did not get any better after booting Singapore out in 1965. The country’s political, cultural and especially economic situation was set to undergo significant changes for the next few decades guided by policies that was formulated to deal with the aftermath of the communal riots of 1969.

Between 1975 to 1980, a number of incidents took place.

There were the hostage crises at the AIA building where Thien Shih had his first solo and later group exhibitions in the 1960s. The Japanese Red Army, a small group of militant extremists from Japan with ties to other insurgent groups in the Middle East and Africa, somehow found their way to the AIA building which housed several foreign embassies, via the Klang River in a small submarine. The situation was resolved without any killings when their demands were met and was allowed to escape to Libya. In an unrelated incident, the Tugu Negara (National Monument) was damaged by bombs set off by “a lone communist terrorist”. Later, an unprecedented aviation tragedy for the country occurred when the Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 was hijacked and crashed by an unknown person, killing all onboard. The motive behind the hijacking remains unclear. Another unresolved mystery involving an aviation tragedy was the plane crash that killed Tun Fuad Stephens (1920-1976), his son and several top members of his cabinet. Till today the original investigation report on the plane crash that took the life of Sabah’s first and later fifth chief minister remains classified.

Tun Abdul Razak (1922-1976) the nation’s second premier (1970-1976) who first opened diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of Chine (PRC), had pass away during that time. He is remembered, among many other contributions, for forming the basis of the Malayan Education System, the development policy known as the Red Book and for launching the New Economic Policy @NEP (1971-1990).

THE 80’S

But the 1980’s was a decade full of promise and optimism presented in a full spectrum of electronic colors. Color in television was introduced to Sabah and Sarawak by the Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) for the first time just a few years after making it available in the peninsula.

And Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (b.1925) became the fourth and subsequently the longest serving prime minister of Malaysia (1981-2003).

Malaysia’s economy was set for an unprecedented growth as the country shifted from a predominantly agriculturally based industries to manufacturing export-oriented electronic and electrical equipment. In the next few years Malaysia became the largest exporter of semi-conductor industry. As the country began to actively court foreign companies to set up shop here to take advantage of the relatively cheap workforce, standards of living began to improved. Here are a few interesting highlights from that decade.

Fast food giant McDonald’s opened its first outlet in Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL in 1982, nine years after Kentucky Fried Chicken (now KFC)’s first outlet in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, in KL. TV3 was launched and Proton Saga, the country’s National Car was on the roads in 1985. The legendary lawyer turned singer songwriter Sudirman Arshad (1954-1992) held an open-air concert in Chow Kit which attracted a hundred thousand. KL was at a standstill. He went on to become Malaysia’s no 1 entertainer as well as winning the “Best Performer” in the Asia Music Award contest held at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1989. Landmark buildings began to make their mark in and around Kuala Lumpur, which began to expand upwards and sideways at a pace in tandem with the emergence of the nouveau-riche. Commercial art galleries mushroomed overnight in KL and the Klang Valley to meet the demands for artworks to decorate homes and offices. Artworks became investments, status indicators, signs of distinction and sophistication. Before the decade was over, even the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), which had fought alongside the British and other Malayan freedom fighters against Japanese occupation (1941-1945) of then British Malaya had exhausted itself and decided to end its armed struggle against the Malaysian government after 20 years of protracted offensives. A series of peace treaties were signed.

On the international front, the Berlin Wall, which separates both physically and ideologically the Capitalist East and Socialist West of Germany came falling down in 1989. Constructed in 1961, its fall signalled the widening cracks that eventually saw the disintegration of the great Iron Curtain that held the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) together three years later, thus ending the Socialist Utopia in central and eastern Europe which began in the late 1930s.

For Long Thien Shih, the 80’s marked a busy period of balancing the pursuits of making a living for his family and making a mark in the local art scene that began to saw more participation by young talents trained from local art institutions as well as those from abroad. Malaysia’s contemporary art practices emerged tentatively, taking a visibly localized form though the scope of their concerns went beyond the purely esthetical and formalistic, encompassing the socio-political and cultural issues that came to fore due to the shifting of values and paradigm. Thien Shih continued his exploration of issue-based works with the focus on traditional forms of local ethnic culture, especially the Dayaks, as well as those relating to the ecological, an interest developed from his Paris days. As the country was eager to move forward in an accelerated pace to catch up with other industrialized nations of the first world, the same socio-cultural, political and economic as well as environmental problems that had plagued (and continues to plague) those countries in the decades earlier however, now became ours.

Thien Shih also became an active member of Persatuan Pelukis Malaysia (PPM) where Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal (1929-2011), Malaysia’s National Art Laureate was its first President in 1981. But he remembers being most active during the time when the late Ahmad Khalid Yusoff (1934-1997) was its helmsman in 1987, with many exhibitions and outdoor activities carried out in various parts of the country.

In 1986, Thien Shih took a kiosk in Central Market when it was opened to the public as a center for arts and crafts after the authorities transformed it from a wet market. Besides making a bit of money from sketching portraits, he had the pleasure of “performing” his trade “live” and socializing with the everyday people, something he had always enjoyed doing since his busking days in Paris and selling his prints in Bayswater Rd in London on weekends. When shop lots for rent were offered, Thien Shih secured one, which he maintains with his wife till this day. That modest shop, aptly named “Bijou”, became a convenient place for Thien Shih’s circle of artist-friends to meet and interact.

Throughout the 1980’s, Thien Shih continue to exhibit his works as a solo artist and in group exhibitions. However, he singles out two paintings that are of particular significance to him personally, namely 'Dancers on the beach' (1985)’ and “Earth, Air and Water” (1986). The former is a prime example of not only his mastery of the watercolor medium, it is also reflective of his philosophy, that life should be lived in a free and natural way without the cages of ideology. His anthropomorphic dancers, blurring the distinction between beasts and men, transcends binary opposition thinking to arrive at the instinctual and the exuberance. This painting, in a slightly surrealistic manner, captures the joie de verve spirit that was part of his outlook, already evident in the oil painting “Joy of Living” (1964) painted when he was just 18.

The simultaneous presence of the logical/illogical dichotomy in complementarity via composition, subject matter and form, is best exemplified by the works of the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Margritte (1898-1967), whom Thien Shih admits to be of a pivotal influence. While he may adopt a similar approach in his works, it has the added critical and humorous slant which Thien Shih expertly manipulates to deliver his wry observations and reactions to issues affecting flora, fauna as well as humanity in a less didactic but cerebral way.

Long Thien Shih’s works are issue-based with elements of the surrealistic and symbolic, and these aspects are best illustrated with the second abovementioned work, “Earth, Air and Water” (1986). Deceptively simple and sparse, this acrylic painting is powerful for its playful symbolism, denoting irony. The shadow of a bird cage falling on an unsuspecting bird at rest is an example of the insidiousness of mental bondage while the rare Orchid flower, so prized by collectors is instead kept locked up in the same cage is an indictment of our commodity fetishism. When both irrational tendencies have been hammered deep enough by vested parties into the psyche, total control is complete. To be physically incapacitated from carrying out the will of our natural instincts by imaginary shackles and the insatiable urge to accumulate by means of ownership... are these symptomatic of our age of “mismatched values” where form follows fallacies, fictions and conspicuous consumption, resulting in a sense of powerlessness and meaninglessness that contributes to our deep feelings of discontentment and inexplicable states of alienation?

In 1987, Thien Shih helped to facilitate Malaysia’s first entry into the 3rd Asia International Art Exhibition (AIAE) which was held in Fukuoka. Two years later, the National Art Gallery (NAG) appointed him as Malaysia’s representative to the 3rd Asia Art Show’s “Printmaking Workshop” in Fukuoka. There he met fellow artists Ha Dong Chul (Seoul), Pirous Jalil (Bandung) and Aviado Pandy (Manila) among others who became associated with the AIAE ever since.

The decade came to a close with the passing of Tun Hussein Oon (1922-1990) Malaysia’s third premier, who is remembered as the “Father of Unity” in May, and Tunku Abdul Rahman (1903-1990) who became the country’s first prime minister in 1957, in the month of December. He is forever etched in the memories of the Merdeka and post-merdeka generation as the “Father of Malayan Independence”.

RESIDENT PRINTMAKER AT THE CREATIVE CENTER (1990-1998)

It was a decade of “firsts” among many others, ushering the rush for the “longest” and the “tallest” that would become a national obsession exemplifying the spirit of “Malaysia Boleh!” a popular slogan launched in the early 1990s.

The 90s began with the thick haze from forest fires that engulfed Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. The traditional method of using fire as a land clearing tool was the main cause for the haze which had over the years, gotten worse as more opt for this method because it is the easiest, fastest and the cheapest. It has since become an annual environmental disaster that is greeted with the usual finger pointing and cynical obfuscations without any solution in sight. Among other disasters involving the environment was the construction of the controversial Bakun Dam project in Sarawak which, after inflicting much irreparable damage to the land and displacing the indigenous population, was abandoned. The dam was supposed to be the largest in Malaysia with plans to supply 70% of the electricity produced to peninsula Malaysia through submarine cables across the South China sea.

On a more optimistic note, Malaysia’s Badminton Team finally won the prestigious Thomas Cup after losing it to Indonesia in 1970, and the national anthem “Negara Ku” was given an upbeat tempo, with its marching beat to propel us forward in realizing the objectives of “Wawasan 2020”, a visionary programme, envisioned by the then prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to make Malaysia a fully developed nation by the year 2020. The middle of that decade saw the introduction of the internet in Malaysia and Perodua’s “Kancil” car hit the streets in style. The STAR Light Rail Transit (LRT) began operation.

The late legendary “King of Pop”, Micheal Jackson (1958-2009) held his first concert in Malaysia at the Stadium Merdeka in 1996.

Just as the country was scaling great heights, with M.Magendran and N. Mohanadas being the first Malaysians to reached the peak of Mount Everest, and the newly completed PETRONAS Twin Towers proclaimed as the tallest building in the world, the Asian Financial Crisis struck. The decade ended with the Reformasi movement led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim (b.1947) with mass demonstrations, rallies and the formation of a new political party as well as strategies that would change the political landscape of Malaysia in times to come.

The words “crony” and “crony capitalism” entered Malaysia’s political vocabulary and discourse.

The National Art Gallery (NAG), which had operated at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Hall, in Jalan Ampang since 1958, was relocated to the former Majestic Hotel in 1984. At its new premise, it also operated a creative center. In 1990, Thien Shih was appointed resident printmaker and facilitator of the print workshop at the creative center. The print workshop was the place where local artists who were keen to learn the techniques of etching and engraving would throng to. It was also a popular meeting place between local and foreign art practitioners. The American Neo Dada/ Pop artist, Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) and team visit the workshop when he had his Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) exhibition at the NAG in 1992. It was his last stop in South east Asia before returning to the states. The exhibition was officiated by the former Yang Dipertuan Agong, Raja Azlan Shah (1928-2014) of Perak. In the next few years as resident printmaker and facilitator at the creative center, Thien Shih would meet with a number of well-known artists from abroad who became good friends. There was Tisna Sanjaya (Bandung) and Prayad Pongdam (Bangkok) who came to work at the studio as participants of the ASEAN Prints Workshop 1993 sponsored by NAG. In 1995, Thien Shih also made the acquaintance of Tetsuya Noda, the contemporary artist and printmaker from Japan when he was invited to conduct demonstrations on Japanese woodblock printing techniques.

BORNEO ANTHROPOLOGUE

The Bakun Dam project in Sarawak, which had done irreparable damage to the flora and fauna as well as displacing the indigenous people in the areas affected (the size slightly bigger than Singapore was submerged in water) was the main impetus behind Thien Shih’s “Borneo Anthropologue” series of prints and mixed media paintings, many produced during his time at the creative center. The images of the indigenous people in their traditional costumes dancing or engaged in everyday activities are presented in stylized, abstract and colorful approach to emphasize the dynamic life force they embodied. Avoiding the usual stereotypical depictions, Thien Shih’s approach is contemporary, respectful and celebratory of a race of proud warriors and powerful matrons who, unfortunately are on the verge of losing their traditional way of life and habitat due to the onslaught of “progress”, “modernization” and “civilization”. Works such as the etching “Borneo Double Image” (1994) and the acrylic painting “Faulty Image” (1996) warns that the indigenous people are always left behind and forgotten when faced against the machinations of “development” and “progress”, the mantras of both the Capitalists and Socialists, as history has proven countless of times. The displaced are like background noises and blurred images on television screens due to bad receptions.

DALANG

The new millennium had begun with the September 11 attacks in New York, USA and the subsequent occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan led by the US. Malaysia’s national anthem “Negara Ku” was changed to its original slow march version, perhaps reflecting the mood of the times. The earthquake and tsunami that hit various parts of Asia and Southeast Asia including Malaysia in 2004 was considered the deadliest in recorded history. The combined death toll from 14 countries affected is estimated to around 280, 000. Even sending our first angkasawan, to outer space in 2007 did not manage to uplift the nation’s spirits. A year later, the ruling coalition was delivered its worst results in the nation’s 12th general elections. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (b.1939) Malaysia’s fifth premier was forced to step down before his term expired.

In 2010, Thien Shih had a solo exhibition at a private gallery in KL. It was a survey exhibition where selected works produced between the 1970’s to 2010 were showcased. The title of that exhibition was called “Dalang”, the puppet master behind traditional Malay “wayang kulit” or shadow puppet theater. The “Dalang” here refers to those with vested interests who manipulate events or engineer crises so as to remove obstacles to unbridled access to natural resources or business opportunities. It also includes securing political allegiances and monopoly rights that was difficult to obtain in the first place. These “Dalangs” work by hiding behind distortions, disseminating misinformation and playing up sentiments to misled its unsuspecting victims to become its willing pawns in their conflicts around the world, usually in complicity with other vested parties from the ruling and business classes. The results of their manoeuvrings have wide destructive implications and dire consequences for the environment, countries and humanity. These “Dalangs” continue to play their games with no resolution or end in sight.

CONCLUSION: HOW MANY MORE WILL IT TAKE

In his later works, Thien Shih began to train his critical gaze at the possible dangers posed by biotechnology and genetic engineering with its potentially negative impact on the ecosystem as well as on humanity. His acerbic observations are expressed in the digital print “Bar Coded Man” (2001), the oil on canvas “Act of Men” (2007) and the iconic water color painting “How Many More Will it Take” (2012). It is not so much the intention to “improve” the quality of life through science, which humans have done so with agriculture, production of food and medicine for thousands of years that is at the heart of his contention. As a lay person making a non-scientific observation, it is the mad rush for profits which saw the marriage of conveniences between “bad” science and commercial avarice operating without any ethical considerations or moral restraints that is the problem today. Adventurism in biotechnology and genetic engineering funded and pursued by corporations and those with vested interests have not only ethical implications but when unleashed on nature, may cause disequilibrium to the natural order, with unintended, irreparable consequences. “The Blue Rhino” (2010) and “Delusion” (2013), are acrylic paintings on canvas that underscores this point.

The dissatisfaction with self and nature drives men to seek ways to overcome weaknesses, actual and imaginary. When done right, based on real needs, its benefits are boundless. But when its endeavours are to meet the insatiable and irrational demands for novelty, vanity and bigotry, it deserves to be reprimanded and ridiculed for its excesses, narcissism and prejudice. Underlying these symptoms are our deep sense of discontentment of who we are and the alienation from ourselves, work and surroundings. What is the root cause(s) for this dis-ease? Perhaps the lack of harmony and balance in our approach to life? The overzealous emphasis of who we can or ought to be instead of acceptance of who we really are? Our subscription to totalitarian ideologies and beliefs that leaves no room for personal expression of our unique individuality?

Or overly self-centered pursuits of status and objects to fulfil our existential lacks, goaded by consumerism and materialism?

How many more will it take for us to realize that our needs are few but our wants are endless? How many times must history repeat itself before we learn the missteps and errors of our ways? How much degradations, destructions and deaths does it take to make us accept that we are only human, fallible and mortal?

According to Thien Shih, quoting a legendary singer songwriter “the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind”.

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