Sights along Chang's 'The Road to Mandalay'

By Garret Kam

JAKARTA (JP): Watercolor paintings by Malaysian artist Chang Fee Ming presented a feast for the senses during a recent exhibition of The Road to Mandalay at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, from June 2 to 10.

For those who are familiar with his characteristic paintings of cropped female torsos tightly wrapped in brilliantly patterned textiles, these twenty-two works focused instead on loosely draped monochromatic robes of monks in Myanmar and Thailand. Strung together with Buddhist sashes like jewels on a necklace, the exhibition ambience appealed to all the senses, with incense, music, and actual monk robes, which brought the paintings to life and invited contemplation.

Yet, in spite of their subjects, these are not religious works but instead emphasize the human side of sacred traditions, as seen in the backside of a young woman praying to Buddha in Please Take Good Care of My Daughter. The artist's continuing fascination in the rich textures and folds of cloth and the play of light through fabric is evident in Mandalay and In This Earth, In That Wind. The body, whether silhouetted behind a robe or briefly exposed amidst layers of fabric, is present and an important part of each painting. The message is clearer in Fields of Gold in which the wrinkled hands of a meditating senior monk are paralleled by the dramatic folds of his yellow robe; together they evoke a deep and ancient spirituality. This painting appears to radiate light from an inner source. In all of these works the colors of the robes are those of the earth, connecting the people and their faith to the land.

While foreground figures are emphasized,, background elements play key roles. A darkly gnarled tree trunk on the left side of Ruby Bead, Diamond Sutra is contrasted by sunlight filtering through foliage on the right, creating a translucent shadow play of leaves. The central figure of a monk reading a holy text appears suspended in space on a platform against this backdrop. One can almost sense his enlightenment in the way these visual elements are composed. Similarly, the softly moist and almost abstracted background foliage in Melody of a Thousand Waterdrops Falling provides a remarkable counterpoint to the precise drops clinging to the body of a bathing monk and ripples of water at his feet.

Not all of the artist's works feature human figures, yet the subjects are the works of human hands. In Reverberation of the Soul the silent echoes of a large, hanging temple bell continue to sound visually in the woodgrain of background panels. Carved figures appear to emerge from opened wooden doors to dance in the warm sunlight in two works ironically titled Stillness. These paintings show the timeless and eternal qualities of the human spirit.

Chang Fee Ming's characteristic cropped figures would be considered unacceptable by most photographers, unless, as a recent picture book on Vietnam shows, a photographer may have been influenced by his work of monks' feet, Mandalay. The artist makes us realize that one does not need to look very far to find beauty in simplicity. For those who have not yet gone to Myanmar, The Road to Mandalay presented a wonderful opportunity to make the journey, and to stop along the way to see some of the common yet beautiful sights.