About the Artist
Born Batu Pahat, Malaysia. Lives and works in New York.
Statement
Growing up in a Malaysian kampong (village), the youngest in a large, extended multi-generational family, I was exposed to the endless cycle of life and death, and beheld the power of all things living to adapt, transform, and evolve.
Of all our abilities, I sense deeply that we being both rational[1] and emotional[2] beings who lie at the intersection of perception[3] and intuition[4], objectivity and subjectivity, is what makes us unique both as a species as well as individuals. How we balance such opposing forces in our hearts and minds, as well as within our communities will, I believe, determine our destiny.
I hope to provide a lens into these powerful, but hidden, forces so that each of us in our own individual ways may search and find a path to harmony by resolving these complementary opposites, and perhaps glimpse some reason and purpose in the seemingly whimsical, random ways of nature.
- 1. Rational [adjective] governed by, or showing evidence of, clear and sensible thinking and judgment, based on reason rather than emotion or prejudice
- 2. Emotional [adjective] inspired or governed by emotion, and not by reason or willpower
- 3. Perception [noun] using the senses to acquire information about the surrounding environment or situation
- 4. Intuition [noun] being aware of or knowing something without having to discover or perceive it
Education
- 1988-91
- New York University, New York. M.A. in Studio Art
- 1981
- City of London Polytechnic, London, England. Full time studies in Painting and Drawing
- 1980-81
- Byam Shaw School of Art, London, England. Postgraduate certificate in Painting
- 1975-79
- National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei. B.F.A
Experience
- 1992-present
- Full time artist. New York
- 1986-87
- Full time artist. London, England
- 1985
- Part time Lecturer, Federal Art &Design Center, Kuala Lumpur
- 1984-85
- Dean of Art Department and full time Lecturer in Painting & Drawing. Central Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur
- 1982-83
- Full time Lecturer in Art. Malaysian Institute of Art, Kuala Lumpur
Exhibitions
- 2016
- “Crochet Coral Reef: TOXIC SEAS” group exhibition, Museum of Arts and Design, New York
“2016 Korea Bojagi Forum” group exhibition, Suwon, Korea
“Fresh Out of Storage” group exhibition, New York, 2016 - 2015
- “Crochet Coral Forest” group exhibition. Southwest School of Art, San Antonio, Texas
- 2014
- “Crochet Coral Reef” group exhibition. New York University Abu Dhabi Institute, UAE
- 2011
- “Hyperbolic: Reefs, Rubbish, and Reason” group exhibition. Williamson Gallery, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California
- 2010
- “Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef” group exhibition. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.
“Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef” group exhibition.The Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland - 2009
- “Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef” group exhibition. Scottsdale Civic Center Library, Scottsdale, Arizona
“Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef” group exhibition. Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, California - 2008
- “Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef” group exhibition. Hayward Gallery, London, England
“Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef” group exhibition. Winter Garden, World Financial Center, New York - 1999
- “Recent Works” solo exhibition. 456 Gallery, New York
- 1992
- “Sculpture” group exhibition. Kingsborough Community College Art Gallery, The City University of New York, New York
- 1991
- “Evolution” graduate solo exhibition. Washington Square East Galleries, New York
- 1986
- "Open Show” group exhibition. National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
“Modern Asian Ink and Color Paintings” group exhibition.Korea Culture and Arts Foundation, Seoul, Korea
“Side by Side” contemporary British and Malaysian Art group exhibition. National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
“Intuition and Expression” solo exhibition. Hotel Equatorial, Kuala Lumpur - 1985
- “Open Show” group exhibition. National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
“International Contemporary Ink Painting Association Exhibition” group exhibition. Genting Highlands, Malaysia
“National Invitational Art Exhibition” group exhibition.Kuala Lumpur - 1984
- “Ink and Brush Exhibition’84” group exhibition. Kuala Lumpur
“International Contemporary Ink Painting Association Exhibition” group exhibition. Seoul, Korea - 1983
- “Three Schools Professors and Lecturers Joint Exhibition” group exhibition. Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan
Catalogs
Selected Works. New York 2012
Selected Works 1989-1999. New York, 2002
Intuition and Expression. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1986
Presentations
My Journey With Plastic. NYC Clay Forum II, Department of Art and Art Professions, New York University, March 5, 2011
Publications
Gallery: What happens when you mix math, coral and crochet? It’s mind-blowing by Rebekah Barnett, IDEAS.TED.COM, Jan 31, 2017
Crochet Coral Reef by Margaret Wertheim and Christine Wertheim, Institute for Figuring, 2015. ISBN 978-0-9779622-3-5
The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef by Lawrence Weschler, Virginia Quarterly Review, summer 2011 volume 87 # 3
Works in Public and Private Collections
Public collections – Bank Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Institute for Figuring, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Private collections – Denmark, England, Japan, Malaysia and U.S.A.