GEORGE TOWN: HIS long journey as an artist has been nothing short of inspirational.
Born in Penang in 1936, Cheung Pooi Yip moved to Kedah as a child and has since lived in Sungai Petani.
He has been honoured with the coveted Retrospective solo exhibition at the Penang State Art Gallery (PSAG) in Dewan Sri Pinang on Lebuh Light. The exhibition ends on Dec 31.
Cheung is the eighth artist to be given this much vaunted accolade, which is equivalent to the artists’ hall of fame.
It also epitomises the zenith of an artist’s career.
On display will be a collection of his paintings from the 1950s to the present day.
A 320-paged hardcover book on his life and paintings is also available.
Cheung had to help out in the family’s frame and mirror-making business at a young age.
Through the trade, he managed to save and paid for his education.
During his free time at the shop, Cheung took an interest in the drawings which were used as decoration for the borders of mirrors during the 1960s.
“I used to find the drawings on the mirrors intriguing and during my free time, I tried my hand at painting some designs on the mirrors. It ignited my interest in art.
“As the frame-making business was my family’s livelihood, I had to concentrate on ensuring the business was thriving and worked on my art at night,” he said.
During the difficult years of the 1950s, Cheung had at times thought of giving up on art but he persevered.
One of his paintings was later selected for the Singapore Local Artists Annual Show in 1961.
Since then, the self-taught Cheung has won more awards locally and internationally.
His association with great painters such as Datuk Chuah Thean Teng, Chieng Soo Pieng and Tan Choon Ghee, who were patrons of his shop, helped him to improve his art style immensely.
“I attended many exhibitions to exchange ideas with fellow artists so that I could improve.
“The joy of art is boundless and I choose the way which suits my personality and training.
“I follow my art and the dictates of my heart, searching for truth and beauty.”
Cheung’s works are also in the collections of a number of institutions of higher learning, corporations and public, as well as private, galleries.
In conjunction with Cheung’s Retrospective, art workshops are also being conducted by Project Bintang Kecil.
Project conductor Ambiga Devi said the workshops would take place during the duration of the exhibition and schoolchildren from the ages of 10 to 12 years are invited to take part.
“This project will help the schoolchildren and the public to appreciate and understand art.
“They will get to meet the artist and see how he has evolved over the years,” she said.
Present at the launch of the exhibition recently were PSAG chairman Datuk Tang Hon Yin, PSAG board member Lee Khai and exhibition curator Becky Choong.
The gallery is open from 9am-5pm (from Saturday to Thursday) and closed on Friday and public holidays. Admission is free.
For details, call 04-226 1461/226 1462, fax 04-226 1439 or email [email protected]
