It was a busy weekend for art lovers in Penang! Yesterday afternoon the 4th exhibition of the weekend opened, at the storied The Art Gallery, in Pulau Tikus, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. And true to form Director Tan Ee Lene has curated an exhibition that is definitely worth a visit, A Day in George Town, by Koay Sheng Tat.
Penangite Sheng Tat, known to all as Ah Tat, is one of the contenders for “most rapidly developing artist in Penang” prize. This is only his second solo exhibition – the first was at Galeri Seni Mutiara last year, and he has also participated in two group shows at The Art Gallery. Ah Tat specialises in watercolour paintings that illustrate the street life of George Town.He started with traditional watercolour painting, emphasising clarity, and has slowly become more bold and daring in his style, experimenting and exploring techniques such as “wet on wet” that are harder to control.
For this solo exhibition of 25 paintings, many of which sold on opening day, Ah Tat focused on what he describes as “missed moments” in George Town, especially unusual views of buildings, and the birds, flowers and insects that often pass unnoticed. The result is a romanticised, rose-tinted spectacles view of the city, which is none the less charming, and clearly reflects the way Ah Tat loves the place of his birth and career.
A Day in George Town: Koay Sheng Tat’s 2nd Solo Exhibition continues until 10th November 2019. Opening hours are Friday-Sunday 2pm to 5pm; other times, by appointments only by contacting Ee Lene at 012 – 604 1434 or eelenetan@gmail.com.
The Art Gallery can be found at 368-4-8 Burma Road, Level 4, Bellisa Row, Pulau Tikus 10250.