Forever Magician, the latest exhibition showing at The Art Space, upstairs at ChinaHouse, is the latest in a long line of international solo and group exhibitions featuring Malaysian ceramic artist Lileng Wong. She was captivated by the art of pottery from an early age, and passed countless hours with her father at his workplace, a factory that produced red brick. There she was left to play with the clay, while her father fired up a six chamber vacuum wood kiln.
She went on to work as a graphic designer, but eventually returned to her childhood passion, and began to use clay to express her feelings, rather than simply to design traditional pots, while continuing her work in graphic design at the same time. Her inspiration for her playful, whimsical, sometimes magical pieces, she recounted ” comes from nature, animals, people and a big part of it involved in my recollections of childhood incidents.”
Specifically, she recalls, in 2007 she was accepted as one of the artists to participate in the Tsugaru Kanayama Pottery at Goshogawara city, Aomori, located in northern Japan, she learned to take care of the wood kiln for a firing session, how to watch and interpret the colours of fire to determine temperatures; how to listen to the crackling sound of burning wood to know when to add more. “That moment was magic”, she enthused, “it brought back the memory of dad firing his kiln. I could recall the smell of his work place…”
This exhibition, she explained, pays “homage to my beloved father, who is dearly missed and played such an important role in shaping the person I am today. As the fire keeps on burning…”
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LiLeng Wong was born in 1967, Kuantan, Pahang, and lives and works in Kuala Lumpur and The Netherlands. her exhibition at ChinaHouse is on until November 7th. Opening hours are 10am until 10pm daily, and there is no entrance charge,
Lileng Wong Exhibitions
2017 Alice in Wonderland – Group Show, Officine Saffi, Milan, Italy
2016 Tree of Life – Group Show, Ayala Museum, Phillippine
2016 Alice in Wonderland Symposium – Group show, Guldagergaard International Ceramic
Research Center, Denmark
2016 Making – Group Show, Shalini Ganendra Fine Art, Selangor, Malaysia
2014 Earth & Fire – 3rd Southeast Asian Ceramics Symposium, Workhouse Arts Center, Virginia
Washington, USA
2014 Day Dream – Two Man Show, Art Space I & II, China House, Penang, Malaysia
2011 Grant, Fire and Earth Contemporary Ceramics – Shalini Ganendra Fine Art, Selangor, Malaysia
2009 What Goes Up – Group Show, Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Selangor, Malaysia
2009 The Ring of Fire – Southeast Asian Ceramics Symposium, Ayala Museum, Philippines
2008 Ceramics Group Show – Badan Warisan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2006 Ceramics Group Show – Badan Warisan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2005 Selsius Exhibition – Group Show, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
2005 The 5th Elements – Group Show, Bon Ton Resort, Langkawi, Malaysia
2004 Touch of Clay – Group Show, Badan Warisan, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia
2003 Pottery Emotions – Group Show, Kraftangan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2002 Touch of Clay – Group Show, Badan Warisan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2001 Open Show – Group Show, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia