A fresh collection of Johor-inspired art

 

The inaugural Art Bridge International Art Camp 2024, held in Johor Bahru from July 10 to 14, brought together some 180 artists from over 20 nations.

 

The concourse in the indoor section of R&F Mall
was curated into an art gallery

Gifted with skills in working with oil and acrylic paints, these artists were from Thailand, China – Hong Kong and Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, India, Philippines, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Poland, Spain, France, Bangladesh, Serbia, Egypt and Nepal.

 

Southern University College students from the Faculty of Art & Design along with some 30 participants from the Johor Bahru chapter of Urban Sketchers had the privilege to join this art camp with the pleasure to interact with the international artists in a multi-ethnic mix of talents.

 

A section of the Art Bridge Workshop 
held in the R&F Mall, Johor Bahru

This exciting art camp was organised by the Southern University College in collaboration with co-organisers and venue sponsors like R&F Princess Cove and R&F Mall in Johor Bahru.

 

To gain better insights into the local culture and heritage, an itinerary of interesting activities was arranged for the artists to experience the city’s heritage quarter, Kukup fishing village and Tanjung Piai, the southern-most tip of mainland Asia.

 

From the outdoor section of R&F Princess Cove that overlooked the Straits, the artists enjoyed a panoramic view of the Causeway which links Johor to Singapore.

 

An aerial view of the Art Bridge Workshop
in R&F Mall, Johor Bahru

This Causeway recently celebrated its 100^th anniversary since it was opened in 1924 and has since developed into one of the busiest border crossings in the world.

 

During the art camp, Art Bridge Workshops were held in the campus of Southern University College and the R&F Mall where an Art Exhibition was showcased the artists’ completed art work.

 

Art enthusiasts and the public were invited to observe the artists while they painted, comfortably in the concourse within the indoor section of the R&F Mall.

 

Yong Look Lam with his paintings

The concourse was transformed into a massive art workshop for the artists to create their Johor-inspired art on canvas in a choice of five themes: the Southern University College campus, Tanjung Piai, Kukup Fishing Village, the Johor Bahru heritage quarter and the Causeway.

 

By 6pm on Saturday, July 13, the concourse was curated into an art gallery where the finished works of these artists were arranged for public viewing and appreciation.

 

It was heartwarming to view this fresh collection of Johor-inspired art, seen through the eyes of international artists to Johor, who interpreted the scenes on canvas in their unique, artistic renditions using oil and acrylic paints.

 

Johor's iconic Sultan Ibrahim Building with a 
lamp-post in the foreground that features
the pepper and gambier motif

Some of the painted scenes showcased familiar landmark buildings in our city like the Sultan Ibrahim Building on Bukit Timbalan and the eye-catching corner shophouse dubbed the Red House, at the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk.

 

Some artists even picked up on Johor’s heritage of pepper and gambier that helped to grow the state’s economy in the 1800s. Pepper and gambier thus earned a place of honour and adopted as an iconic motif used throughout the state, as was seen in the designs on the lamp-posts in the city.

 

The visit to Kukup Fishing Village and Tanjung Piai inspired a number of artists to choose the theme of fishing boats, mangrove forests and rustic seascapes.

 

Loo Hooi Nam with his paintings

At Tanjung Piai, the artists may have had close encounters with the long-tail macaque but some artists stretched their imaginations to paint animals like the Malayan tiger as well as the Malayan tapir.

 

Portrait artists were inspired by our multi-cultural community to paint portraits of charming Malay ladies while modern artists chose to create colourful abstract pieces where the multi-colours personified our multi-cultural community.

 

Some artists were inspired by the 100-year-old Causeway to create interesting scenarios that featured the Causeway in their artwork while others painted scenes of the landscaped gardens in the campus of the Southern University College.

 

Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk
with the Red House in view

The inaugural Art Bridge International Art Camp 2024 ended with a closing ceremony with expressions of appreciation for the enthusiastic participation of the artists who successfully created a fresh collection of Johor-inspired art.

 

Director of the Museum & Art Gallery in Southern University College, Tan Chai Puan, expressed his delight with the art camp where international and local artists of different cultural backgrounds met to create art in Johor.

 

His new experience with this art camp where artists created artwork inspired by their visit to various destinations here, had inadvertently rekindled his desire to see the Johor Arts Festival revived again in Johor Bahru.

 

Like many fans of the Arts Festival, Tan has fond memories of the annual Johor Arts Festival that brought quality performing arts and cultural shows to our very doorstep. After 15 years, the annual Arts Festival came to an abrupt end with the untimely passing of its founders, Yap Siong Cheng and his wife, Suzie.

 

An artistic interpretation of the Causeway that links Johor with Singapore

As Johor Bahru is rapidly transforming as a modern metropolis and was already equipped with a performing arts venue in the Permaisuri Zarith Sofia Opera House at R&F Princess Cove, Tan strongly felt that Johor Bahru was ready to host performing and visual arts events in a revived Johor Arts Festival.

 

A familiar view of Johor Bahru's heritage quarter

Since the re-opening of the Permaisuri Zarith Sofia Opera House in 2023, fans of the performing arts have had the pleasure of enjoying live shows, presented by both local and international artists on this stage.

 

From his experience with an international visual arts event like the recently concluded Art Bridge International Art Camp, Tan was keen to encourage the revival of the Johor Arts Festival with the support of relevant agencies and their resources.

 

With the success of the Art Bridge International Art Camp, Tan was not willing to rest but determined to organize a sequel to the art camp to encourage more art appreciation in our community.

 

At the close of the art camp, the artists donated one of their paintings to Southern University College to add to their art collection for display in the Faculty of Art & Design or for sale to raise funds for charity.

 

Southern University College is located at PTD 64888, Jalan Selatan Utama, KM 15, off the Skudai Highway, 81300 Skudai, Johor.

 

R&F Mall is at Jalan Tanjung Puteri, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor. Opening Hours from 10am to 10pm.

 

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Tan Chai Puan, Yong Look Lam and Loo Hooi Nam