ACROSS Penang’s art galleries, doors are closed and spaces are dark. While some artworks remain on walls — there are no crowds viewing them. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a standstill, and the local art sector has certainly not been spared with society’s priorities shifting away from the canvas. Since mid-March, places where art is typically experienced — be it large galleries or small independent spaces — have been out of bounds due to the nationwide movement control order (MCO). Many art shows and related workshops were postponed or cancelled, forcing gallery operators and artists alike to embrace digitisation to

Helmy Abd Rahman helmy_rahman@hmetro.com.my ‘KELUARGA bahagia hanyalah syurga yang lebih awal’ dan ‘orang bahagia adalah mereka yang hidup kerana hobinya’ adalah dua ungkapan yang pernah diucap pemenang Hadiah Nobel Kesusasteraan 1925, George Bernard Shaw yang 100 peratus tepat apabila dikaitkan dengan keluarga ini. Bagi Maizul Affendy Baharuddin, 42, ‘energi’ seni memang sudah lama mengalir dalam kalangan ahli keluarganya. Bapanya, Prof Dr Baharudin Mohd Arus, 68, adalah pensyarah seni di Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) manakala isterinya, Haryani Mohamad, 43, kini bertugas sebagai Pengarah Balai Senilukis Pulau Pinang. “Sejak kecil lagi saya selalu ikut papa ke pameran seni di serata Malaysia dan di Amerika Syarikat ketika dia

WHEN artists get together for the Chinese New Year festive season, the end result is surely an explosion of creativity. This could be seen at Galeri Seni Mutiara in Armenian Street, George Town, Penang, which is currently hosting the 2019 New Year Art Discovery Exhibition. A group show featuring 32 experienced and emerging names, it is a celebration of creativity, colour and camaraderie. Participating artists of the 2019 new Year Arts Discovery Exhibition posing for the camera with Koay(left, in white) and toh (centre)seated in cyan). Visitors can feast their eyes on diverse works ranging from oil, watercolour, acrylic and ink paintings, to sketches

THE Rendezvous-Trio Art Exhibition at Galeri Seni Mutiara in Armenian Street, Penang, shows that artistic talent runs in the family. It brings together some three dozen works by Prof Dr Baharudin Mohd Arus and his two sons Maizul Affendy and Firdauz Ridzuan. The creations all have different styles and themes. Mount Kinabalu is the focus of Prof Dr Baharudin’s five acrylic and mixed media pieces. The 67-year-old, an associate professor at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, visits the area frequently. In March, he reached the summit on his own, gaining a new perspective on the mountain so revered by local groups. A visitor viewing a piece from Maizul’s

ARTIST Cheng Yeow Chye gets inspiration seeing a trishaw pedaller waiting for acustomer near the Goddess of Mercy Temple (Guan Yin Temple) in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, George Town, Penang, and he recaptures the scene on painting using vivid watercolours. “I was truly inspired by the scene. I did some sketches on sight and decided to create an artwork based on my sketches. “It was quite important to showcase the trishaw peddler and how he had helped many people to get to their destinations. “When I painted this piece, I left white spaces instead of overlapping it with colour. Penangite Cheng showing his artwork