“My previous landscapes were ‘impressions’, but now they have grown to be more deliberate visions. These visual elements such as lines, shapes, colours and textures have been reformed to express light-bearing elements. This newfound goal is meant to give viewers a deeper understanding of our nature. The nuances between light and shadow across the surfaces are manifestations of ‘intentions’ and my own visualisation of life’s passages – it is a calling, to overcome adversities, take a courageous stance, and my belief in a higher power.” – Yau Bee Ling
YAU Bee Ling’s approach to her recent works is still very much rooted with her connection to people and her surroundings, only this time around, she boldly ventures completely out, her canvases no longer has the lineation of figures we normally see – instead, she flicks and whirls colours in great blistering skeins with a wild intensiveness.
‘Light Bearer’ is the artist’s desire to understand and accept her place in the world, of unshakable spiritual beliefs, confronting an extreme phobia, relationships with every one around her and that inherent instinct to thrive despite and in spite of obstacles.
The water element plays a pivotal role in several of her canvases. After a traumatic near drowning experience as a child, the artist attempts to face this particular fear, and demonstrates that a terrifying experience can be turned into something deliriously cathartic.
The artist re-composes and re-imagines her connection to the cosmos via disintegrating mountainous landscapes, an ambiguous willow tree, refracted water-marked lines, withering branches and billowy flower petals – a desire to confront life’s obstacles derived from the strength given by her Maker.
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‘Mounthorn I, (Shan Jiao I)’ is painted in achromatic hues, fleecy blue and eloquent white – the artist’s interpretation of the majestic and her love for hiking. “Happiness is many things, be it walking by the beach, or petting a cat. I suppose it’s my way of saying that we should leave certain things be, to not poison the mind and relish in what life has given us, both good and bad. You can’t move a mountain, but you can climb it.”
Bee Ling also tackles deeply delicate matters – dealing with the mental health struggles of a close one, that feeling of helplessness when all one can do is watch and being unable to help as seen in ‘Battle of Confronting’. She feels everything, from anger, bitterness to anguish. And what does she do? Bee Ling confronts it all.
But there are also glimpses of that hope and faith we see in so much of her works. ‘New Blooms Arrived’ hints at the coming of spring, and with it, a sense of renewal. It is time to contemplate, and partake in the joy the world gives.
Her expansive, stylistic and rhythmic compositions, her remarkable compass of emotions, the abilitity to beautifully express complexities, moods, and the allaying of inner conflicts shows us an artist who possesses so much empathy and astounding strength.
‘Light Bearer’ is Bee Ling’s dialogue with the world, her methods to probe and excavate the crevices of who we are, what we are, and why we are here. It is her way of communicating through asking questions which beguile, and addressing conflicts with the past, present and future.
Throughout a career spanning almost three decades, Bee Ling’s work has consistently echoed her observations on the world and reflect autobiographical themes. Her works are deeply personal and profound in their symbolism, as she struggles to reconcile the broad gambit of human experiences and the complex roles of contemporary women in present-day society.
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Highly regarded as one of the country’s foremost painters, her work pays homage to a life ‘lived’. Over the years, Bee Ling has moved from one identity to another: from single woman to wife to mother. Each move, each curve in the winding road leading to where she is today is a journey of searching and looking for answers to the conflicts brought on by the transition from one phase of life to another.
Bee Ling has exhibited extensively in exhibitions across China, Pakistan, Singapore, Bangladesh, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, and represented Malaysia at the Asian Art Biennial in Dhaka, Bangladesh and at the Fukuoka Triennale. Her works are in the permanent collections of numerous private and public collections including Mulpha, Maxis Berhad and the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.
‘Light Bearer’ ends Saturday, November 26. – The Vibes, November 22, 2022
Wei-Ling Gallery
No 8 Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
T +60322601106
Gallery Information
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Operation hours: 10am – 6pm (Tuesday-Friday), 10am – 5pm (Saturday)
Closed on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays
