This month, we feature artwork from the collection of Khai and Annie Lee
By Eeyan Chuah
Tan Kai Sheuan, Expressionless, 2013, Oil on canvas, 122 x 122 cm. Image courtesy of Khai and Annie Lee.
‘Expressionless’ is one of six oil paintings on canvas in an untitled series Tan Kai Sheuan worked on in 2013 to 2014, when he was living in Penang. Except for one painting which measures at 6ft x 6ft, the rest are 4ft x 4ft and depicts the close-up of a young woman’s face being squashed and distorted by a pair of hands. In one painting, her mouth is forced into a wide grin with two index fingers pulling at each corner, in another the skin on her face is being pulled back by the hands and she looks like her face has been pressed hard against a glass window. In ‘Expressionless’, her face is being pressed in by both hands; cheeks squashed in; mouth formed into an ‘O’; eyes blank; a sense of helplessness etched onto her blank expression. The same helplessness that is reflected onto the viewer, so realistic that it is often mistaken for a photo when scaled down on screen.
The subject’s sculptural face shows Tan’s skillful handling of light and shading, revealing his understanding of the musculature beneath the skin. The light reflected on the brow bone, the shadows within the eye sockets, the creases on the knuckles and the stray strands of hair standing in static, demonstrate Tan’s deliberate scrutiny and inexhaustible patience.
Tan was 30 years old when he painted this series. A time, he reflected, when he felt like he was being kept in a dark pit, trying to find a way out. Ironically, the inspiration for this painting and the series was the lack of inspiration in life. However, since life still needed to go on, he felt he had nothing better to do but to continue painting in reflection of his feeling of emptiness.
Tan Kai Sheuan grew up in Kulim, Kedah. He started painting at an early age, having been brought up under the influence of his godfather, Malaysian artist Heng Eow Lin. He then proceeded to study Fine Art after high school, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Chinese Culture University in Taiwan in 2007 and has been exhibiting locally and internationally ever since.
Tan is currently based in Fukuoka, Japan. It would be worth it to note that he states he has managed to overcome the low point in his life. His current series is one that exudes hope as he explores the interconnectedness in life and everything within.
Eeyan Chuah—from Penang, lives in Penang. Writing is one of her very few skills.