Armed with a cheerful disposition and radiant optimism, Mandy battles through the COVID season by creating remarkable art pieces that bridge cultural disciplines.
By Kelvyn Yeang
Working from a little room in Sri York Condominiums, Mandy Maung creates stunning fine art pieces. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, here, she gets immersed in her talent and spends countless hours during the day painting. You can say that she is a natural, having taught herself how to paint after receiving her first watercolours when she was only five years old. Immediately after high school, she enrolled in a Graphics Design course at Equator College.
Mandy’s pivotal moment came when she travelled to Florence, Italy in 2015, where she studied painting under two renowned artists: Angelo Valada and Rossana Pinero for two months. “It is tough to explain. But when you are there, exposed to fine art in every corner of the city, you cannot help but feel inspired,” quips Mandy with excitement. Sculptors in Italy pay particular attention to representing fabric through the stonework—and this planted a seed in her mind.
Mandy knew she had to try her hand at painting fabrics.
Mandy Maung in her home studio.
Upon returning to Penang, Mandy began experimenting with painting pictures of fabrics, and the idea of painting batik origami animals came in early 2020. Detailed with beautiful motifs as well as significantly local and iconic, Mandy chose batik because it brings back fond memories of her grandmother’s sarong. The origami part was inspired by watching youtube videos of the art. When asked why she specifically chose origami animals, Mandy swiftly responds cheerfully that “everybody loves animals.”
Since March 2020, Mandy has produced 12 paintings and 13 monochrome illustrations she aptly calls the Orikata series with this newfound inspiration. Orikata is a portmanteau made up of Origami and Kata, the Japanese word for ‘form’. But according to Mandy, it can be interpreted in several ways. Ori is also short for original, and Kata is also the Malay word for ‘speak’. The paintings display a clear homage to Japanese and East-Asian cultures. “I feel like I am bridging cultures with my art,” she asserts.
At a glance, Mandy’s subjects call for attention. The batik’s striking colours and motifs acknowledge her Southeast Asian roots, while the origami forms inject a sense of modern relevance and playfulness. I can imagine these pieces perfectly embellishing any wall in need of character. And though she may not explicitly mention it, I feel that her personality is vividly imbued in her art—bursting with colour, assertive yet pleasantly down to earth.
On close inspection, the details of the fabric’s motif and fold textures are meticulously recreated in her paintings. Mandy’s preferred medium is oil paints. “Oil paints are more forgiving. With a longer working time, I can easily touch up an area if I am unsatisfied—something I can’t do with acrylics. They dry too fast!” chuckles Mandy.
Every detail is captured, resulting in countless hours of painting.
Mandy is a person that loves a good challenge. She juggles finding inspiration, being consistent with producing quality paintings, marketing them, and being a mother. When you are at it alone, “challenge” is an understatement. To make ends meet, Mandy also takes on commissions and works as a muralist on occasion. But these aren’t the only challenges Mandy has to face as an artist. “As it is, appreciation for art in Penang isn’t high. This can be tricky if you so choose to do this as a full-time profession,” she laments. She’s currently hoping for the COVID restrictions to ease because she plans to organise an exhibition in Georgetown.
Even with these hardships, Mandy is more determined than ever. To date, Mandy has participated in plenty of exhibitions, including three group exhibitions—Play (2017) and Kecik Kecik Group Exhibition (2019) at Hin Bus Depot, and 8″ by 6″ One Block At A Time (2019) at the Town Hall. Mandy has also held two solo exhibitions—Songs In Strokes (2016) at G-Hotel, Penang and SELF-ISH (2019) at Open Studios Penang.
Money & Time (Self-ish Series), 2019, acrylics and oil on canvas (silk Screen with gold leaf embellishment), 12 x 12 inches.
Image courtesy of Mandy Maung Art.
Conceptually, Mandy’s themes have constantly been evolving. When Mandy worked on SELF-ISH, she based her explorations on personal experiences and convictions, using herself as the main subject for the canvas. This is heavily contrasted with Orikata, which I feel is Mandy’s response to her surroundings and the objects she’s used to.
I can see the optimism in her eyes, and there is never a dull moment throughout the interview. “I want to be better. So I keep painting because I know I am improving,” remarks Mandy. Nothing is keeping her down, and of the 12 paintings she has completed, four have already been sold. People can still view these sold paintings at the eventual exhibition as she will be producing equal scale canvas prints for all the paintings that have been shipped out.
“Having a story behind every painting is the most important thing. The story gives the paintings life, and everyone loves a good story,” laughs Mandy.
I couldn’t agree more. There is undoubtedly more to come from this ball of energy. And though COVID-19 may create uncertainties in many areas, Mandy’s exuberance is always a guaranteed feature.
A man of many talents, Kelvyn Yeang is a content creator, musician and more. Nothing inspires him more than the city, people of Georgetown and a good cup of coffee.