Bewildered-A solo exhibition by Toon Hian
Once in a while there surfaces a great talent which has been kept under
wraps for years.
More often than not, the works of these geniuses are never seen by the
public; Created for their own personal consumption and never intended for
the public, these works feed their souls, and are purely personal
indulgences.
Toon Hian is one such individual.
Hailing from a prominent industrialist Chinese family from Ipoh, he was
schooled in the UK and thereafter came back to live, work and settle in
Ipoh, Malaysia. He is a successful businessman who is painfully private
and his artworks are his escape away from the realities of this world.
Over the last thirty years he has spent his evenings and weekends
dedicated to his art. Working mostly in indian inks and watercolours, his
works are honed to a skill which is reminiscent of Picasso’s late
drawings, drawing image references from a daily feed of information
ranging from Animal Planet to CNN, the works are his own take on the world
at large and are a mesh of interlocking images which unfold to tell his
version of the story.
Employing very deft brushstrokes and fine textures Toon Hian’s artworks
reveal a simplistic naivete which is reserved only for those who have been
able to retain the ability to see things as they are.
‘Bewildered’brings together a collection of works that
have been amassed over the last thirty years. This will be the first time
that this reticent artist has agreed to show them in public.
‘Bewildered’ features at Wei-Ling Gallery from the 7th June-2nd July 2011.
Read catalogue essay; "A selection of drawings by Toon Hian 1980-2011" by Anurendra Jegadeva
 
A journey from afar Battle of wits
38cmx 28cm 38cmx 28cm
Ink on paper, 2001 Ink on paper, 2007
 
Jade Necklace Bewildered
38cmx 28cm 38cmx 28cm
Ink on paper Ink on paper
 
The Falconer Snake Charmer
38cmx 28cm 38cmx 28cm
Ink on paper Ink on paper
Enigma
38cmx 28cm
Ink on paper
Animals
 
A quarrel Choosing the right horse
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 1992 38cm x 28cm, 2001
 
Gopal & Jumbo the elephant In deference to the "hermes design"
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2005 38cm x 28cm
 
Pulling through Running Wild
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2000 38cm x 28cm, 2001
 
The bird lovers The birth
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2000 38cm x 28cm, 2002
Chinese Mythology
 
Arresting monkey by heavenly soldiers Cao-cao
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2001 38cm x 28cm, 2011
 
Chinese Phantoms Lord monkey - grand master of the heavenly stable
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2004 38cm x 28cm, 2001
 
Ming dynasty Mandarins greeting protugese officials The traitors forging documents
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2009 38cm x 28cm
Lord monkey in rage, unhappy with his new status as
Lord of the heavenly stables
Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2005
Human Relationships
 
A honest Group After reading Orwell
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2000 38cm x 28cm
 
Murder unusual Pantomine
Ink on paper Ink on paper
28cm x 38cm, 2009 28cm x 38cm, 2006
 
The Auction Elderly Indians in the old style
Ink on paper Ink on paper
38cm x 28cm, 2006 38cm x 28cm, 2004
 
The Japanese army during the 2nd World War Cunning Person
Ink on paper Ink on paper
28cm x 38cm, 2002 28cm x 38cm, 2000
Landscapes
 
Dissatisfied Meru Hill - Ipon city
Ink on paper Ink on paper
28cm x 38cm, 2010 28cm x 38cm, 2007
 
Landscape Landscape II
Ink on paper Ink on paper
28cm x 38cm, 2011 38cm x 28cm, 2006
Mythology
 
After Thaipusam Defeat of the Indian rajas under the hodre of the English soldiers
Ink on paper Ink on paper
28cm x 38cm, 2000 28cm x 38cm, 2001
 
The Garden Fairies The x-change
Ink on paper Ink on paper
28cm x 38cm, 2005 28cm x 38cm, 2010
Read article(s)
"Be wild and heard" by Geoffrey Yeow
The Star, Sunday 19th June 2011
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