Malaysia has a reputation for being a tropical wonderland, with a vibrant culture that speaks to a long history of mixing traditions. You can hear many languages spoken on the streets here, making the rhythms of the city. In Kuala Lumpur, the cultural and financial center of the country, this is particularly evident, where a metropolitan sensibility mixes with an old tendency toward enjoying the moment. The good life is sought after and celebrated here, making it a perfect spot to spend some time, and get away from the hustle of home. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hotels are stylish and luxurious, reflecting the life of the city. It’s one of the places where all the hospitality of Malaysia is demonstrated in all it brilliance.
This is also reflected in the cuisine, and the art. The splendid cultures and traditions that come together here are evidences in the spices and the colors, and make for a glorious experience, if you can find the rhythm of the place. And it’s not difficult to get in tune with the infectious rhythms here, its vibrant heartbeat working as a clarion call to enjoy the here and now. One good place to enter the here and now is in the local galleries. You can see some spectacular new work, as well as some classical work, and one Malaysian artist who has been crossing over between both is Lee Joo For.
The world recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and in Kuala Lumpur, he had another exhibition at the SENI Gallery, this time honoring his whole body of work. He was born in Penang in 1929, and is now living and lecturing in Australia. He is one of the more influential artists here, working in engraving, woodcuts, and other forms that make him a force in the visual and graphic art worlds simultaneously. He started his art education here, and went to Europe when he was in his 30s on government grants to study art. There, he brought a spirit of expressionism and abstract expressionism to his work, and became part of a movement in the 1960s to develop new techniques and new thoughts on art in Malaysia, using both local and European forms to make a hybrid that is profoundly global and local.
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hotels · Kuala Lumpur · Lee Joo For · Malaysia · SENI Gallery
