Miniature Public Art: Declining Artisans 没落的工匠
Public Art | Site-specific | Sculpture | Free
By Low Chee Peng (Malaysia)
Date & Time | 19 – 28 July |
Venue | Happening around the George Town World Heritage Site, to be discovered by you. Outdoor |
Description
When a craftsman passes on, what can we do to preserve their memory?
Declining Artisans is a sculpture series capturing traditional artisans at work, their breaths and their measured movements. Since the 20th century, many tradespeople have set up shop in Penang, quietly cultivating their skills and passing them on to the next generation. Today, Penang boasts over fifty types of traditional trades, however many have disappeared over the years, due to rising rental costs and lack of succession due to the passing of artisans.
Traditional trades inject soul and charm into George Town’s old houses. If a house loses its soul, only an empty shell is left behind. How can we recall the warm atmosphere that once filled these houses with life?
Through sculptures depicting tradespeople, Declining Artisans invites viewers to feel the atmosphere that once thrived within these buildings, to step into the lives of traditional artisans in little George Town.
MEdia Quotes
“Low [Chee Peng] has never taken the responsibility of creating public art lightly and continues to think of ways to interact with society through his art.” – Penang Art District
“[Low Chee Peng’s] intention is to speak to the locals. Public art to him is not merely decorative, it is a responsibility.” – Penang Art District
Artist
Low Chee Peng
Penang-born Low Chee Peng is a self-taught sculptor of 30 years experience. He has represented Malaysia in the Asia Contemporary Sculptors International Exchange (China, 2013) and the Oita Asia Sculpture Exhibition (Japan, 2016). He won the Jury Award in the first Online International Sculpture Symposium in 2020, and his work has been collected by the National Art Gallery and Penang State Art Museum.
Chee Peng’s works celebrate the human, the marks people make in their community. His works are a reminder to treasure the local, the small-scaled, and the seemingly ordinary.