E.H.Chee's on-line exhibition

E.H.Chee's soloshow - E.H.Chee:Paintings and Drawing are now exhibited on-line.

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budana2005

The Birth of BUDANA

Prologue

The birth of “Budana” does not only echoing the history of art in a very literal sense with the representation of a mother and child, besides, maternal bond and the sacred association, it allude to a whole spectrum of issues. He did it again and again, at an exhausting pace as though, abided by decree given or an admonition to all.

Echoing the history of art

After thousands of years this subject still is retaining the greatest power to many great artists from artists who first painted Madonna and child in the ancient Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome. Later, from such Greats as Filippo Lippi and some of the most famous Italian artist are Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, Giorgione, Giovanni Bellini and Titian, in the 16th century to YBAs, Damien Hirst, with a calf in formaldehyde solution, called mother and child, divided,

Chee has a great respect for old masters and his work reveal his reverence and high regard for his predecessors. He revisits old master imagery Madonna and child, not to copy but further to steal the beauty that belong to the mind.

Certainly, He has not forgotten the great artist Pablo Picasso quote;

“Bad artist copy. Good Artist steals.”

But when one practice to steal, one has already “copy” so to speak

Ironically, why heedlessness to the great?

He could not resist the temptation to draw Budana, as though, one has lost his love one, that left a deep wounded scar, reminded him again and again.

Related to his process of making

At the era of art scene is witnessing an explosion of contemporary outburst, and with the increasing use of unconventional materials by this generation’s of conceptual artist has prompted, He revert his exploration back to painting in the face of sophistication in contemporary art practice, to most fundamental approach, the works are simpler, reduced with charcoal drawings, with far more focused in expression, and established an ideal precedent for an artist now in a hurry, further, with restricted palette of grays and blacks only, allow less deal with the mechanics of the painting but not completely to ignore it; thus brings concentrations towards the subject matter intense.

‘Following the psychoanalytic investigation of art has been divided in two ways. Either it is regarded as fanciful, over-interpreting what is essentially simple, or it has been regarded as reductionist, applying cold hand of logic to the hot emotion of art’. (www.freud.org.uk/hirst.html.)

“BUDANA series” was born out of feuded and hostility within us. Ironically, the artist uses the harmonious image of mother and child as a metaphorically to speak of today hostility of life

E.H.Chee ‘s drawing of BUDANA, seems the child is allowed to be independence but at times have placed at the vulnerable and exposed position,

The mother carries and hold with loving and affectionate but also with very precautious, often look after and watch out for any unforeseen danger.

Looking at today’s we live in a world that is rife with war, poverty, violence, matrimony separations, discrepancy of religion, disaster and chaos in general.

In these merciless spaces, you can felt of mother’s senses of uncertainty and sadness of being entrapped into the unwelcome predicament.

He had also had begun to tackle the “BUDANA series” in forthright manner with the imagery of sacred association of mother and child, surpassing the beauty without omitting the most important art of feeling, emotional or spiritual depth. The artist progressively and unintentionally pursuit “ the beautiful in the mind”. This leads him to engaging to intellectual aspect and relies on emotion experience.

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Separations related

The psychological and emotional impacts like fear, angers and longings are unbearable.

No one can imagine how one going through the agony and suffering of loosing her child in tragedy. The anxiety undoubtedly felt at the sudden disappearing of a child.

What’s the traumatic moment for the parents?

- Divorce

In Matrimony separations, once the decree nisi came through followed by absolut (final decree in divorce proceedings), It also determines the faith of a child;

Some lost the child in the course of custody; the ex remarried and decided to change the child’s surname and name because of religion or for some other reasons without consequences that the child identity was altered, originality lost, possibly could not rediscover the root and culture of the child forever. It is a betrayed to the child that he’s not given to access to his genetically, historical origins and links. Isn’t it fait accompli?

- Poverty

Don’t forget our Poverty crisis. The pressure faced by such hard-core poor is likely to only increase as price-hike continue to inflict the economy, even though the authorities is trying to eradicate poverty but its not quick and effective enough to stop some poverty stricken families to give away their children,

(from the nutmeg verses by: Himanshu Bhatt./The Sun)

- Repressive Law

Parents are deprives from practice their parenting responsibility through I.S.A detention interruption. I.S.A is a repressive law against the very core of basic human rights. A child is being deprived of their rights as a child to have a parent and to grow up in a safe environment and without harassment. This is a form of child neglect and all this children, whom the government are abusing systematically.

- Greed

Mothers unaware that they are feeding their own baby with poison milk, tainted with melamine, mixed by corporation for maximum profit making.

These cruel separations of Mother and child were result by sheer greediness.

Upset and angry to those who rob and tear down the happiness that the mother’s arduously took to built and enviously guarded, but now only left a fragment of memories to be cherished.

She cried to bid her son goodbye with tears in her heart “I have no tears for you. But rest assured, forget you I will not. You shall always remain in a special corner of my heart, till the day I die. Son, goodbye…” ( reference: conversations with CK/pg.116)

Enduring idea

While recalled a poem written by Usmang Awang in 1955 title “Bunga Popi

Manusia gila perang telah membunuh segala mesra”

The artist hand holding pieces of willow sticks pounding charcoal into powder on canvas to leave mark, create another BUDANA painting after another, it was like he have been struck by this surpassing beauty which will always play and replay in one mind from his stealing beauty of the sacred bondage of “mother and child”.

Even though, today most contemporary gallery are racing to look out for new intellectual with cutting edge pieces and definitely they would not welcome and apprehensive to this so-called cliché “mother and child” images and subject like this which have been considered a tired, mundane and no longer a challenging subject for discourse,

He did not want to ignored a new spirit summoned and went on to do it. And he wants the viewer to see the true strength of this works not from the aesthetic and technique alone but for enduring idea.

The enduring idea of “The beautiful in the mind”

Epilogue

By that highest reverent name, I address you “Bonda”. You know your gift is only to reproduce so as to prevent extinction, somehow the bondage between you and offspring blossom, this bondage then separate human from all primates, you have set the highest hallmark of all human expression…LOVE. The purest form of love emerges. Is this a gift or a curse? (reference:EngPow/

Recollection of

Bunga Popi ~ Usman Awang

Dari darah, dari nanah yang punah di tanah,
rangka manusia kehilangan nyawa disambar senjata,
hasil manusia gila perang membunuh mesra,
bunga merah berkembang indah minta disembah.

Yang hidup tinggal sisa nyawa, penuh derita,
kering, bongkok, cacat, tempang dan buta,
perang dalam kenangan penuh kengerian,
sekarang dalam kepahitan,
dalam kesepian.

Yang lain kehilangan anak, suami dan kekasih,
hilang pergantungan, hilang pencarian,
hidup kebuluran,
ribuan janda, ribuan kecewa, ribuan sengsara,
jutaan anak-anak yatim hidup meminta-minta.

Manusia gila perang telah membunuh segala mesra!
perang berlangsung mencari untung tanah jajahan!
perang berlangsung membunuh anak dalam buaian!
perang berlangsung menghantar lebur nilai kebudayaan!

Bunga popi bunga mayat perajurit bergelimpangan,
bunga darah merah menyimbah,
penuh kengerian.

Kami benci pada perang penuh pembunuhan!
kami rindu pada damai sepanjang zaman!

Usman Awang
1955

In English Translation:

Poppies

From blood, from pus that rots in the soil,
from skeletons that have lost their lives,
snatched by weapons,
the result of war maniacs who kill love,
the red flowers bloom beautifully,
requesting to be adored.

Those who live on are remnants of life,
full of sufferings,
wizened, bent, deformed, maimed and blind,
war in retrospect is full of horrors;
they remember now,
in bitterness,
in solitude.

Others lost children, husbands and sweethearts,
lost their sources of support, their livelihood,
they live in starvation,
thousands widowed,
thousands disappointed,
thousands tormented;
millions of orphans live on, and beg.

The war maniacs have killed all love!
war raged and found profit in colonial lands!
war raged and killed babies in their cradles!
war raged, and destroyed cultural values

Poppies are the flowers of fallen soldiers,
flowers drenched red with blood,
full of horrors.

We hate war,
full of killing!
we cry for a never-ending peace!

Usman Awang
1955

(Translated by Adibah Amin)

budana 2005