A visitor using a magnifying glass to get a closer look at the intricate detail found in artist NOvia Shin’s paper-cut miniatures featuring old Malaysian buildings at the 'Angin Berlabuh – Asian Documentary Comics' exhibition at Hin Bus Depot in George Town in Penang. Photo: The Star/Jeremy Tan
Think comics and what typically comes to mind is a creative medium splashed with pages and panels of superhero cool, cartoon humour and political satire.
Lesser known is comic art’s immense potential in serving the documentary format, where meaningful stories can be shared about communities, places, cultures, lifestyles, history, social issues, current events and more.
An ongoing exhibition in Penang, titled Angin Berlabuh – Asian Documentary Comics and held at Hin Bus Depot in George Town, offers some great examples.
Featured are original works from five artists – Malaysians Julian “Lefty” Kam (better known as Lefty) and NOvia Shin, as well as Taiwan’s Adoor Yeh, 61Chi and Tseng Yao-Ching.
A panel from Lefty Julian's work 'Our Next Kopi Session ...' which highlights the challenges faced by a local kopitiam operator in continuing his business. Photo: The Star/Jeremy Tan
The exhibition, a rare one for comic fans and art lovers, includes their manuscripts, scrapbooks, drafts and storyboards, all laid out in several visual storytelling installations. They provide insight into each artist’s creative process and worldview.
The vanishing kopitiam
Lefty, who is no stranger to documentary comics, was born and raised in Air Hitam, Penang and his exhibition series titled Our Next Kopi Session ... explores the gentrification of George Town through the eyes of a kopitiam proprietor.
“The owner of the shophouse in which the kopitiam was located sold the property to be developed into a boutique hotel, giving the proprietor a dilemma.
“He had to look for a new location. To compound his problem, rents had also skyrocketed after Unesco World Heritage listing raised the city’s tourism appeal. Without the listing, George Town would not be thriving the way it is today. But with it, many old and long-time residents have been driven away. It’s a double-edged sword,” said Lefty.
Taiwanese artist Tseng Yao-Ching's storyboards and sketches for 'The Runaway' documentary art series. Photo: The Star/Jeremy Tan
“The kopitiam operator was also hesitant to start everything again because a new place might not have the ambience customers are used to,” he added.
His work illustrates how effective documentary comics can be in depicting a situation or (heritage) issue. It can be done in various styles and is more economical to produce than videos.
In 2021, Lefty worked through the pandemic to produce documentary comic art works for his Sama-Sama: A Multi-Cultural Art Journey exhibition. He also contributed to Dr Kuah Li Feng’s I Am Home series.
Old buildings, living traditions
Beyond the canvas and comic book pages, Angin Berlabuh – Asian Documentary Comics also features a series of miniature old buildings, which capture scenes and stories from Malaysian towns and cities, including KL, Batu Pahat and Gopeng.
“Comics are interesting and popular. They allow me to record the stories of regular people forgotten by history,” said Shin, the winner of the National Art Gallery’s Young Contemporaries Award (Bakat Muda Sezaman) in 2016.
Visitors viewing exhibits at the 'Angin Berlabuh - Asian Documentary Comics' exhibition in Hin Bus Depot in George Town in Penang. Photo: The Star/Jeremy Tan
The Perak-born artist is deeply passionate about local culture and history. She works in various media, but at this Angin Berlabuh show, several intricate paper-cut miniatures keep drawing visitors in for a closer look.
One depicts the hive of activity on a street corner, while another sees people going to a classic cinema. Magnifying glasses are provided at the exhibition so visitors can inspect the minute details Shin puts in her handmade works.
Across the gallery, Taipei-based artist 61Chi uses her talents to highlight the plight of migrant fishermen in Taiwan’s deep sea fishing industry. Notably, her works are presented in lightboxes within a darkened space.
“I’m not someone who stands on the frontlines, so I thought I could perhaps use comics to alert the public to serious social issues.
“And if it spreads, maybe those more assertive than me will emerge and fight for the rights of these people,” she commented in a pre-recorded interview.
Slowork Publishing founder Huang Pei-Shan (left) speaking about her experiences during a sharing session titled 'The Road Taken: Making Documentary Comics'. Photo: The Star/Jeremy Tan
The exhibition is organised by Penang-based community arts space Ruang Kongsi, Taiwan-based Slowork Publishing, the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia.
Its name is a Bahasa Malaysia phrase that references both the show being held during the shift from the North-east monsoon to the Southwest monsoon season, as well as the trendsetting Monsoon documentary comic series that highlights Asia’s diverse social landscapes.
Conversation time
Complementing the three-week-long exhibition is a well-curated programme of public talks, sharing sessions, dialogues and workshops held at COEX, a community space within Hin Bus Depot.
These are aimed at facilitating knowledge exchange between artists while giving visitors a deeper understanding of how comics can both narrate aspects of the real world and unveil hidden ones.
In a session titled “The Road Taken: Making Documentary Comics”, Slowork founder Huang Pei-Shan reiterated the importance of highlighting social issues, as this can effect change.
“Documentary comics have caught on in the last few years and we’re seeing more of it now. This shows that comics could be more than just entertainment.
“Stories that are often overlooked by mainstream media can finally find a voice through such works. It can engross readers and keep them wanting to know more.
Taiwanese artist 61Chi's works on the plight of migrant fishermen in Taiwan are displayed in lightboxes. Photo: The Star/Jeremy Tan
“The possibilities that lie in documentary comics are equivalent to the number of things in our existence,” Huang told the audience.
She said her firm’s mission is to uncover stories that are authentic and representative of the diversity in Asia. Its publications have been translated into several languages.
“By doing so, our writers and artists can create works with global audiences in mind while including perspectives from different countries to foster genuine cultural exchange,” she added.
Exhibition curator Lee Cheah Ni said Asia already had an abundant history of pictorial storytelling long before American comics or Japanese manga became pervasive.
“In Malaya, political comics bloomed in reaction to British colonisation and later reflected other social phenomena. Funny characters and comedic writing helped people cope with life’s realities.
“Our country’s most celebrated cartoonist (Datuk) Lat documented daily lives, social issues and regional political landscapes in Kampung Boy which can be regarded as a pioneer of documentary comics in the region,” said Lee.
The exhibition runs until next Sunday (May 28) and is open for viewing from noon to 7pm on weekdays, and 11am to 7pm on weekends.
