A combo of faded and restored (right) photos of Beria Gasai, a rattan craftswoman from Long Ayak, Sarawak, was submitted by her daughter Suti Bawa to preserve her image for future generations, ensuring her grandchildren know of her skilled craft. Photo: Canvas Art Malaysia
Canvas Art Malaysia, a photography restoration service in Petaling Jaya, has been steadily reviving faded and frayed images, showcased in two recent exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur.
Featuring restored images from Sabah and Sarawak, the exhibitions breathed new life into historical photographs, offering a visual narrative of the Bornean states’ rich histories while reconnecting audiences with forgotten stories.
Titled Stories Behind Old Photographs (Borneo Edition) and (Malaysia Day Edition), the sister exhibitions were held at Charlie’s Cafe and Art Row, Publika, with the latter offering a nationwide showcase.
Canvas Art Malaysia, now led by managing director Faye Lim, has expanded its role in photography restoration.
Founded over 20 years ago in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, by her late parents Robert Lim Fung Wang and Chew Mann Lin, the company has grown to the point where it can host exhibitions showcasing restored photographs while also shedding light on the restoration process.
A visitor explores the 'Stories Behind Old Photographs' (Borneo Edition) exhibition at Charlie’s Cafe in KL last month. Photo: The Star/Yap Chee Hong
“I never considered it curatorship until now, but I suppose it is. Expanding beyond just photo restoration, I now select images based on a theme, like Borneo, organise them in a way that resonates with the audience, and narrate the stories behind these places. This guides viewers to engage more deeply with the works. Many of the photos I restore come from people I meet while visiting rural communities,” says Lim, 34, also an artist and co-founder of The Rojak Projek, a social enterprise dedicated to art, food, and culture in Malaysia.
The Stories Behind Old Photographs exhibitions featured over 60 restored images, highlighting family life, traditional trade and communities mostly from Sabah and Sarawak.
“In essence, good digital restoration is like time travel – it allows us to revisit and protect our past, ensuring that the stories and legacies captured in old photographs continue to inspire and resonate in the present and beyond,” says Lim, who adds that common issues affecting photographic materials include water damage, dust, scratches, colour fading, torn photos, and adhesive residue.
‘Every photograph and its story are unique, which makes each restoration process different. For me, witnessing a restored photograph is incredibly rewarding,’ says Lim. Photo: The Star/Yap Chee Hong
At Canvas Art, restoration services cater to everyone – from VIPs and government circles to everyday Malaysians.
Whether it’s a souvenir snapshot with a former Prime Minister or a grandmother’s village photo, each image receives the same care to bring it back to life.
“Take, for example, a photograph I had to restore – an old panoramic image of hundreds of people. The original was in an unfortunate shape: it was rolled up, full of cracks, and even torn in half. To bring it back to life, we had to digitise it by scanning it in high resolution. From there, every single face and detail needed to be meticulously checked and restored. We had to think creatively and critically, almost like performing digital surgery,” she explains.
For Lim, old photographs hold many layers of meaning. The recent exhibitions, building on last year’s inaugural edition, uncovered numerous stories from the community. As people submitted their photos, they gathered and connected on a deeper level, reflecting on the restored images and the shared memories they represent.
A (restored) photo submitted by Dr George Thomas shows Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, visiting Malaysian students in Madras (now Chennai) in India in 1960. Photo: Canvas Art Malaysia
“They highlighted the power of friendship across different races, a mother’s unwavering love and perseverance for her children despite life’s struggles, and the way our first Prime Minister motivated students to work hard and return home to serve the country. These stories also showcased the rich diversity of Sabah and Sarawak, with their unique cultures, beautiful traditional attire, and the strength they display in overcoming challenges,” says Lim.
She also notes that because many of the restored photographs are undated, she cannot pinpoint the exact years they were taken. Most were discovered by their great-grandchildren, but she estimates that they likely date back to the 1950s or later. Community events help uncover clues behind certain images, shedding new light on specific details.
Moving ahead, it’s quite possible for Lim’s roles in Canvas Art Malaysia and the Rojak Project to intersect. Both involve a strong focus on community engagement and storytelling through art and culture.
“It’s important to continuously explore and experiment with new ways to engage and impact communities. We plan to expand our projects to rural areas, particularly focusing on the Ukit/Bhuket community from Sarawak, which many, including Sarawakians, may not even realise exists. Photographs are a vital part of Malaysian history, and it’s essential that we share these stories and pass them down to younger generations,” she concludes.
