Malaysian artist revives Gunung Ledang myths, linking nature, culture, and identity


  • Arts
  • Wednesday, 01 Jan 2025

'This is my series about Puteri Gunung Ledang. I wondered why this legend still persists, even after over 500 years. Upon seeing the mountain for the first time, something stirred within me and then I went down a rabbit hole of research and exploring; rethinking things I thought to be true and understanding why tall tales tell better truth,' says Chang. Photo: The Star/Art Chen

Most Malaysians are familiar with the legend of Gunung Ledang’s fairy princess, who cleverly turned down a Melaka sultan’s attempt to woo her by setting a list of impossible conditions that must be met before she would marry him.

In the same way the sultan was enchanted by the otherworldly princess, contemporary artist Chang Yoong Chia is drawn to the magnificent real-life mountain that the princess called home.

Chang’s latest solo exhibition, Thinking Like A Mountain, is rooted in the legends and folklore surrounding Gunung Ledang (located in Tangkak, Johor) reimagined through his unique multi-disciplinary artistic vision.

The exhibition – now showing at Cult Gallery, Bukit Tunku in Kuala Lumpur until Jan 19 – showcases 45 artworks by Chang, including paintings, drawings, and mixed media works that deftly intersect history and mythology.

Chang, 49, tells us that he borrowed the title for the exhibition from US writer and ecologist Aldo Leopold, who originally coined the term.

A painting by Chang titled 'Decalcomania 5: Air Of Life' (oil on canvas, 2023).  Photo: Chang Yoong Chia A painting by Chang titled 'Decalcomania 5: Air Of Life' (oil on canvas, 2023). Photo: Chang Yoong Chia

“According to Aldo Leopold, to ‘think like a mountain’ means to have a complete appreciation for the profound interconnectedness of all the elements in an ecosystem.

“In this exhibition, I explore the different stories of Puteri Gunung Ledang and why, after so many centuries, these stories still persist in our consciousness. What do these stories really mean and how are we, as a nation, continually shaped and reshaped by these stories?” says Chang, who will be engaging in a conversation about the exhibition at Cult Gallery this Sunday (Jan 5).

While the pieces featured in Thinking Like A Mountain employ a variety of mediums and techniques, what’s sure to catch most visitors’ eyes are the “decalcomania” series and gouache on leaf series.

According to Chang, this is his first time using decalcomania in his work – the technique, pioneered by German surrealist artist Max Ernst, involves pressing paint between two surfaces to create spontaneous abstract patterns, resulting in lush, dreamlike depictions which could then be further embellished.

“I feel our fascination with mountains and their stories are rooted in our subconscious, so I wanted to use a technique that could bring out my subconscious to respond to these stories,” says Chang.

A view of Chang’s 'Thinking Like A Mountain' exhibition at Cult Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.  Photo: The Star/Art Chen A view of Chang’s 'Thinking Like A Mountain' exhibition at Cult Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Art Chen

As for the gouache on leaf works, Chang added that he wanted to use something to express the physicality from Gunung Ledang.

“The leaves are from trees growing beside the waterfall of Gunung Ledang, which had fallen to the ground. I picked these up and found ways to make images within the confines of their fragility, shape, and structure of the leaves’ veins.”

A quiet life

Chang’s fascination with Gunung Ledang began in 2021, after he and his wife Teoh Ming Wah packed up their belongings and moved from bustling Kuala Lumpur to the small town of Tangkak, the day before the government enforced the nationwide movement control order during the Covid-19 pandemic.

From their new house, Chang had a panoramic view of Gunung Ledang every day.

“It’s a beautifully shaped mountain, but on some cloudy days, it seems to disappear completely – as if by magic. Perhaps ancient people also had this visceral experience and were inspired by it to create the legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang,” he says.

Chang and Teoh, a creative collaborator, soon began researching the history behind Gunung Ledang, tirelessly pouring over a wide selection of historical texts from different perspectives, including the Malay Annals and Hikayat Hang Tuah, Portuguese texts like Emanuel Godinho de Eredia’s Description Of Malaca and Suma Oriental by Tome Pires, colonial British texts like Malay Magic by Walter Skeat, and even contemporary academic essays, such as Mulaika Hijjas’ The Legend You Thought You Knew: Text And Screen Representations of Puteri Gunung Ledang.

‘This project invites us to see myths not just as remnants of the past, but as dynamic forces shaping our understanding of identity and belonging,’ says Chang. Photo: The Star/Art Chen ‘This project invites us to see myths not just as remnants of the past, but as dynamic forces shaping our understanding of identity and belonging,’ says Chang. Photo: The Star/Art Chen

For Chang, it was initially a challenge to digest all the information found in the old texts, finding them at times confusing and contradictory. However, he eventually realised that the key was to read between the lines and try to understand the symbolism behind the stories.

In comparing two separate accounts of the arduous trek up Gunung Ledang, Chang says: “In the Malay Annals, the journey taken by the sultan’s men was full of magic and fantasy, whereas British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace wrote of his ascent with observational and scientific scrutiny.

“However, after reading both texts, Ming Wah and I unearthed a connection between the two: both describe a very human fascination towards nature, and were trying to find ways to articulate it – the former with mysticism, while the latter with a scientific viewpoint.”

In many of Chang’s artworks for Thinking Like A Mountain, Gunung Ledang goes by its British name, Mount Ophir.

The mountain in the Tangkak district was named after the lost mines of Ophir that supplied the legendary treasures of King Solomon, alluding to the gold deposits that the mountain is rumoured to possess.

Working on a graphic novel

Visitors to the exhibition at Cult Gallery will also notice a myriad of comic-like pencil sketches on display, hinting at a larger, cosmic mythos akin to Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman in the works.

Chang reveals that he and Teoh are currently working on a historical fantasy fiction graphic novel about Puteri Gunung Ledang and her encounters with other female mountain spirits and historical figures of this region, like Hang Li Po and Ratu Kidul.

A work titled 'Study For Puteri Gunung Ledang, Redux – Ophir’s Anger' (graphite on paper, 2023). Photo: Chang Yoong Chia A work titled 'Study For Puteri Gunung Ledang, Redux – Ophir’s Anger' (graphite on paper, 2023). Photo: Chang Yoong Chia

“Our story starts from pre- historic times and ends in the 1980s, where telecommunication towers were built on the top of Gunung Ledang. We are still working on it and hope to publish it in the future. I also plan to explore other possibilities from this vast research for more exhibitions,” says Chang.

Through his works, Chang creates a middle ground between fact and fiction, deftly blending the larger-than-life myths passed down through centuries with the matter-of-fact observations of colonial powers. At the same time, he interrogates the conventional representations of power and place, as well as the intimate relationship between ritual and nature.

“In Thinking Like A Mountain, Gunung Ledang becomes more than a backdrop – it is a living spirit, a storyteller, and a guardian of Malaysia’s cultural and natural heritage.

“This project invites us to see myths not just as remnants of the past, but as dynamic forces shaping our understanding of identity and belonging,” concludes Chang.

Last year, he also participated in the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial (IOTA24) in Australia, accompanied by Teoh. His exhibit, Allegorical Threads: Stories Of Journeys From Malaysia To Australia, showcased meticulously crafted works inspired by the art of batik, offering a contemplative exploration of cultural narratives.

Thinking Like A Mountain is showing at Cult Gallery in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur until Jan 19. The gallery, currently on a short break, reopens on Jan 5. More info here.


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