Sarawak artist Tan Wei Kheng captures beauty of tribal elders in paintings

‘It is in these homelands where you can find the most beautiful rivers and mountains. It is here where you learn to treasure the people you meet,’ says Tan. — SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star

Through the lens of exoticism, there seems to be two prevailing opinions: that these people are savages, or that they are “poor but happy”. Both make for familiar stories, even if they they do not necessarily paint a complete picture of life in the interior.

Sarawakian artist Tan Wei Kheng has a better grasp of the everyday reality in these far-flung areas of the state than most city folks, having chalked up numerous trips into the deep over the last 25 years or so.