‘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.