UBIQUITOUS throughout the Unesco World Heritage sites of George Town and Malacca, Straits shophouses are each one-of-a-kind architectural marvels.
Their varied and distinct facades, besides creating vibrant townscapes not seen elsewhere, also hint at various cultural influences and construction during different time periods.
These historic family homes and workplaces, some now abandoned, are examined in an exhibition titled ‘Tales of Two Cities: Paintings of Malacca and George Town’.
Currently ongoing at the First floor exhibition space of The Star Pitt St in Penang, it features 40 mixed media pieces by Ipoh native Koh Shim Luen.
Done with pencil, colour pencil, water colour, graphite and ink, they are the result of over 30 years of personal research by the former art teacher turned full-time artist.
Her love affair with the shophouses started during her university days in the late 80s, when she would go around taking photos and doing sketches of the buildings.
In 2012, she decided to paint a 100-piece series based on those images to try raise public awareness on the importance of preserving them before they were gone.
“The repeal of the Rent Control Act in George Town forced many residents who had been living there for generations to move out.
“Once deserted, holes and cracks started to appear, while the ornate handcrafted doors, windows and signs were stolen. Some are unrecognisable from when I photographed them.
“The Unesco listing in 2008 brought change to the city, and luckily, some of these shophouses were lovingly restored.
“But others have been recklessly defaced,” Koh noted during the exhibition’s opening on Sunday.
Koh laments of a similar thing happening in Malacca, and is worried whether many such structures with historic and cultural value, would survive for another decade in the face of rapid urbanisation.
“They are not just buildings, but pieces of art. Each has distinct colours, shapes, forms and design elements as decided by individual owners,” she noted.
She said those in George Town’s core heritage zone tend to have more Chinese elements with subtle European touches, while those in Malacca exhibited more varied influences as a result of its more diverse community.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of her pieces will be donated to the Penang Heritage Trust (PHT).
During the ceremony, Alan Teh, director and curator of Atelier Art Space, which co-organised the exhibition, presented the PHT with a donation of RM5,000, raised from proceeds of an earlier show in Petaling Jaya in October.
PHT president Khoo Salma Nasution and treasurer Lim Gaik Siang accepted the mock cheque, witnessed by guest of honour and Penang Chinese Town Hall chairman Datuk Khor Ten Haw.
Koh also launched her book, ‘The Straits Shophouse: George Town and Malacca’, which contains a selection of 16 paintings that can be detached and used as postcards.
It retails for RM25 at Areca Books on the ground floor of The Star Pitt St. Koh’s exhibition runs until Dec 31, and is open from 9am to 6pm daily. Admission is free.
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