There’s no art To find the mind’s construction in the face He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust - Macbeth, William Shakespeare AN old Oriental saying of our ancestors states: A teacher’s greatness is attributable to his students. Throughout his long and outstanding career, Dr Choong Kam Kow has often been wearing two hats; the hat of an educator, and the hat of an artist. Most of the time, he wears both hats. Many Malaysian artists appreciate him as a highly respected and redoubtable teacher, and art lovers see him as an artist of renowned reputation. He started his career as an art educator, and began painting at a very early age. Thus, there is a fine line separating his role as a teacher and his profession as an artist. Which one should be more important? Is he an artist simply because he possesses a natural talent in painting, or did he become an artist merely because he had studied art which had helped him enhance his painting skill? Or, did he learn art and work as an art teacher because of his talent and interest in this field? It is often difficult to discuss about Dr Choong and his art without touching on his role as an educator. Nevertheless, his involvement in both artistic practice and educational field undoubtedly has some connections with his ‘beginning’. He was born in Ipoh, Perak, in 1934, before the outbreak of the Second World War. The fifth child of nine siblings, he is the only one in the family who could paint and be prolific at it. His painting talent became apparent during his primary school years, and he is the only family member who takes up painting and art teaching as a source of living. His parents, who farmed to support the family, wanted their children to have more meaningful jobs that could secure their future. Hailed from a farming community in the southern region of China, his father migrated to Malaya in the early 1900’s. Presently, most of his siblings make a living by doing business. When Dr Choong was eight years old, the Second World War broke out in Europe, and then started spreading to Asia as a result of Japan’s entry into the war. Not long after that, the Japanese (army) arrived in Malaya. Thus began a period of chaos and disorder, which saw people living in utter destitution and led to the loss of many souls. It was the period of cassava and ‘banana’ money. Seen as rather non-sympathetic towards the Chinese in Malaya, the Japanese soldiers were extremely feared by all. Dr Choong’s family too had a traumatic experience as a result of the war. He himself suffered a massive emotional ordeal after his elder brother went missing. His 17-year old brother was taken away by the Japanese army. That was the only story told to and accepted by Dr Choong, who was seven at that time. No other explanation was given. The family never discussed or spoke about the incident. Despite losing his brother to the war, the family continued with their lives. We didn’t know what really had happened to him”, he commented recently on the unfortunate tragedy. He then added that there are some traces of his brother’s influence on him. He still vividly remembers the drawings of butterflies done by his brother. He mentioned this when we talked about his interest in art and the sort of endurance he has to go through in order to survive, which certainly requires him to have a high spirit of morale and be intensely aware of what he really wants and needs. Since very early in his life, Dr Choong has already realised that his main passion lies in painting. In order to expand his interest in and knowledge of Chinese painting and Western art, he had the choice of going to either Singapore or Taiwan. He eventually chose Taiwan. In 1961, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei. Travelling abroad to pursue formal art education at higher learning institutions was not a common practice among our society at that time. However, Dr Choong was among the first Perakians to do so. Upon his return from Taiwan, he taught for more than four years at secondary schools in Teluk Anson and Ipoh. Subsequently, he went to the U.S. to further his studies under the Fulbright scholarship. During his time teaching in those schools, he taught his pupils with total dedication with the hope that one day they could make use of their artistic talents and skills and become what we today call graphic artists. Later, three of his former pupils went to Taiwan to pursue their education there. Before leaving for the U.S., Dr Choong organised his first art exhibition in a corner of a public hall in Ipoh in 1965. At that time, there were no proper galleries specifically meant for promoting art. He presented watercolour paintings on paper featuring natural landscapes: panoramic views of villages on estuaries and beaches, as well as scenes of tin mines and mountains around Perak, the State of his birth where he spent his childhood. He also exhibited several landscapes of Taipei. His paintings then relatively resembled those created by some Nanyang and Malaysian pioneering artists contemporary to him, such as Abdullah Ariff and Yong Mun Sen. His profession as a teacher at higher institutes of learning began in 1969 when he became a faculty member of the MARA Institute of Technology (ITM; later upgraded to university status). On his way back home from the U.S., he stopped over in several cities in Europe and the Middle East. In Paris, he met Long Thien Shih, who was then studying printmaking and still remains his good friend to this day. Later on in his career, Dr Choong also frequently uses silkscreen printing for his art-making process. In Europe, he got the chance to see for himself masterpiece paintings that he had only studied and heard of before. In each country that he visited, he tried to go to as many museums as possible. But when he arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, he received a devastating news. A tragic event was unfolding back home in Malaysia. The 13 170 171 th May racial riots erupted in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. However, only when he reached New Delhi could he read reports and view pictures of the riots. Two weeks later in Bangkok, his anxiety and fear began to subside when he managed to contact his family through telephone, and was informed that everyone at home was safe. From Bangkok, he flew to Penang, and immediately headed to Ipoh to be with his loved ones. Shortly after that, he started a new life as a teacher. Among the many visitors to a group exhibition held at the National Art Gallery in early 2000 was Ismail Latiff. He noticed the presence of Dr Choong who was so absorbed in viewing the paintings on the walls. Most of the artists involved in the show were Ismail’s former schoolmates. Pointing his finger towards Dr Choong, he said to a group of people standing in front of him, “That’s my teacher. Previously at ITM, he used to critique my work. Now, even though I’ve graduated and started participating in art shows, he still likes to criticise me”. Yet, for those who used to be his students at ITM, they never remember Dr Choong as a fierce individual. Instead, he was known to be soft in his approach. He was always patient with his students, attentive to their needs, and paid special attention to their work. Actually, Ismail was only joking when he made that remark. His real intention was to express his continuous respect and deep appreciation to Dr Choong. At the same time, he wanted to show that he is not only a former student of Dr Choong but also continues to be his student until today. Presently a very successful artist, Ismail was a student of Dr Choong at ITM in the 1970’s. When he was studying there, Ismail won a prize at the Salon Malaysia. It was Dr Choong who paid the cost of the frame of Ismail’s work so that he could submit it for the competition. In 1967, the School of Art and Design was established at ITM. Located at Jalan Othman in Petaling Jaya, it was headed by Hijjas Kasturi. Several young artists and lecturers, most of whom were overseas graduates such as Redza Piyadasa, Sulaiman Esa, Jolly Koh, Tan Teong Eng and Joseph Tan, were invited to join the new faculty to impart their knowledge to students there. ITM was set up by the government as an institution that offers higher education specifically to indigenous youths, and indirectly, as pointed out by Adman Salleh (a student in the second intake of the fine art course at ITM), as “an institution that can provide opportunities to art graduates to earn permanent income (or monthly salary)”. A student’s success is partly measured by his ability to earn a living upon graduation. Concerning these young lecturers, they did not abandon their artistic talent and totally stopped making art during or after their teaching tenure. In other words, they still worked as full-time artists. Almost all of the artists then active in the local art scene used to serve as lecturers at ITM, including Latiff Mohidin, Yeoh Jin Leng, Tang Tuck Kan, Long Thien Shih and Syed Thajudeen. It was at ITM also that Dr Choong started his career as an art educator. The number of the first batch of students admitted was only three. One of them was Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir (later a Dato), a leading woman artist in the country. Famous for her colourful abstract paintings, Sharifah can be considered among the first artists in the country to receive art training in a local learning institution. In 2013, she was given the honour to hold a solo exhibition at the National Visual Arts Gallery. Titled Pancawarna, the show featured a selection of her works from 1990 to 2012. This body of work demonstrates Sharifah’s consistent commitment, as a colourist, in using colours to produce her abstract paintings, an approach that Dr Choong also once took to creating his art upon his return from the U.S. Dr Choong’s New York Series (1965 - 1969) underscores his experiment with abstract forms and colours to express the relationship between his hometown in Perak and the city of New York where he used to stay for a number of years. Dato’ Sharifah Fatimah studied under Dr Choong for a year during her final-year at ITM. She remembers her former lecturer as a gentleman who used a soft approach to get the best out of his students. As regards Dr Choong’s art, his work that truly fascinates Sharifah is not the New York Series but the Festival Series, a body of work celebrating the feeling of community and the spirit of sharing among the peoples in this country. Produced intermittently from the early 1980s through to the end of 1990s, this series features 2D and 3D images of local cakes and traditional food assembled on base sheets made from handmade paper. Dr Choong created the Festival Series as a response to the 1971 National Cultural Congress. It was meant to urge artists to return to their local roots, backgrounds, surroundings and identities in their attempt to express themselves through their artworks. Like many of his contemporaries who studied art abroad, Dr Choong returned home with a set of new artistic concepts different from those already in existence in the country. Tajuddin Ismail, one of his earlier students, recalls how this group of young artists, who were then lecturing at ITM, including Redza Piyadasa, Sulaiman Esa, Tang Tuck Kan and Dr Choong founded the New Scene Art Group around the 70’s. Tajuddin states that, “Inspired by their studies in art schools in the West, they brought back new concepts of art-making, such as appropriation and minimalism, which differed hugely from those adopted by earlier generation artists”. A few group exhibitions organised in Kuala Lumpur, such as Experiment ’70 at Galeri 11, Jalan Pinang, reflected the new aesthetics being explored and developed by these artists. Mansoor Ibrahim, Dr Choong’s former student, was profoundly affected by these exhibitions and this newly emerged movement. “They always churned out manifestos. Their shows were often accompanied by catalogues. This seemed to indicate that they treated art as a serious and not trivial pursuit - not just doing painting for the sake of it; there were manifestos too”, recalled Mansoor Ibrahim, also known as Chott, a member of Anak Alam, a collective with rather different attitudes and objectives from the New Scene group. According to Mustapha Ibrahim, “But Anak Alam was formed out of passion and rooted in our souls”. Later, Anak Alam also came out with their own manifesto, published by our great literary figure, Usman Awang. The members of the New Scene group were more interested in questioning the notion of the presence of soul in painting. As such, they always expressed desire for perceptible and tangible elements in art. Piyadasa and Sulaiman Esa presented to the public their Towards a Mystical Reality exposition at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Tang Tuck Kan and Dr Choong worked on their optical paintings, with the latter subsequently unveiled his Shaped Canvas Series (1968 - 1972). Afterward, he responded to, or perhaps balanced, that series by creating 3D optical paintings in the SEA-Thru Series. This latest series witnessed his shift in producing optical illusions on flat surface to 3D surface. The word ‘SEA-Thru’ in the title is indeed a pun, i.e. a form of word play that exploits similarsounding words to suggest other meanings. For instance in the work SEA Thru - Flow 3, the word ‘sea’ is reflected in the shape of the composition which resembles sea waves, and the phrase ‘sea thru’ refers to the fact that the work can be seen through by means of the holes made on it. However, the word ‘sea’ can also allude to the acronym SEA which carries the meaning of South-East Asia, the region where the artist was born and is now working and living, and whose geographical features he often incorporates into his art. As remarked by Mad Anuar, “In my case, I first recognised the individuality of Dr Choong in that optical work”. Dr Choong’s strict discipline in artistic practice is demonstrated by the neatness of his technique. Mad Anuar, Dr Choong’s former student and a Malaysian sculptor of high repute, remembers Dr Choong as a lecturer who paid really close attention to discipline and technical details. During painting classes, Dr Choong would “show his students many things, from how to stretch, prime and frame their canvas to how to make their own paper”. In the Festival Series, Dr Choong utilised handmade paper as the main material. Started in the early 80’s, this series addresses the spirit of community among the multiracial population in the country. Paper-made replicas of local cakes, assembled against a background of mengkuang mat weaving patterns or Chinese script, are sometimes tied together with fine threads to suggest the feeling of sharing between the different ethnic and cultural groups in Malaysia. At this juncture, Sulaiman Esa and Ahmad Khalid Yusof, also members of the faculty at the same institute, had begun producing art based on Islamic culture by employing either Jawi lettering or colour schemes and compositional design rooted in Islamic art. Syed Thajudeen brought in the painting style and colour palette that he had learned in India. Most artists were largely inclined to explore Malay folklore, mythologies and hikayats. Some drew faces of their family members and relatives, and some took up the art of batik. It seems to us that all of these pursuits revealed local artists’ response to the policy underlined by the 1971 National Cultural Congress, which encouraged artists to re-examine their own surroundings. If Sulaiman Esa and Ahmad Khalid Yusof showed keen interest in the Islamisation of their art, Dr Choong, as noted by Mad Anuar, “has his own way of returning to his Chinese-ness”. Mad Anuar did not refer to his appropriation of images of Chinese cakes but to his ability to project a certain aura of his personality and identity on his canvas. During this period, the question of identity became a recurring theme highlighted by the majority of local artists. As indicated by Bibi Chew, it was due to the Festival Series, with its layering colour scheme, usage of handmade paper and distinctive compositional approach, that she initially became aware of and interested in Dr Choong. A prominent artist in the local art scene, Bibi Chew frequently refers to the history of the Chinese community in Malaysia to create her art. A student of Dr Choong in Singapore from 1991 until her final year, she remembers Dr Choong as a kind, gentle and workaholic teacher. “I believe he gave more attention to me, perhaps because both of us were from Malaysia, and I thank him for that”, said Bibi Chew. A teacher and also a batik painter, Rozana Mohammed sees Dr Choong as a lecturer whose main concern is “not to waste time but to do something meaningful” and to stop dreaming. “Too much thinking but nothing happens”, Dr Choong once commented on students who constantly delayed their work or failed to complete their assignments. Dr Choong taught at ITM from 1969 to 1989. He started as a lecturer, and was then promoted to the position of Head of Fine Art Department. He subsequently moved to LasalleSIA College of the Arts in Singapore, staying there from 1989 until 1994. In 1995, he was appointed as the Acting President of Malaysian Institute of Art in Kuala Lumpur, a position he held until 1999. Many of his former students have carved their names or become famous in the local art scene, either as educators or artists. He lives by this motto: “My ideal objective is to give the best. If we work as artists, we must be the best artists; if we serve as educators, we must be the best educators; if we head an institution, that institution must be the best institution”. In order to give his students more exposure, he occasionally organised outdoor painting sessions or brought them to visit galleries. This approach was also adopted by other lecturers, but Dr Choong sometimes chose whom he wanted to bring along with him. Jalaini Abu Hassan, during his second year at ITM, was thoroughly proud and thrilled to be one of the 10 students selected by Dr Choong for a two-day live drawing session at the French Embassy. “At that time, the figure that I drew still appeared to be distorted”, recalled Jalaini, now a wellknown artist highly acclaimed for his figurative and object paintings. He felt deeply honoured when Dr Choong bought one of his paintings. “Dr Choong, my own teacher, was the first person to buy my work. It was a life-changing moment for me”. Inspired by the expedition to Endau Rompin in 1985, Dr Choong produced the Rhythm of Growth Series. The subject matters of this series were derived from natural elements he witnessed there: forest, plants, roots, leaves, earth, rocks, and debris. He was greatly enthralled by the image of fungi living on dead tree trunks, which for him duly encapsulated the meaning of life and the notion of life cycle. He also took part in expeditions to visit Bako National Park in Sarawak and to climb Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. Also joined in the expeditions was Hasnul J Saidon, who studied under Dr Choong from his second to final year, then went to the U.S. to further his studies, and is now working as a lecturer and artist. Hasnul still remembers how when they were at Bako National Park, Dr Choong was so excited to see the rocks and earth there that he exclaimed “This is mine, this is mine!” He thought that the colours and the contours naturally engraved on those rocks could serve as a good source of materials for his work. In this way, according to two of his former students, Hasnul and Bibi Chew, he acted rather like Georgia O’Keeffe. When she arrived in New Mexico, she saw bones, flowers and rocks scattered around the area. She then used them for her paintings. Dr Choong did not move to Sarawak or Sabah, but two series of his works were inspired by these expeditions. Wherever he went, he continued searching for new things and making new discoveries. When the group decided to climb Mount Kinabalu, Fauzan Omar, Dr Choong’s former student and an eminent artist who acted as guide for the climbing programme, advised him not to continue his climb to the summit for his own safety. Even though Dr Choong was so eager to reach the summit, he could not do it because of his age (more than 50 years old) and his fairly poor health condition. The coming of the new millennium saw Dr Choong being appointed as President and CEO of Malaysian Institute of Art in Kuala Lumpur. Seeing that the new millennium actually coincided with the Year of Dragon in Chinese lunar calendar, he decided to create a new series of paintings based on the image of dragon. He titled this series Dragon Tradition. In Chinese mythology, dragons are believed to be able to swim in the sea, walk on the earth, and fly in the air. This mythical beast is enormously feared by normal human beings. The myth about dragon exists in many Eastern and Western cultures. Due to its majestic appearance and magical power, dragon has been held as a symbol of strength and might. It is so important for the Chinese that it has always been included in every Chinese New Year celebration, particularly in the form of dragon dance. The performance of dragon dance clearly shows how great efforts and courage are required to achieve something as high as possible. Dr Choong filled his canvas with images of dragon in brilliant and dynamic colours, and sometimes with Chinese lettering and characters acting as backgrounds. According to Ahmad Zakii Anwar, one of his earlier students and now a favourite artist among auction houses in Asia, Dr Choong’s play of colours in this series is really amazing. “Painted in different shades of brilliant colours, images of dragon in Dr Choong’s paintings aptly symbolise, for him and possibly for other people as well, aspects of strength and courage”, explained Ahmad Zakii. Dr Choong met the coming of the new millennium with courage and optimism. Although with true Chinese blood running in his veins, he does not feel awkward living in Malaysia. And he proudly uses the symbol of dragon to announce his identity, and as stated by Mad Anuar, “(He) has his own way of returning to his Chinese-ness”. In the middle of 2005, Dr Choong was diagnosed with colon cancer. Due to this, his entire daily routine changed dramatically. Besides undergoing modern and traditional treatment, he also took up daily exercises of Qi-Gong and Tai-chi. Practising ancient Chinese arts of Qi-Gong, Taichi and Shaolin kung-fu, which involve body movements, is a way to enhance inner force and improve physical and spiritual health. Even though he could not anymore give lectures in lecture halls, he never severed his relationship with youths. Thus, he always participated in various art programmes, or visited art exhibitions held inside and outside the country. During this period of poor health, he even started a new series of work. This Kungfu Series is essentially a continuation of the previous Dragon Tradition series. From images of dragon, Dr Choong now painted gestures and movements of figures engaging in the arts of kung-fu, Tai-chi and Qi-Gong. For him, the process of making this series was a form of therapeutic practice. While painting, the movements of his body, which actually involved an interaction between his brain, instinct and physical limbs, could also help him to recuperate from the illness he was suffering from. In his appreciation of the Kungfu Series, Amron Omar claimed that the visual appearance of the figures does not truly constitute Dr Choong’s main focus of attention. He does not want to highlight the faces and physiques of the persons doing exercise. Samjis Mat Jan, a well-known portrait painter, Dr Choong’s former student and Amron Omar’s contemporary, stated that in the painting titled SelfPortrait as Image (1999), Dr Choong’s portrayal of his own portrait does not mean that he is depicting the face of ‘Dr Choong Kam Kow’; he drew only the outline of his face to imply that he is merely a very tiny entity in the larger universe. In 1986, Amron Omar painted an oil portrait of Dr Choong. Studied under Dr Choong until his final year, Amron is famous for his highly sought-after series of paintings titled Pertempuran which feature human figures in various silat postures. Dr Choong really liked and was very proud of this portrait painting. According to Hasnul J Saidon, during his classes, Dr Choong always used it as an example. Measuring 74cm by 56cm, Portrait of Dr Choong Kam Kow shows Dr Choong, then in his 30s, sitting on a chair with its back to the front, as if to shield him from the viewer. Both of his arms casually rest on the chair’s backrest. The composition clearly shows that he did not mind posing for Amron but according to his own way and with him fully aware of its consequences. Dr Choong, an artist and a teacher, looked straight at his student painting his portrait (and others who will be viewing this work in the future) with soft and soothing eyes, without throwing any challenge or sympathy. Wonderfully composed by Amron, the look on Dr Choong’s face perfectly encapsulates the sense of self-awareness of an artist who has gone through a life full of twists and turns from young until the moment of his sitting for his portrait to be painted by Amron. Many prominent local artists who have successfully made their names in the local art scene are former students of Dr Choong. All of them unanimously acknowledge Dr Choong’s vast contribution in shaping their artistic careers until they manage to reach their current levels of achievement. They gave their full trust to him to educate and guide them in the field of art. They could not have accomplished their present excellence and achievements without the early guidance and dedication of this great teacher. U-Wei bin Haji Saari Guest Writer (Original printed in "CHOONG KAM KOW RETROSPECTIVE - Cross Culture • Trans Era",  National Visual Arts Gallery, Malaysia 2014)