Decoding
Artists
Teoh Kooi Pei
Exhibition
berSEMANGAT
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Medium
Soot Ink & Alum Liquid on Rice Paper
204cm (w) x 138cm (h)
3 paintings in a series
Year
2022
Decoding is a recent work supported by CENDANA, aimed to explore the power and spirits beyond human control. The concept of this artwork, "disappearing by time," is what I felt when I first contacted the Suzhou numeral system (Huāmǎ numerals) for architectural research. Suzhou numerals originated in China, but they played a vital numeral role in Nusantara's sea trade activities 200 years ago, along with a great history of communication and interactions between the people of Nusantara and the people from China, India and Europe. It is no longer popular today but left abundant traces in historical archives, reminding us that it has gone through the vicissitudes of history. It is meaningful to older people who can understand it as a symbol of tradition and a treasure of modernity. At the same time as trying to interpret it, I hope to introduce it to more people and better understand a part of our nation's history.
I reassemble 13 codes with a brush on rice paper with an 'ink resistance' material - alum liquid. Then, the alum gets dried off on rice paper and disappears. Finally, I wash them with different viscosities of soot ink to make them visibly reappear. This process of "unveiling" after "disappearing" delivers my main intention to expose the numerals into public sight by removing the dust of history. The reverse way of painting is the subject I always envision, bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary ink painting.
I discovered different effects of "unveiling" by using various grades of rice paper; and concluded these effects into three sections: "confusion", "comprehension", and "precision", demonstrating the process of learning something from scratch. The three panels of the artwork are planned as a continuous series from the left; the dark ink brush strokes from the right represent my intervention towards the tranquil existence of Suzhou numerals.
Confusion: the alum numerals scattered around the paper and casting shadows with ink;
Comprehension: organised numerals cast with a clear border with ink;
Precision: organised numerals in groups cast with purposive ink strokes to deliver messages. This panel was implied with numerals relating to important dates in Malaysia. Dates include:
31st August 1957 – Independence Day of Malaysia.
16th September 1963 – Malaysia Day.
26th May 1950 – First adoption of the Malaysia flag.
6th June 1967 – First issue of Malaysia banknotes.
1st January 1905 – The Federated Malay States Posts & Telegraphs Department was formally created.
17th August 1974 - Petronas was incorporated.11th September 1998 – Malaysia hosted the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
It is fun putting up hidden messages; I feel like I am already interacting with the audience. The objectives of this project are first to enable me to master and utilise the Suzhou numerals to conduct architectural research. Secondly, through decoding Malaysia's important dates, I hope the younger generations can better know the era of our ancestors and encourage them not to be afraid of learning as the process of confusion and comprehension are common before we can perform precisely. Lastly, by exploring and carrying out a new ink painting method, I hope to contribute to the diversity of the existing art scene.
