Calvin Chua’s Malaysia is carefree, colourful and connected
PETALING JAYA: For artist Calvin Chua, Merdeka is not just about flags, parades or one day of celebration. It is about recognising the things that make Malaysia distinct – its people, cultures, landscapes and the simple ways Malaysians come together.
“If we can do something meaningful for our country and for our community, it is by gathering with our Malaysian friends, regardless of race, to sit down and enjoy a cup of teh tarik,” Chua told FMT Lifestyle.
That idea of uncomplicated Malaysian togetherness runs through “Forestborn”, the 65-year-old’s latest solo exhibition at AweGallery, held in conjunction with Merdeka month.
The exhibition features more than 30 paintings and sketches centred on rainforest landscapes, indigenous communities and, particularly, children.
For Chua, a fine-art diploma graduate from Kuala Lumpur College of Art, the connection between his work and Malaysia is deeply personal.
“I grew up in a small town. I spent my childhood surrounded by paddy fields, orchards and rivers,” he said of life in Alor Setar, Kedah, adding that he fondly remembers playing in a nearby river after school with his classmates.
Although Chua has spent about 20 years painting Orang Asli communities, he began focusing specifically on what he calls the “children of the rainforest” about five years ago.
“I started with the scenery and slowly focused on the people. It was unplanned,” he shared.
And among those people, children captured his attention the most. “They are innocent and most easily blend with the natural environment. In my mind, I consider them part of nature. And in my creations, I think they are one.”
Chua – whose works have been exhibited in countries including Belgium, China, Brazil, Sweden, Greece, India and Hong Kong – sees something familiar in them, as their carefree relationship with the environment reminds him of his own childhood.
“They easily run together. They laugh, they play. I think all these really inspired me.”
For the exhibition, Chua travelled to indigenous communities, particularly in Perak, sometimes staying for four or five days to observe their way of life and sketch on the spot.
“If you are willing to calm down and carefully experience it, you will find that the forest is full of life everywhere, whether it’s plants, humans, insects, animals or birds,” he said.
That sense of interconnectedness is central to “Forestborn”: its subjects are not presented as separate from the landscape but part of it, reflecting Chua’s belief that people and nature belong to the same story.
Two works are particularly important to him: one depicting Iban children happily enjoying ice cream, and another showing two sisters playing by a river in West Malaysia.
Rather than simply reproducing what he sees, Chua uses vibrant colours, dots and energetic brushstrokes to convey their sense of joy.
It is also why Chua believes the paintings can say something about Malaysia beyond the rainforest. “I hope to showcase the harmony, the beauty of Malaysia to the world through my works,” he said.
After more than 40 years as a professional artist and countless encounters with Malaysia’s landscapes and communities, Chua believes Malaysians sometimes overlook what makes the country special.
Perhaps that is the Merdeka message at the heart of his exhibition: Malaysia is not something that needs to be invented or constructed for a single day of celebration.
Rather, it is already there, in the people, cultures, children and landscapes Chua has spent decades observing and painting.
‘Forestborn’ (until Sept 3)
AweGallery
21, Jalan 20/13
Taman Paramount,
46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
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