THE ANT ARTIST 蚂蚁画家

Life · Hope (III) 2009 68cm x 68cm By THO XIN YI thoxinyi@thestar.com.my Photos by MUHAMMAD AKIF MASRI FOR your information, do not attempt to squeeze the tiny ants “crawling” on Goh Ah Ang’s paintings displayed at Balai Seni Maybank. As lifelike as they might appear, the insects were actually drawn on the canvases with paintbrushes. The ants seemed to be passers-by on his paintings, crawling beside or over weathered glyphs, ancient characters and calligraphy. Ribbon cut: Amirsham (second from left) launching the art exhibition at Balai Seni Maybank. On the left is Mohd Salleh. Goh , who is the founder of Top-Art School of Art in Klang and chief consultant of the Federation of International Colour-Ink Artists in Taiwan, said he is the first artist to choose ants as a painting subject, and it had become his identity. Thirty years ago, he painted a sparrow sitting on a window frame, looking at an ant on the curtain. Although it was only a minor character, the ant piqued the viewers’ i...

　Article by Salina Khalid 　　 　　 " Cockroach -Ants"　Goh Ah Ang　Ink on Paper 　　 　　 　To everyone, cockroaches and ants are pests. But to Goh Ah Ang, they are a source of inspiration. 　While most Chinese artists go for the legendary dragon, tiger, lion and horses, Goh opts for the insects. 　The 41-year-old self-taught artist displays his admiration and fascination for them in his latest series of paintings at the exhibition Expression. 　About 40 pieces of his paintings done over a period of 15 years are being exhibited at Balai seni, Menara Maybank, until Aug 12. 　Among the paintings featured at the exhibition-cum-sale are his series of works on Journey of the Ants, Exhortation, Frame, Windows and Cherish. 　Goh said he chose the insects as a subject because of the role they played. 　“They are sensitive, hardworking and co-operative. 　“Yet it is a pity that we overlook the big role they play in our ecological system because of their small size,” he said. 　Goh said the creatures ...

Article by Redza Piyadasa Extract from Masterpieces From The National Art Gallery of Malaysia "Where There Is Life, There Is Hope" by Goh Ah Ang, 1996 Goh Ah Ang is an artist trained in the Chinese mode of painting and he was initially involved with traditional brush painting techniques. In recent years he has become well-known for his delicately rendered ant paintings. Using textured rice paper as a base, his colonies of busy worker ants are minutely and painstakingly rendered, one by one, with the aid of a very fine pen. The tiny ants are spread out on the white base and highlight the empty void of the white paper surface. There is a sense of busy movement and activity as the ants move in different directions across the paper surface. The inherent qualities of traditional Chinese painting values, with its emphasis on technical dexterity and black and white contrast, have lent to Goh’s paintings a contemplative quality. The viewer is inclined to study each minutely rendere...