Lucy Liew Acrylic paintings & prints on canvas

Mystery of The Borneo Rainforest:

A visual diary into the heart of the rainforest
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Mystery of The Borneo Rainforest

Lucy considers this series a diary of the trips to Borneo on which she accompanied her father, a photographer. In composing the subject matter, Liew delved into the traditional folklore and the intricate tattoos of the native peoples of Borneo to uncover the depth and richness of their culture. For the natives of Borneo , tattoos are more than decorative embellishments; they define a person's gender and status. They also secure the bearer's identity in the afterlife. The natives believe that in the next world all things are reversed, so that the black tattoo marks shine brightly in the dark and enable the spirits of the deceased to find their way.

What the artist finds most fascinating, she says, is that these natives have flourished in isolation from technology and modern civilization and have developed a culture beautifully adorned by ornate designs and deeply rooted in numerous traditions. Although the artist's palette for this series is mostly dark, points of illumination in each painting give viewers a glimpse of the mystery of a culture progressively fading from the heritage of its younger generations.

My studio is conveniently located in San Jose, CA 95126
Call or email for a private studio visit: 408-835-2875