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Inspiration of Borneo - The
Splendor of the Baram River
After making numerous trips to the jungle in Borneo with her father,
Dennis Lau, a photojournalist who has documented the lifestyle of
the native tribes for many years, Liew became fascinated with the
people she encountered there. The old traditions they maintain represent
a tranquil way of life that is losing significance in the younger
generations. The Baram River, as a source of food and the only means
of transportation through the jungle, is central to the natives'
lifestyle. Lining the River are longhouses far away from modern
technology, traffic jams and daily planners. Lush vegetation surrounds
the peaceful villages, where guests are always welcome and celebrations
are not restricted to special occasions.
Because of the warm hospitality Liew experienced in the village
communities she visited, she wanted to depict a world immersed in
this serenity. Thus, "Splendor of the Baram River" is a series of
transcendent dreamscapes inhabited by people, flora and fauna constructed
from tattoo designs of the indigenous peoples of Borneo.
The artist found inspiration from these tattoos not only because
of their artistic beauty but also because of their spiritual significance.
Borneo natives believe that tattoos are their passports, so to speak,
into the afterlife; they secure their identities by marking their
bodies with certain motifs. Liew explains that by combining these
symbols with her personal emotions, she has fabricated a language
through which she can communicate her own spiritual message in her
paintings.
In the artist's dreamscapes, "the sea, the sky and the earth-everything
comes together," she says. Blues and greens, therefore, pervade
the background, which does not distinguish the line between land
and sky, or sea and shore. Despite this ambiguity of boundaries-or
maybe because of it-the compositions do not feel at all crowded
but have a sense of space in which the living elements can freely
breathe and flourish. The blurring of earth and sky, as well as
the artist's skillful contrast of cool and vibrant colors, contributes
to the overall dreamlike quality of the paintings.
Various tattoo designs serve as the manifestations of life in Liew's
world. The totem-like figures, made up of patterns from arm tattoos,
represent humans. Hornbills, the messengers of the gods in Borneo
mythology, appear as kite-like birds. Plants and animals take the
form of other distinctive motifs, which decorate the bottom portion
of the compositions.
Liew notes that throughout the development of this series, a spiritual
undercurrent-although at first unresolved-existed in her paintings
and eventually surfaced as the core of the world she created.
"In the final piece, the whole message came together," she says.
"No matter where we are in life, race, country, we are seeking spiritual
connection and guidance with something bigger than ourselves."
The triptych, therefore, is the "Splendor" series' strongest testimony
of the artist's faith as a Christian. The artist reveals that her
dreamlike world pays homage to God as the Creator. The bright star
in the center panel represents God, Who brings light to an otherwise
dark place. For Liew, the hornbills symbolize the spiritual freedom
that those who surrender control of their lives to God can experience.
Thus the artist has used tattoos from Borneo mythology to communicate
a message of hope. Liew explains that the natives "believe these
designs act as torches in the next world. Without these to light
them, they would remain forever lost, unrecognized and in total
darkness. As for me, without God's light into this world we would
be living in total darkness and without hope."
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