Ng Swee Keat is a native of Alor Star and a graduate of the Malaysian Institute of Art, where he majored in oil painting and Chinese ink painting. His works have been collected by the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, as well as the Sultan of Perlis and Nokia (M) Sdn. Bhd. Ng’s achievements to date include being awarded the Best Student prize at his alma mater, and in 2011, he emerged with the top prize at the UOB Painting of the Year competition. The artist has been exhibiting since 1999.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I look at different fields to find each subject’s own source of creativity – religion, nature, the environment, psychology, spirituality, space, structure, form, vision, and hallucinations. I just want to experience everything, to get a sense of life. ‘Progressive Discoverer’ is about this journey, of how I seek my own source of artistic creation from all fields. All I want to do is to experience everything, so as to endow my works with a sense of life and spiritual strength.
‘Portrayal of development’, on the other hand, is about nature and how civilization is a doorway for us to realize Mother Nature’s outcry. Our greatness is truly reflected in our built civilizations; the more we create, the more consumption and destruction we demand. Hence, Mother Nature’s outcry is directly proportionate to our desire for development.
Our mean machines create monsters that threaten our earth, and we often just assume that this is just a part of development. We live with hope, that one day, we will create the guardian machine, which will preserve our earth for us. Our forests are the lungs of our earth, but about 13 million hectares per year worldwide succumbs to deforestation. Not only does this accelerate the process of global warming, but it is also estimated that there are 100 species lost every day because of this problem. Fittingly, the United Nations declared 2011 the International Year of Forests for us all to realize the importance of forest protection.
Portrayal of Develofment Series #7/ 2012 / Acrylic on canvas / 105 x 122cm
Portrayal of Develofment Series #8/ 2012 / Acrylic on canvas / 105 x 122cm
Good Night / 2012 / Acrylic on canvas / 78 x 88cm
My Blanket / 2012 / Acrylic on canvas / 139 x 109cm
Sweet Dream Series #3 / 2008 / Acrylic on canvas / 90 x 87cm
Sweet Dream Series #4 / 2008 / Acrylic on canvas / 66 x 83cm
Daughter / 2011 / Acrylic on canvas / 90 x 55cm (each)
