SINGAPORE: Besides the works of distinguished names in the region’s art scene, there are many paintings by emerging talents at The Edge Auction 2015 waiting to be discovered by local collectors.

The Edge Auction 2015 offers a wide variety of collectible art by some of the most sought-after names as well as emerging talents.

In addition to Malaysian art, it features Southeast Asian works from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Collectors familiar with Southeast Asian art would recognise names such as Lee Man Fong, Affandi, Popo Iskandar, Arie Smit, Bui Xuan Phai, Chen Wen Hsi and Cesar Buenaventura.

But artworks of a more modern nature include the collage work, sculpture and paintings of Goh Beng Kwan, Jimmy Ong, Ramon Orlina, Yunizar, Erica Hestu Wahyuni and Yayat Lesmana.

Such works showcase an eclectic mix of styles, media and subject matters as a response to social changes in their respective countries.

They also portray a variety of inspiration and influences.

From Impressionist paintings featuring scenes of nature and rural life to Surrealist compositions with sociopolitical overtones, these Southeast Asian works up for auction will no doubt add a fresh perspective to any enthusiast’s collection.

Indonesia
A self-taught artist and primarily an oil painter, Lee Man Fong (b. China, 1913 — d. Indonesia, 1988) emigrated to Indonesia in 1932 and gained prominence in the 1960s as president Sukarno’s court artist.

Sepasang Ikan Koki, 1965, is typical of the Nanyang style that the artist was known for, with its traditional Chinese brushwork and evocative use of colour.

Another self-taught Indonesian artist is Affandi.

Born in 1907, he is widely regarded as one of Indonesia’s greatest painters.

Heavily involved in the art scene, he founded Gabungan Pelukis Indonesia (Union of Indonesian Painters) after moving to Jakarta in 1948.

His works commonly feature expressionist influences showing daily life, festivals and common people.

His composition, Affandi and Granddaughter, 1977, reveals a more personal side to his works while retaining the expressive and spontaneous strokes and lines that the artist is known for.

Popo Iskandar (b.Indonesia, 1927 — d.2000), another top Indonesian artist, studied art at the Bandung Institute of Technology in West Java from 1954 to 1958.

He held numerous group exhibitions starting in 1953 and solo shows from 1958 in the Netherlands and Indonesia.

Sepasang Kucing,1994, is a typical oilon- canvas painting that shows Popo’s intuitive skill in distilling the physical forms of animals such as cats and roosters into a simplified level, revealing their elementary meaning and components.

The sinuous outline in this work is typical of Popo’s style, with almond-shaped eyes and triangular ears.

Influences of cubism, expressionism and Asian calligraphy are also evident.

Born in the Netherlands in 1916, Arie Smit first arrived in Indonesia in 1938 when he was sent to the Dutch East Indies for military service.

Smitten with Bali, where he still resides in Ubud, he adopted Indonesian citizenship in 1951.

The Dutch-Indonesian painter is best known for his depictions of Balinese scenery.

The acrylic on canvas painting, Rainy Season, 2006, is typical of his style reminiscent of the Impressionist paintings of the late 19th century.

Known for his “broke colours” technique that depicts a sense of visual rhythm, Smit’s naturalistic art is widely copied.

Hailed as one of the most promising artists from Indonesia, Erica Hestu Wahyuni was taught by distinguished painters Suharto PR and Henry Wibowo.

Born in 1971 in Java, she started painting in primary school and graduated from the Indonesia Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta.

She later studied at the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow.

Her works are heavily influenced by her personal experiences, typically executed in a childlike and unpretentious manner.

The playful and colourful narrative qualities in her works are seen in Happy Noah Ark and Harvesting in the Village, both done in 2014.

An alumnus of the Indonesia Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta, Yunizar completed his studies in 1999 and went on to participate in group exhibitions in Indonesia, and later solo exhibitions in Singapore, Hong Kong and Yogyakarta in the early 2000s.

Born in Talawai in 1971, his painting was featured among the top 10 works at the Philip Morris Indonesia Art Awards 1998.

Cerita Tentang Sebuah Cangkir Merah, 1998, is a mixed media on canvas work in which Yunizar’s distinctive style is evident, with his simple colouring and his love for exploring expression without boundaries.

He often uses personal problems to fuel his creative desire in a simplistic and random way.

Relatively new to the art scene, Yayat Lesmana is another alumnus of the Indonesia Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta.

Born in Tangerang in 1979, he has participated in various exhibitions since 2000 in Jakarta, Semarang and Yogyakarta.

Yayat’s typical works such as Three in One, 2009, and Coffee Green, 2007, are surrealistic in nature with a strong element of social commentary.

For example, Three in One mocks national financial institutions entrusted to the hands of the corrupt and Coffee Green cynically draws our attention to environmental degradation.

Born in Indonesia in 1969, Hudi Alfa is another emerging talent whose previous jobs include movie poster illustrator, mural artist and portrait painter.

He is multi-talented and gifted in whatever media or subject, ranging from realistic nudes to Impressionist landscapes.

His recent works, Tranquility and Rama & Sita, both completed in 2014, are oil-on-canvas paintings.

They are typical of the artist’s use of expressive brushstrokes to create multi-faceted textures and lines.

Born in 1966, Toto Duko decided to become an artist after winning the second prize in a poster competition in Jakarta, although he had a degree in civil engineering.

A painter and a sculptor, his work Wayang Kulit, 2004, is typical of his distinctive use of warm tones and shading that vividly depict the lifestyle of the locals.

Javanese symbols such as batik and wayang figures play a significant role in his compositions.

Singapore
Born in China in 1908, Chen Wen Hsi is recognised as one of the great Nanyang pioneer artists and art educationists in Singapore.

After finishing secondary school in Singa pore, Chen furthered his art studies in China in 1928, initially at the Shanghai College of Art and, later, at the Xinhua College of Art, also in Shanghai, where he graduated in 1932.

His deft and bold calligraphic brushstrokes are used to create his favoured animal paintings, especially gibbons, which can be seen in the Chinese ink painting Three Gibbons, which has all the characteristics of his signature style.

His teaching stint at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1951 to 1959) was a major influence on the development of Chinese brush painting in Singapore.

Born in 1964, Jimmy Ong is considered one of Singapore’s top contemporary artists.

Known for his large-scale, figurative charcoal works, Ong often explores social, ethnic and gender issues through his art.

The oil-on-canvas triptych Fire-fly, 1987, showcases the artist’s rare use of oil paints.

The burst of reds and greens is amplified against the dark tones.

The influence of his friend and fellow Singaporean artist, Henri Chen Ke Zhan, who is well known for his contemporary Chinese ink abstract painting, is quite apparent.

Known for his collage and abstract compositions, Goh Beng Kwan is another pioneer in modern art in Singapore.

Thanks to his contributions, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 1989.

Tutored by Singapore pioneer artists Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng, Goh’s stylistic development evolved from learning the rudiments of Chinese calligraphy under Chen’s guidance as well as exposure to international art trends in the 1960s.

Green Pasture (undated) is one of Goh’s typical collage works and is a testament to his tendency to draw inspiration from his natural surroundings.

It is a nod to his technique of achieving pictorial harmony and balance.

He often uses everyday objects such as rice paper, product packaging and string as material for his collages while maintaining the intimate significance of his works.

Vietnam
Vietnamese artist Bui Xuan Phai (b. Vietnam, 1920 — d.1988) is known for his modernistic paintings of Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Using whatever material he could find, Phai used his art as an expression supporting political and cultural freedom.

Old Houses and Abstract, circa 1970s and early 1980s respectively, are examples of the artist’s typical style, with muted colours and soft contours.

Thailand
Attasit Aniwatchon has been hailed as one of the most exciting Thai artists to emerge on the scene.

Specialising in lithograph print, etching and painting, Attasit entered monkhood for a brief period before establishing himself in contemporary art.

The experience influenced his work, with a harmonious balance of aesthetics and ethereal themes.

Good Morning, 2007, reflects such characteristics, with the cool, blue tones evoking a sense of tranquillity and calmness.

The Philippines
A distinguished oil painter, Cesar Buenaventura (b.The Philippines, 1922 — d.1983) was known for his Impressionist landscapes and soft colours, as seen in Going to the Sea, 1968.

Such masterful use of colours can also be seen in the works of Roger San Miguel (b.The Philippines, 1940), whose brilliant imagery and imagination are evident in his oil on canvas work, Breastfeeding, 2013.

In contrast, a glass sculpture by Ramon Orlina (b.The Philippines, 1944), which will also be offered in the auction, shows a more modern interpretation of everyday objects and surroundings that inspired the artist.

Myanmar
Lastly, the selection of Myanmar artists this year includes Min Lwin, Myint Soe, Htet Aung Zaw and Win Thanda.

A mix of accomplished and emerging artists, they showcase their skills through various styles, media and subject matters.

Their works range from Impressionist landscapes to contemporary figurative compositions.

The Edge Auction is supported by IJM Land. Scheduled for March 22 at Hilton KL, The Edge Auction 2015 will have previews in Kuala Lumpur until March 20. Log on to www.theedgegalerie.com for details and the e-catalogue.

Shing-Yi Tan is with The Edge Galerie team, which promotes art-related events for The Edge Media Group.

Log on to www.theedgegalerie.com for more information on The Edge Galerie.

This article appeared in the Options of Issue 668 (Mar 16) of The Edge Singapore.