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Looking for Art in Kota Kinabalu

D'potrait at 1Borneo
Location : 1Borneo Shopping Mall

Graffiti Center of Kota Kinabau City
(Street Arts Center of Kota Kinabalu)

Location : Beside HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation)
A sprinkling of street art at HSBC parking lot in Kota Kinabalu City

Sabahan Artist at Jesselton Point, Kota Kinabalu
Location : At Jesselton Point, Kota Kinabalu City

Huang Poh Lo
(Mr. N. Poolohgasingam)
Chinese & Shah-Rumi Al-Arabia Calligrapher
Malaysian Indian living in Sabah
The only known Indian, Chinese Calligrapher in the world.
Huang Poh Lo also created "Shah Rumi-Jawi" Calligraphy, a Roman font of 26 alphabets.

"CALLIGRAPHY IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF ART IN CHINESE CULTURE. IT IS EQUALLY TREASURED IN ISLAMIC CULTURE AS WELL. IF YOU STUMBLE UPON ME, YOU WILL BE BLESSED WITH AT LEAST A SCRIBBLE, VERY PERSONALISED, COMPLETE WITH SEAL, AS A GIFT.
DO SAY HELLO, AND YOU WOULD BE MORE THAN FASCINATED BY THE BEAUTY, GRACE, AND CONTENT OF CALLIGRAPHY."

POOLOHGASINGAM N.
KOTA KINABALU, SABAH, MALAYSIA
http://huangpohlo.blogspot.com/

New Sabah Times : http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/insite/insite_display/2209
Thursday February 11, 2010
The Man Below the Wind

"The Man Below the Wind" may be an unfamiliar name to some, but every time Chinese New Year rolls around, this regal gentleman makes appearances around town, fascinating mall shoppers and hotel guests with his truly unique talents. With quick, deceptively simple strokes, he crafts works of art using a variety of brushes, writing Chinese characters and accompanying illustrations with the greatest of ease.

The Man Below the Wind really pulls in the crowds. however, for the fact that this master of Chinese calligraphy is, in fact, Indian.
Huang Poh Lo, or N. Poolohgasingam, is a self taught calligrapher who has perfected the art of Chinese brush work. Poh Lo started practicing calligraphy at the age of 45 in 1995. with his first resource being a book dating back to 1947, entitled Teach Yourself Mandarin. He has come quite far since his first brush stroke, and proudly shares that he can write Chinese well and also speaks it fluently.
Sabah being a delightfully harmonious melting pot of many, many races, Poh Lo stands as an example of cultural integration in a truly unique sense. It is sufficiently unusual for someone with no Chinese heritage to take up the complex yet beautiful art of calligraphy. The Man Below the Wind took it a step further and incorporated elements of Arabic calligraphy, or Jawi, into his work. The result is a typographic style that he calls Shah Rumi.Jawi.

Shah Rumi-Jawi demonstrates a mastery of control and discipline, with Poh Lo using brushes expertly to create impressive pieces within a matter of minutes. While he is fully capable of writing and illustrating entire works purely in Jawi, Poh Lo's variation on the font uses the style of Arabic script to write in the standard alphabet. A word may appear to be completely written in Jawi from afar, but reveals upon closer inspection that it is actually written in highly stylized Roman letters. The process is difficult to describe, yet fascinating to observe.
A great part of Poh Lo's activities involves raising funds for Chinese schools, especially during the lunar month. He invests much time in his work, sitting at his decorated booth dressed in traditional clothing and effortlessly turning out page after page of calligraphy, yet he never asks for payment. Poh Lo gives away his work free of charge, but wholeheartedly appreciates any donations that his audiences may offer in the name of education.

Such skill in calligraphy and the prestige of having created a new font deserve to be preserved, but Poh Lo says that his family have little interest in carrying on his legacy themselves. He looks forward to establishing a foundation one day, where aspiring calligraphers may absorb his style, and perhaps even build upon it.

More immediate plans are in store, however, as Poh Lo intends to begin selling one•of-a•kind pieces over the internet. The man has garnered an international following, maintaining correspondence with a network of friends and fans that has grown steadily over the years. Poh Lo's unique, limited edition works will be sold at a much higher price, which is definitely well deserved after 15 years at the grindstone.

A biting sense of humor and a charming demeanor combined with natural talent make Huang Poh Lo an interesting individual to seek out this lunar month. Don't be intimidated by the strong presence and personality that he possesses, for underneath it all lies a steady sense of humility. When complimented by this writer on his gifts, he simply said, When you mix love and skill, you get a masterpiece." And masterpieces are exactly what you can expect to leave with when you pay a visit to The Man Below the Wind.

Huang Poh Lo is currently based at 1Borneo Hypermall during weekends, and can be contacted via email at huangpohlo@hotmail.com or through his mobile at 019.8993248.

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Artists in Chiang Mai

If you want your favorite pictures reproduced, head to the lower floor of the Night Bazaar Arcade of Chiang Mai. The building is a hard to miss. Here you find a big painting shop which has several artists working. A place to browse artworks by artists.

SABAH