Lui Cheng Thak

043

b. Negeri Sembilan, 1967
Lui Cheng Thak
Dances Of The Phoenix
2006
signed and dated ‘Lui Cheng Thak 06’ (lower left); inscribed ‘Lui Cheng THAK Dances of the Phoenix 2006 oil on canvas 122cm x 155cm’ (reverse)
oil on canvas
120 x 152.2cm
Provenance
Private collection, Penang; acquired directly from the artist.
Estimate
RM 12,000 – 15,000
Price Realised
RM 28,600

EXHIBITED
As I Was Passing II, Galeri Citra, Kuala Lumpur, 2006.

LITERATURE
Shian’s Bilingual Art Magazine, Issue 102, illustrated on back cover.

Dances of The Phoenix is the largest work ever done by Lui Cheng Thak. The scale of this work is apt to give a sense of awe at the Victorian-styled Corinthian capitals and column with a Baroque lintel where a carved pair of phoenix, the Chinese mythical birds, strides amidst floral decorations over a Chinese roof typical of facades of Straits eclectic buildings. The view is of a place in downtown Malacca, animated with subtle play of light. The birdcages and the batik sarong hung to dry represent the old and the new in transition.

Graduated from Kuala Lumpur College of Art, Lui Cheng Thak is privately trained under Chia Hoy Sia. He had his first solo As I Was Passing organised by Pelita Hati Gallery of Art in 1997 and his recent solos at PINKGUY Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and Alex Ong’s gallery in Muar. His works are held in the collection of local corporations, hotels and private collectors.