작품 상세

Composed of intricate figures and painted in jewel like colours, the artwork's main subject is Shou Xing 寿星, who is the star of longevity. The old man is depicted with a high forehead and white moustache. His left arm is carrying a wooden shaft, with a double gourd vase attached to it. As a symbol of fertility, the double gourd is believed to be good luck, as it is also a Daoist emblem of immortality. A pair of flying swallows are seen in the distant mountainous background. There is a traditional belief that the swallow bird is connected to healing and symbolizes hope and prosperity. Standing beside the old man is an Indian soldier, perhaps suggesting China and India as among the oldest civilisations in the world. Siund Tan's paintings are based on childhood memories and dreams, but with the newly represented Present in a surrealistic twist. Siund Tan (Tan Hong Shiung) was one of the star winners of the Malaysian Emerging Artists Award, hosted jointly by HOM Art Trans and Galeri Chandan, in 2011. The other winners were Chong Ai Lei, Ng Swee Keat, Muhammad Syahbandi Samat and Sun Kang Jye. In 2011, he was also a finalist in the Da Dun Fine Arts exhibition in Taichung, Taiwan. He had his first solo titled SOMETIME at the G13 Gallery in 2014. Siund Tan obtained his BFA in Graphic Design at the Curtin University of Technology, Australia in 2004.