Deputy Minister explores exhibition featuring John Chin’s artworks
MIRI: Deputy Minister I for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Datuk Sebastian Ting took a break from his usual busy schedule to spend the afternoon exploring an arts exhibition at the main hall of Gymkhana Club Miri (GCM) here on Friday.
Themed ‘The Wonders of Canada and Miri’, the collection featured 67 recent works by John Chin, a seasoned artist with a unique flair for interpreting colours, moods, and light.
Ting was accompanied by Deputy Mayor Ariffin Mohamad, Councillor Jeffrey Phang and community leader Temenggong Yong Vui Seng during the tour.
The exhibition gave Mirians a unique platform to appreciate fine arts through a diverse array of paintings that depicted scenes of both Miri and Canada.
In his brief address, Ting said he was glad that Chin had returned to Miri to showcase his work.
“It is important to support the arts as they are a vital component of cultural enrichment.
“I also acknowledge that artistic expressions have the transformative power to overcome geographical boundaries and foster understanding between Miri and Canada.
“I notice that the scenes in Miri include the first oil well, also known as the ‘Grand Old Lady’ on Canada Hill; Kampung Wireless; the Niah Caves; and the famous profile of Abraham Lincoln on the wall of the Deer Cave in Gunung Mulu National Park.”
Adding on, Ting hoped that the Niah Caves would be listed as Unesco World Heritage Site. “The Niah Caves have garnered Unesco’s interest when a group of archaeologists from the University of New South Wales, Australia discovered remains that included human bones dating to 65,000 years ago during an excavation in 2019.
“This predated the mainstream theory of 40,000 years, meaning that prehistoric humans were already living in Borneo much earlier than previously assumed,” he said.
Among the showcased pieces that stole the spotlight were the ‘Northern Lights’.
The exhibition concluded yesterday.