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ART
SCENE
Maker
May Lyn
of Chop Kongsi
shares with
Hannef
Esquander
her art-making
processes andwhat is
really going on in her
beautiful mind.
A
rt
is subjective. We
do not always have to
get it but if it is good
enough that we can
appreciate the beauty
and hard work that
went into it, then it
is successful. The Malaysian art scene
has never been this interesting, with
creative geniuses bursting into the scene
and being gutsy enough to take the
plunge to push their work into a whole
new territory. May Lyn has been on
the scene for quite sometime and her
The
Art
wearable, one of a kind art pieces are
so quirky and fascinating that a visit
to her art studio in George Town feels
like a trip into an unknown world that
is her beautiful mind where all of these
creations come from.
Clan houses
May Lyn was a performer for about
30 years before she had to stop due
to unforeseen circumstances. She had
been drawing and making things for the
longest time, when she realised that all
her work was actually like theatre scripts
that she made instead of performed.
May Lyn spent 25 years in Europe, 13 of
those in Paris. Designer Christian Lacroix
purchased two pieces of her work from
a shop called
Autour du Monde
there.
At that time she was known for her
‘talisman’ pieces which had creatures
on them. They were accompanied by
a little handmade booklet of drawings
and writing.
Upon her return to Malaysia, she
opened
Chop Kongsi
, a name which
represents the
Kongsi-s
(clan houses) in
Penang, and more than that, it means
to ‘share’ in Malay. “
Chop Kongsi
is just
my little space for me to work on my art
and jewellery. The main priority is the
artwork, but in order to survive, I make
art jewellery. It aims to bring back slow
May Lyn taking a moment to reflect
The inviting entrance of Chop Kongsi
Captivating fabrics
designed by May Lyn