Leon Lim: The Last Chairs

Wednesday, February 08 2012

“THE LAST CHAIRS”, a 9ft by 13ft assemblage of some 100 old and discarded chairs at the junction of Union Street and Penang Street, is an attention grabber in Penang. The public art installation by Malaysian-born contemporary artist Leon Lim was part of the month-long George Town Festival 2010 which ended on Saturday. Read below for excerpts of an interview with Leon by blogger Reese of Capturing Penang.

“The Last Chairs represents the last generation of George Town, the older people who have grown up and lived here all their lives. Those who have shaped what George Town is today,” Leon said when asked what these chairs mean to him. “That’s what I had in mind when I pieced these chairs together. But I want people to share their own interpretations and use their experiences to give voice to the living essence of this installation.”

“It’s hard to get new concepts out in our country. In the 1960s, there was a group of artists who wanted to do public art in Malaysia, but the attempt was in vain. Therefore, public art hasn’t taken off here even though it is well celebrated in the art world,” Leon explained. “Today, I am grateful that George Town Festival has given me the opportunity to showcase this particular form of art.”

Born deaf, Leon spent seven years in Penang where he attended school. In 1998, he made his first sculptural installation “The Anatomy” using old materials found around the streets of George Town. He received his Bachelor of Fine Art from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has since been living and working in New York. He has a dream to set up a contemporary art museum in Penang. However, he knows that a massive art project like this will need substantial funding and solid support from all levels.

(Source: “The Last Chairs” in George Town, Capturing Penang, 22.07.10)**

Leon’s works have been exhibited in galleries such as the John F. Kennedy Center, Washington DC and the World Financial Center, New York City. He was commissioned in 2008 to create a permanent art installation, The 3(656), for a study lounge in the new centre at the Rochester Institute of Technology ("Sculptures on show", Star Online, 08.07.10).

** Reproduced with permission from Capturing Penang.

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