Lifestyle

Art As Catharsis

December 24, 2021

This malaysian contemporary artist has made a name for herself by working on canvas with her own thoughts and emotions.

Jaee Tee’s artwork reflects her dedication and talent. Jaee is able to portray profound and significant concepts using a variety of materials such as oil, acrylic, Chinese ink, charcoal, and more. In order to investigate links between nature and humans, she can utilise impasto, make expressive strokes, and drip paint. Her paintings frequently convey a tale, and her experiments on the canvas frequently mirror her daily concerns. This means that her art is inspired by a wide range of subjects, resulting in paintings that are new, vibrant, and innovative.

While Jaee is situated in Kuala Lumpur, her works explore and reflect a broader international spirit, which is why her work appeals to collectors from all over the world. Her work has been shown in venues such as the National Art Gallery of the Maldives and a contemporary art museum in Milan, Italy, to mention a few. Her art has received appreciation locally as well, with her most recent appearances at GMBB KL’s CIMB Artober 2021 and the Telur Pecah Exhibition.

In her artist statement, Jaee writes, “My work is packed with intense emotional depth.” “Texture is my native tongue.” I dance with the surface as I lay it down, watching it acquire shape and form.”

Most artists have a trademark style, and Jaee’s is characterised by strong and expressive texture. Techniques like the classic impasto process, which uses thick layers of paint to produce texture, can be utilised to create texture. However, as previously said, there are other unconventional techniques, such as using natural materials such as dirt, root, grass, tree bark, and more. Viewers may immerse themselves in a more immersive experience because to texture.

“Awake to Gladness,” which displays a rooster in all its splendour with complex, overlapping, and textured strokes of black and gold, is one of her works this year. The ox is another animal that appears in her work. One such artwork is “Ox(idation),” which depicts an ox with spectacular horns, a mysterious, powerful aura, and a charcoal body. There are other landscape paintings, such as “Seeing Beyond,” which is divided into two parts and has a sombre, atmospheric mysticism to it. 

Jaee’s work is heavily influenced by her personal experiences and recollections. She draws inspiration from her early recollections of being deeply linked to nature and soil, having grown up in a secluded hamlet in Malaysia. To ensure that her art accurately reflects herself, Jaee used unorthodox elements such as turmeric, coffee grounds, salt, sand, and others. Other than nature, Jaee’s sources of inspiration include her Chinese culture and ancestry, as well as the literature she reads. “Painting is a technique of catharsis, inventiveness, and discovery for me,” she explains.

Jaee views her art to be a sort of self-inquiry and self-exploration, as well as a visual journal to preserve transitory moments of everyday life, due to the intimate nature of her work. For Jaee, art is a mirror of both herself and the larger world. Her art has a deeper significance than just the physical and aesthetic effects; there’s a lot more to discover.

Art, in Jaee Tee’s opinion, is a form of liberty. It enables an authentic, real, and liberating sense of expressivity that can’t be found anywhere else.

For further information, go to Jaee Teet
Instagram:@jaee.tee

IMAGES COURTESY OF JAEETEE