Being and Becoming Chua Ek Kay

I admit a deep affinity for third-party introductions to documentaries on art. Particularly when the artist and/or the artist's niche is not immediately known to me. Being and Becoming Chua Ek Kay is a wonderful example of that: a documentary that in itself is a graceful and forward-learning introduction to a graceful and forward-leaning artist.

Through the insight and elegance offered by this film, we come to understand from where and to where Chinese ink painting has transformed, and we are able to identify the classicism of its presentation. Yet as we learn of Chua Ek Kay and the evolution of his work, we find that his art wonderfully leverages a traditional past and melds it with an affinity for the contemporary abstract. The resulting work offers a palpable emotional depth, very often managing to counterpoint itself wonderfully within a singular piece of art: The serene and the vibrant, the earthly and the magical, nature and the unnatural.

The interviews here offer fascination. The editing is very carefully considered and executed, and elicits moods complementary of Chua Ek Kay's actual works. One is left with a feeling of gratitude for the film as well as an attuned sense of personal growth, as the storytelling within Being and Becoming Chua Ek Kay has ultimately succeeded in making the introduction between the viewer and a true master within the arts.