Cover Tembok Fishing Village by Chang Fee Ming (Photo: Chang Fee Ming)
Tembok Fishing Village by Chang Fee Ming (Photo: Chang Fee Ming)
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Acclaimed watercolour artist Chang Fee Ming partners with Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali to conduct a creativity retreat to soothe the soul
For acclaimed Malaysian watercolour artist Chang Fee Ming, art is far more than just canvases and brushstrokes; it’s a deeply immersive experience that connects him to the rich cultural tapestries of the lands he explores. In partnership with YTL Hotels, Chang’s latest artistic venture unfolds at the luxurious Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali. During this exclusive creativity retreat from June 20 to 23, the master artist guides visitors through an authentic exploration of Bali, viewed through an artistic lens.
Born in Kuala Terengganu, Chang began his career in the early 1980s as a self-taught artist, painting the people and places of Southeast Asia. The 65-year-old has explored numerous countries over the last 40 years, including China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and more. Over the past decade, Chang has also been a frequent visitor to Tembok, Indonesia, captivated by the region’s raw natural beauty and the traditional way of life thriving in the surrounding fishing villages. “Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali is very charming and quiet,” he explains. “But I’m also always interested in going out and experiencing life outside the village, where you can see authentic fishing communities thriving along the coastal area.”
Above Chang Fee Ming (Photo: Fady Younis)
Chang Fee Ming (Photo: Fady Younis)
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Chang’s ability to capture the essence of the region has earned him both local and international recognition. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bali, and Beijing, as well as in auctions held by Sotheby’s and Christie’s since 1995.
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“I don’t know if you would call it my signature, but I like to draw half figures with a heavy focus on the subject’s hands or feet,” Chang says. “Faces reveal emotions, but the limbs are not as straightforward and invite the viewer to reflect on the compositions to draw their own meaning. I can tell my story, while you make your own reading.”
Above Motherland, 2012, 56X76cm, watercolour on paper
Motherland, 2012, 56X76cm, watercolour on paper
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The Journey to Tembok collection, featuring Chang’s works from the last ten years and published by Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali, is a unique travel journal offering guests glimpses of the sights that greet them during the three-hour journey from the airport to the resort in the north. Coastal villages with their brightly coloured fishing boats, lively markets with vendors selling fish, historical temples, cattle, and hard-working residents working the fields are captured by Chang in sketches and paintings that almost transport the viewer to this timeless world. “It takes me back to 1984, when I was in Bali for the first time, travelling by motorcycle all around,” the artist says.
For Chang, the artistic process he hopes to impart to guests during their creativity retreat sessions is about far more than just recreating scenic vistas. “Drawing outdoors isn’t about being comfortable,” he says. “You’ve got insects and smells from the fishing village. But that’s my experience, and it’s a form of meditation. I can find concentration [to draw] amidst the distractions of real life.”
Above My we be Blessed, 2003, 31X41 cm, watercolour on paper
My we be Blessed, 2003, 31X41 cm, watercolour on paper
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This artistic immersion is precisely what Chang hopes to share with guests at Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali. His role isn’t that of a traditional art instructor but more of a guide to experiences that inspire creativity. “I don’t want it to feel forced or for anyone to feel nervous,” he explains. “I want guests to just feel relaxed, draw what they connect with in the moment, understand the environment and lives of the local people, and share in this experience together.”
Chang regards drawing on stamped envelopes and notepads as something of a speciality. “My idea for this programme is for guests to join me for a 2-hour session, sitting in a fishing village to draw what moves them. After that, we can return to the studio to add colour, and the following day, we will venture to a marketplace for sightseeing before getting those envelopes stamped at the post office to create a special piece of memorabilia,” he says.
Navigating these experiences alongside Chang, whose artistic journey has immersed him in the rhythms of North Bali life, promises an eye-opening look at the region’s soul. His paintings of temple matriarchs, fishermen, and sacred dancers showcase an intimate understanding of Balinese culture few outsiders attain.
Chang Fee Ming's Journey to Tembok is a unique travel journal
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While technology pushes so much of the world toward homogenization, Chang hopes to steer journeyers in the opposite direction—toward appreciating the simple beauty of lives still tied to the natural world and age-old traditions. “I love all those little details that make every village distinct,” he says. “I’d rather go backward, keep things simpler instead of chasing the newest trends.”
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As people increasingly disconnect from their roots, Chang Fee Ming is using art to forge bonds with the authentic. His Journey to Tembok experience at Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali promises to awaken the creative consciousness through thoughtful wanderings amid a traditional way of life still vibrantly alive in North Bali.
Credits
Images: Chang Fee Ming
Photography: Fady Younis
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