RENEE Kraal knows her life purpose. Her form slight and frail in her wheelchair, her delicate features shadowed in the darkened gallery, she looks at me with wise eyes before saying gently: “I’ve finished what I’ve come to do.”
Her words are enigmatic. Just like the pieces displayed at her latest exhibition. A-Ha Moments — Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Renee Kraal features some 68 art works from the prolific artist who has been very much part of the Malaysian art landscape since its infancy.
The abstract art of Renee Kraal summons up strange powers of the imagination that stir deep regions of the soul.
Her labyrinths of red and gold, turquoise and brown can be joyous and ecstatic, oppressive and eerie, but always they’re tremulously expressive — and completely out of time.
Her paintings portray a visionary artist who operates beyond the cultural mainstream; creating imageries and work that do not fall into familiar art categories. “I’ve always been fascinated with the supernatural,” she confides.
From shamanism to Bomoh practises, from Mak Yong to Main Teri, Kraal’s work has evolved to take on a deeper spiritualism that has culminated in the 73-year-old drawing out the seven chakras — an ancient religious teaching originating from Hinduism and Buddhism.
Your work is beautiful, I tell her and she looks faintly surprised. “Is it? Oh I’m so glad,” she responds. She mulls over my words for a while, before adding with a smile: “An artist is always insecure.”
RISE OF AN ARTIST
The KL-born and bred artist has been painting for the last four decades. An early member of the Wednesday Art Group — a pioneering arts collective in the 60s and 70s — Kraal joined the likes of illustrious Malaysian artists such as Sivam Selvaratnam, Ho Kai Peng, Ismail Mustam, Mohd Said Abu and Datuk Mustapha Mahmud to create a strong vibrant presence in the Malaysian art scene.
“I first joined the Tuesday Art Group, an art group for children organised by the Department of Education in collaboration with the US Information Service when I was 7,” she recalls, adding: “I’ve always loved painting from young. I’ve always doodled and messed around my mother’s study!” Did the artistic talent run in the family? I wondered. She pauses, before replying: “Well, my family was musically inclined. My mother played the piano while my grandmother taught it. All my aunties and uncles played some form of musical instruments. I on the other hand, preferred painting.”
She was only 15 when she joined the Wednesday Art Group collective. “I always say I went there to meet the boys!” she quips, laughing. There was so much to take in, she recalls. “We had live models posing for us to draw. It was then my interest in the human form developed.”
Her passion for art grew deeper. “I knew I wanted to be an artist from the age of five or six,” she says. “But it wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I knew I could be a full-time one. It took me a long time to get there, as a woman.” She tells me, tongue-in-cheek, that she couldn’t adjust to the corporate life. “I asked if I could come in at a later time, and then put in the extra hour to compensate, but they laughed at me!” she recalls.
She was working with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) when she decided to “retire” in 1980 as she glibly puts it. “I was 35. My passion won, and I just trusted the universe to provide.”
DELVING DEEP
“Don’t ask me what my art means,” she begs, before adding: “Because I don’t really know.” I reassure her that I’d leave the meaning to the interpretation of the audi¬ence, and she smiles in relief. An artist’s career retrospective, if shaped with care, is more than a look at a life of labour. It’s also a record of contingent lives, cultural changes and a political passage in time. For Kraal, her exhibition showcases the journey that she has taken as an artist.
“My life’s very much an open book. What you see is all what I’ve gone through,” she reveals, adding: “There were so many inspirations that guided my artistic hand. Once I’ve done something about that, I move on to something else.” Painting, as it were, took a backseat in her search for spiritual healing. “I found inspiration from the practices of Dr. Caroline Myss, Dr. Brian Weiss (past lives), Ann Jones (energy healing) and other healers. In my search, I rediscovered the wisdom of ancient beliefs and faiths,” explains Kraal. Her final pieces, she shares, were the last seven pieces that she’s worked on. “The seven chakras?” I ask. She nods, smiling.
With her otherworldly inspirations came the need to express it. The seven chakras went on to be her life’s pursuit. The Sanskrit word Chakra literally translates to wheel or disk. In yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda, this term refers to wheels of energy throughout the body.
There are seven main chakras, which align the spine, starting from the base of the spine through to the crown of the head. To visualise a chakra in the body, imagine a swirling wheel of energy where matter and consciousness meet. This invisible energy, called Prana, is vital life force, which keeps us vibrant, healthy, and alive.
Kraal embarked on a journey to pursue the understanding and interpretation of the Seven Chakras, influenced greatly by her experiences and consciousness. “I had such a hunger to explore. I drew and drew so many pieces of the same theme. I went to explore the various interpretations and it went on and on,” she says. “Do you know anything about the chakras?” she asks me. I shake my head. “Never mind,” she responds, and then proceeds to give me an eloquent brief on the subject.
“These sacred truths can be interpreted in different religions,” muses Kraal. “We all carry this religion and truth in our bodies and we need to honour those truths.” This, she says, was the highlight of her life. “It went beyond religion to spirituality. I evolved, my paintings evolved and that was quite amazing. Kraal reveals that she draws with her eyes closed. “I close my eyes and let the pencil guide me.”
This journey, confides Kraal, has been going on for a long time. “I can’t remember not ever doing this,” she admits. After painting the seven chakras, she reveals that she stopped being inspired enough to pursue her art. “The creative block went on for years,” recalls Kraal, before adding that it’s quite normal for an artist to not paint for a while and to do something else before returning to his or her art. “But my break went on for a decade. It made me feel very guilty for not painting,” she confesses.
There’s a sense of stillness in the air. Her face clears and she looks peaceful, almost ethereal as she confides: “During my meditation recently, I suddenly realised that I have finished what I’ve come to do. It’s a sudden realisation, and it has released me from beating myself up for not working for so long.”
Her voice lowers further and I lean forward to hear her remarking quietly that this has changed her deeply. The pursuit of spirituality, she says, culminating in art that pays homage to ancient truths has released her from her own limited perception. “I don’t have to struggle anymore. Maybe that’s why I feel I’m ready to go back home,” she says softly.
Waving her hands around, she continues: “When I mean home, this isn’t home. I’m just a spirit having a human experience. That’s all I am right now. This isn’t home.” Her words trail off as she looks dreamily into the distance.
“Maybe that’s my last A-Ha moment,” she concludes, her smile enigmatic.
A-HA MOMENTS — EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS BY RENEE KRAAL
WHERE Sutra Gallery 12 Persiaran Titiwangsa 3, KL
UNTIL July 8
For further details, contact 03-40211092