Heritage in her heart
Novia Shin Pui San creates art by revisiting the nation’s lost histories through miniature architecture.
LOOKING through the works of local artist Shin Pui San is like taking a trip in a very adorable time machine. Many of her drawings depict local heritage or historical scenes, done up in a very distinct cartoonish style that manages to be whimsical and detailed at the same time.
One of her most well-known works, after all, is an illustrated tale of the tale of Yap Ah Loy, done for the heritage tour organisation Kaki Jelajah Warisan (which she co-founded) in 2015. The artist spent half a year on this project, which depicts the story of Kuala Lumpur’s founder. It sounds hard to believe, but Shin (who also exhibits under the name Novia Shin) wasn’t always so passionate about local heritage and culture. It was an appreciation that came to her late in life. When she was a student, she even used to fail her history exams.
“I used to think that history was just a lot of names and dates. I didn’t see how to connect it with my life. But after learning from a lot of friends and teachers, I began to see how important it really was to us,” says Shin, 29, during a recent interview at the National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG) in Kuala Lumpur.
At NVAG, her works are presently featured in the inaugural KL Biennale’s Be Loved (Heritage) section and she is also a part of the trio show 3Belas, a satellite exhibit, which end Jan 16, at NVAG’s experimental Creative Space.
The artist is now a passionate activist for local culture. Part of the reason for her artworks, she says, is to preserve important heritage moments, and to tell the stories behind buildings or communities in an interesting way.
“You never know, but even the stones next to us may be something significant. For example, I never knew you could find fossils behind Batu Caves until my friend recently showed them to me. There could be things everywhere, right under our noses, that we don’t know about until we look for them, or stumble upon them,” she elaborates.
Shin was born in Ipoh, where she grew up mostly under the care of her grandparents. Her mother worked in a restaurant in England, while her father’s job was in Kuala Lumpur. Shin was the only person in the family with artistic inclinations.
“My family didn’t always understand my (artistic) passions,” she reveals.
“But they were always supportive of me.”
Shin would later attend Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, where she studied Multimedia and Graphic Design. After she graduated, she worked as a designer and teacher for the Harvest Centre, a local foundation for underprivileged children (now the Dignity For Children Foundation). While she enjoyed doing graphic design, it was art that was truly Shin’s passion.
In 2012, she decided to participate in the Nando’s Peri-fy Art Competition. In this open competition, the young artist emerged the grand prize winner. She also held her first solo exhibition in KL, fully sponsored by Nando’s, called Not So Long Ago in 2013.
Since then, Shin has never looked back.
Her portfolio is extremely diverse, with the artist having created illustrations, paper art, miniatures, comics, animation and installation. There doesn’t seem to be a medium which the petite, bubbly young artist doesn’t like.
Shin’s illustrations have been featured in The Star, Sin Chew Daily, and she did the cover of the Chinese version of the novel adaptation for the movie The Kid From the Big Apple 2. Last year, she also contributed animation art for the documentary Purge: Documenting The Labours Of Penang’s Night Soil Workers. The historical documentary, produced by Lee Cheah Ni, highlights the hard-working migrant labourers in Penang who contributed to the island’s public sanitation.
Some of Shin’s cartoonish work might also be deceptively cute, but make no mistake, she has sharp messages to convey.
As for her profile in the broader art scene, things have also been progressing rapidly.
Shin had a memorable high last year when she won the joint first prize award at the Young Contemporaries Award Exhibition 2016 at NVAG. Her work was also featured in group exhibitions at Ilham Gallery and the Malaysian History and Heritage Club.
Her current project is a comic with a Taiwan-based art magazine Monsoon, where Shin tells the story of how she and her friends spent 24 hours living on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, chronicling the events that happened around them.
In a gallery space, it is not easy to spot Shin’s work. Take for instance, her award-winning Not So Far Away series, which can now be seen in various corners of the NVAG. They are, quite possiblly, the smallest works featured at the KL Biennale.
What is particularly striking in this Not So Far Away series, is that Shin’s work takes the viewer to various places around the country – traditional medicine shops and grocery stores in Penang, a soy sauce factory in Gopeng, a Chinese association hall in Seremban and even Tambun rock art in Ipoh.
A magnifying glass is provided to view Shin’s seven miniature works, all featuring sizeable detail.
“KL Biennale visitors might even walk pass my works! They will be surrounded by the other big art pieces in the gallery. But if they do spot my works, they can see that size doesn’t matter. They can magnify the works and view them with