8 January 2007
Opened on 2 October, The Cathay Gallery located on level 2 of The Cathay on Handy Road showcases the history of the Loke family, their various business interests in Malaysia and Singapore, including Cathay Organisation, from the mid 1800's till now. These business interests include tin mines, plantations, properties, film production studios, film distribution, hotels and cinemas. Today the family still owns the estates and properties established by Loke Yew and Cathay Organisation’s business continues to focus on lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality in Singapore and Malaysia.
This unique collection of memorabilia that the family has kept over the years includes items related to their businesses, interests such as art and photography as well as personal items.
Some of the exhibits which we would like to highlight :
Studios
In the 1950s, 1960s and up to the early 1970s, Cathay produced many Chinese and Malay movies. Today these films in the Cathay-Keris Classics library are gems. Some, sadly, have long been lost.
Cathay’s stars included the inimitable Ge Lan also known as Grace Chang, Yeh Fung, You Min, Lin Dai, Peter Chen Ho, Loh Ti, Chang Yang, Maria Menado (memorable for her Pontianak roles), S Roomai Nor, Rose Yatimah, Wahid Satay, Siput Sarawak, Ummi Kalthoum, Latifah Omar…just to name a few. Over 300 films were produced by Cathay in its studios in Hong Kong (MP & GI) and in Singapore
Dato Loke Wan Tho
The man who propelled Cathay Organisation to success was also a man of many interests. Dato Loke was particularly passionate about ornithology, literature, flora, fauna and the arts. He was a philanthropist and gave generously to many charities, associations and educational institutions.
The main features of this Gallery highlight the many aspects of Dato Loke's varied life and myriad personal interests.
Day Glo Poster Wall
In the past, poster painters would photocopy poster artworks, make sketches, enlarge them to size and lay them out on canvas before rich day-glo colours were painted on. Posters for cinema frontages were 15 by 4.5 metres. Sometimes in emergency situations with changes in programmes, posters had to be prepared overnight. Cathay had its own art department along MacKenzie Road that produced these fabulous day-glo posters.
Mace of the City of Singapore
Dato Loke Wan Tho donated the Mace of the City of Singapore to the City Council in 1954.
The Cathay Restaurant & Cathay Hotels
Cathay Organisation owned & managed the Cathay Hotel including the Cathay Restaurant at the Cathay Building, the Ocean Park Hotel in Katong as well as the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, Fiji between the 1940’s to early 1970s.
Today Cathay owns and manages the hip and trendy budget hangout @ mt emily hotel Singapore which offers a no frills, just fun concept. hangout @ mt emily was voted Best Accommodation Experience, Budget Hotels category at the annual Singapore Tourism Awards 2005 & again in 2006 for Best Accommodation Experience, Standard Hotels.
Special Exhibitions
The Cathay Gallery will regularly feature changing exhibitions on a variety of topics related to film, photography, travel, the arts and many other interests of the Loke family.
Special Exhibition
In the Eyes of the Beholder, January to April 2007
From January to April 2007, The Cathay Gallery will feature a collection of artworks rendered in different styles and medium: acrylic, oil and water colour
These artworks from the collection of the late Dato Loke Wan Tho and Ms Choo Meileen feature people and life as seen through the eyes of the artist, portrayed in their own unique and distinctive styles.
Featured Artists
Cheong Soo Pieng and Thomas Yeo are Singapore artists whom Dato Loke Wan Tho supported early on in their careers.
Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang were both born in Fujian, China in 1911 and both settled in Singapore. Both taught at Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts. They are best known for developing the ‘Nanyang’ style, a combination of techniques from East and West
Award winning Thomas Yeo is considered as one of Singapore’s most notable second generation Singapore artists.
Chia Yu Chian, like Cheong Soo Pieng, embraced the ‘Nanyang’ style of painting. Chia was the first few artists in Malaysia to be awarded a French government scholarship to study painting at the Ecoles des Beaux Arts.
Irishman Francis Bacon is best known for his intense, grisly, satirical paintings. Seen at this exhibition is a self portrait limited edition print made in 1984.
Henry Moore, a celebrated sculptor in England, was also recognized for his drawings.
Jeffrey Smart & Sali Herman are two of Australia’s best known painters, particularly for their depiction of urban landscapes. Herman was born in Switzerland and later made Australia his home.
Keith Joubert of South Africa is renowned for his paintings of African wildlife and the African landscape. The painting featured is one in a collection that is known to be one of the largest of the artist outside of South Africa.
Toko Shinoda, one of Japan’s foremost calligraphers, celebrated for her mastery with ink and brush.
Shi Hu from China has created impressions using a combination of East and West traditional techniques. The result is his own unique style, mingling Chinese Ink with Western oil paintings.
The Zhou Brothers, Shan Zuo and DaHuang Zhou, are one of the most accomplished contemporary artists renowned for their unique collaborative works.
Awang Damit Ahmad and Jalaini Abu Hassan are regarded as Malaysia’s foremost artists who have won numerous awards and exhibited their works around the world.
Singapore born Ian De Souza who began his career as a singer, now resides in Australia and is a self-taught artist. His water colour works have been praised by critics as reflecting “light” with “joy & energy”.
Renowned Thai artist Uaab Sanasen who embraces Thai modern art was one of the King of Thailand’s art advisors.
Mahboubeh Zadeh Ahmadi is an up and rising contemporary artist in Iran and has 9 solo and over a dozen group exhibitions to her credit.
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