On promoting a sex positive culture
By Alana Malika

A&M's Fresh Faces is where we profile an emerging artist from the region every month and speak to them about how they kick-started their career, how they continue to sustain their practice and what drives them as artists. Read our profile on Malaysian artist Lith Ng Yee Leng here.

Portrait of Lith Ng Yee Leng. Image courtesy of the artist.

Could you talk about your background? And at what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in art? 
I graduated from Malaysia Institute of Art in 2017. To be frank, I think I have not established a "career" in art yet.

Could you share how you have maintained your practice after graduation? What are the important factors that have kept you going?  
Since graduation, I think the main factor that has kept me going is my passion. I love creating things, seeing my thoughts come to life. Having people who appreciate them drives me to create more. It also helps to participate in group exhibitions, which keeps me active and motivated.

However, the pandemic completely changed things for me. I lost my job and my main source of income was completely cut off, which certainly affected my ability to create.

Close up view of ‘wet(issue)’ (2019). Image courtesy of the artist.

How did the opportunity for your first solo show, ‘wet(issue)’ (2019) at Suma Orientalis, Kuala Lumpur come about?  
Sophia Shung, executive director of Suma Orientalis, saw my works from Urbanscapes back in 2018 and reached out to me.

What was the process like preparing for it?
I had nine months to prepare for the show and it took me four to five months to come up with something solid. The hardest part in my creative process is trying to conceptualise something and sticking to it.

How do you use biological imagery to confront gendered stigmas in human sexuality?

I believe using something people consider "taboo" to tackle subjects that are stigmatised is the easiest way to start a conversation. As a female artist, I use resin as my medium of choice in many of my sculptures because I love how I can create fluid-like visuals using resin. With the combination of red colouring, phallic shapes and pearls, I create bodily fluids like period blood, semen etc. But of course, these are just my personal interpretations since I like my works to be open for interpretation.

‘In Defence of Pleasure’ (2019) reflects on the woman's experience inspired by monologues from anonymous women and your own experiences growing up in a conservative Chinese household. What do you hope for viewers to take away from these narratives?
I hope viewers take away the message that that women and femme-presenting people should be able to have an open dialogue about sex and pleasure without feeling shame and guilt. Their pleasure should be equal to men’s.

Lith Ng Yee Leng, ‘cum(atose) i’, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 75.5x100cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Who has been a mentor or an important artistic influence, and why? 
I look up to French-American painter and printmaker Louise Bourgeois and strive to be as honest, raw, and influential as her.

What has been one important piece of advice given to you?
Being original is overrated.

Lith Ng Yee Leng, ‘let me know when you are done with me’, 2019, resin sculpture. Image courtesy of the artist.

 Could you share your favourite art space or gallery in your country? Why are you drawn to that space and what does it offer to you and your practice?
Some of my favorite spaces are Ilham Gallery, Suma Orientalis, and A+ Works of Art. All three spaces consistently present unconventional and experimental art. I like that they are accepting of diversity in artists, and also the genres of works they carry.

What are your hopes for your own local art scene, and regionally as well?  
With the pandemic still going on, it is hard to have any expectations for the art scene, locally or globally. I have seen local artists struggling to make ends meet, including myself, and there seems to be no improvement at all since the beginning of the pandemic. With that said, putting the pandemic aside, I do wish the local art scene could move on from its traditional and conservative ways of thinking. I hope that the Malaysian art scene becomes more progressive by accepting non-traditional mediums and not censoring new genres.

Lith Ng Yee Leng, ‘Skin to skin’, 2019, acrylic on canvas. Image courtesy of the artist.

Are there any upcoming exhibitions/projects that you would like to share more information on?
Nothing solid yet for art-related events, which is not surprising given how things still are in Malaysia. For a project unrelated to art, I have been working on Erosu, an online business selling adult toys and promoting sex education. I think it is important to talk about sex and pleasure, which are consistently present in my artworks, and my wish for sex education to be more accessible to the public has motivated the birth of Erosu.