{
  "id": 11795977,
  "title": "Penang artist turns everyday life into lasting memories",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/penang-artist-turns-everyday-life-into-lasting-memories",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T23:31:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2026/10/1547087/penang-artist-turns-everyday-life-lasting-memories"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Everyday activities can evoke a sense of tranquility, whether it's an artist returning to his workbench, a worker finishing a day at their job and heading to the same hawker stall, or a shopkeeper beginning another morning in the street that has become part of his routine. For Penang artist Lee Eng Beng, 59, these unremarkable moments hold great significance, forming the core of his first solo exhibition, HARI HARI — A Way of Life. The exhibition showcases paintings inspired by the streets and daily life of Penang, along with Lee's personal experience of fatherhood.\n\nHARI HARI, which translates to \"every day,\" encapsulates the essence of what Lee chooses to notice. His Penang is not necessarily the picturesque version of the island, but rather found in the old shophouses, neighborhood streets, back lanes, roadside stalls, and familiar corners that people often overlook due to their familiarity. Lee's paintings encourage viewers to take a second look at these seemingly mundane places and think about the people whose daily routines maintain these spaces.\n\nAmong the paintings are craftsmen practicing traditional trades, often skills passed down through generations, and workers returning to familiar hawker stalls to enjoy their usual meals. There's no extraordinary aspect to such scenes, but it's precisely this normalcy that makes them appealing. Lee's depiction of these commonplace occurrences reveals fragments of memory, allowing us to appreciate the rich cultural heritage of Penang.\n\nHowever, Lee's paintings also acknowledge that Penang, like any other place, is undergoing change. Streets evolve, buildings age, businesses close, and traditional trades face increasing difficulty in sustaining themselves. Lee captures not just how Penang looks, but also the emotional connection to the place and the sense of belonging it evokes.\n\nThe exhibition goes beyond being a collection of artworks about Penang; it delves into the intangible aspects of what we might lose without realizing it. Culture isn't solely found in grand buildings, heritage sites, or official celebrations. It can be preserved through the simple act of someone consistently sitting at a particular stall, opening a shop, practicing a craft, or returning to the same street — \"hari hari.\" This concept of continuity extends into the personal realm of the exhibition, where Lee showcases his experiences as a father.\n\nThe portraits of fatherhood in HARI HARI emphasize the quiet aspects of parenting – spending time together, being present, watching a child grow, and simply being there. Lee avoids grand gestures and instead focuses on the day-to-day aspects of being a parent, portraying a relationship built on repetition, care, protection, and affection. These works present a different side of the artist, one that delves deeper into the emotional connection between a father and his children.\n\nUltimately, Lee hopes that viewers will find meaning in the seemingly overlooked aspects of everyday life, such as the streets they walk, the shops they pass, and the individuals who persist in their daily routines. By placing Lee's paintings of Penang alongside his works on fatherhood, HARI HARI offers a more profound sense of personal meaning. The exhibition invites the audience to contemplate the ordinary moments that may seem commonplace but are, in fact, the very things that define us.",
  "summary": "THERE’S something quietly comforting about the things we do every day.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}