The Unesco World Heritage Site is a regular holiday destination for Gin Poh Yen Chern (Photo: Shahrin Yahya/The Edge Malaysia)
The Dolomites in the northern Italian Alps loom with inspiration for a Malaysian artist who has left footprints on forest trails along its slopes. Fond memories of many such trips recently spawned a series of paintings that make up her second solo exhibition, which opens in Kuala Lumpur on July 7.
The mountain range with 18 peaks, declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2009, is a regular holiday destination for Gin Poh Yen Chern, whose Italian husband’s family has a home in Caderzone, tucked between the Adamello-Presanella glaciers and the spires of the Brenta Dolomites.
Caderzone is one of the oldest villages in Val Rendena, a valley along the Sarca River in Trentino, northern Italy. It is where Gin Poh and family head to revel in outdoor activities every summer, or ski in the winter. She first climbed the Dolomites after going to Milan to study urban management in 1999. She had wanted to do art, but her father objected.
gin_1.jpg
Every year now, her spouse and his friends flock to Caderzone from their different hometowns to hike, gather blueberries and wild fruits or forage for porcini mushrooms hidden beneath the forest canopy. The rendezvous is a welcome chance to catch up and savour meals filled with the abundance of the land. In the embrace of the mountain range, these lifelong pals have become “extended family, a reminder of the enduring power of friendship and the beauty of shared adventures”, Gin Poh says.
“Wandering up and down the trails, we would take breaks to refuel with Nutella sticks and sip cold Estathè. It is a pure moment of joy, laughter and energy that creates memories etched in our family’s hiking tales."
The weather at the Dolomites is generally good in summer and hikers can have a picnic and pick wildflowers and herbs. They will come across grazing cows and chicken farms where farmers place freshly laid eggs at their gate and trust people to take what they want, then throw their payment into a box. If the climb is tough, visitors can spend a night in the forest; there are houses whose owners serve food as well.
Those who aim to reach the peaks but fail should not be too disappointed. “There are vantage points along the way up where you can feast on the verdant paradise around you and gaze at nature’s magnificence. It is awe-inspiring and humbling,” Gin Poh says.
img_8680.jpg
If laidback activity is your cup of tea, there is fishing or boating on alpine lakes where the water changes from blue to green to turquoise. You could snooze by a river bank or venture into the village square for a walking or biking tour along cobblestone streets. Or, have a thermal bath. Caderzone is known for the water of the ferruginous Saint Antonio spring, which gushes out above the village. The locals attribute their well-being to this curative water.
Come year-end, the Dolomites turn into a wonderland for those into winter sports, from skiing to sledding, snowboarding and ice skating. Gin Poh’s husband is a competitive skier who took part in many races in Italy and won numerous trophies. She learnt to ski from her late father-in-law, a patient and passionate instructor. Aware that she is no match for her spouse or their two teenagers, she is content to rest her eyes and mind on snow-laden landscapes at every turn.
The Dolomites peaks rise above 3,000m across an area of 142,000ha spread over five provinces: Trentino, South Tyrol, Belluno, Udine and Pordenone. Vertical walls and sheer cliffs form panoramic contrasts with narrow, deep and long valleys. Pinnacles, spires and towers appear to thrust up between horizontal ledges, crags and plateaus. Lakes, meadows and forests cast a myriad of colours against bare, pale rock surfaces.
Gin Poh’s 12 oil paintings capture the scraggy majesty of snow-sheathed terrain, crevasses and ravines, weightless clouds circling mountains anchored to frozen ground, pockets of clear water, isolated farmhouses, and hidden paths and alleys that often lead to delightful surprises.
Crystal, her debut exhibition last year, featured crystal vases that mirrored how she viewed life: It is an ongoing journey of growth and discovery. Dolomites picks up on that with thick brushstrokes and textured layers of deep, dark colours depicting encounters along the way.
Besides showing the physical aspects of her “second home” — the mountains to which she feels a strong connection — her art digs deeper: feeling lost and unsure of where to go at a crossroads; staying focused and true to one’s beliefs and values in the face of harmful attraction or distraction; finding comfort and rest in nature; embracing the entire life’s journey; and appreciating everyday blessings.
“What I’m trying to show is, if you want to achieve something in life, the way there can be boring, not fun. But you have to be persistent and keep at it. You will see fragile things, like the small velvet flowers at the Dolomites, and the craggy parts. You have to embrace them as well. Only then can you come through into something great.”
The same way a climber navigates her way around the many tracks and obstacles in the forests and keeps pushing forward until she breaks through to the top, from where she can see vistas bathed in colours and light.
Dolomites will be on show at PinkGuy gallery, 51-1, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, KL, from July 8 to 31. Viewing by appointment only. Call (018) 288 8868 or visit pinkguygallery.com for details.
This article first appeared on July 3, 2023 in The Edge Malaysia.
