Diorama, in contemporary terms, refers to a three-dimensional model that represents a scene in miniature and is often used as an educational display in galleries or museums. Many contemporary artists have created dioramas to capture concepts, ideas, and places, and now, Sarawakian bodybuilder Nolan Chee has become the very first artist locally to create dioramas capturing memories of scenes from his childhood and his era.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
Diorama originated in 1823 in France and is referred to as a picture-viewing device used for theatrical entertainment. Today, in contemporary terms, it refers to a three-dimensional model that represents a scene in miniature and is often used as an educational display in galleries or museums.
Many contemporary artists have created dioramas to capture concepts, ideas, and places, and now a Sarawakian body builder has become the very first artist locally to create dioramas capturing memories of scenes from his childhood and his era.
Walking into HOAN Gallery, a private art gallery in La Promenade Mall in Kota Samarahan, I was surprised to find some diorama art displays on the gallery walls.
Hoan Kee Hoan, who manages this gallery, asked whether I would like to meet the artist, and in that afternoon itself, the artist appeared. To more surprises, it was Nolan Chee, a friend I knew from my fitness days in Kuching.
Nolan is a huge name in the body-building world, having captured Mr Sarawak and several international titles in his long passion for body-building. We have always known him as a fitness guy and never as an artist in any art. What more to say in diorama, which requires a lot of patience and crafty skills.
Hence, the curiosity in me drove me to question him about his newly discovered passion for using recycled materials.
The interview
Bodybuilding has been described by some as contemporary art, with men like Nolan himself driven by aesthetic perfection. Does he agree on that?
He replied, “Certainly, I always see objects as subjects in art, whether in a material or physical state, and they are akin to all things that existed in this world being either created out of certain shapes and colours.”
How did he discover this other artistic talent?
To this, Nolan expressed his appreciation to his late father, who was an amazing artist and painter. He added, “My father specialised in expressing his talented skills on walls, which is termed mural art. I figured the only inheritance that he left me was his artistic genes, as ever since I was young, I have always been very fond of free-hand sketching.
“Most my school books’ covers have my hand-drawn ideas of mostly my ‘future superhero physique’. Now that probably made me decide to be super fit and eventually led me to win many bodybuilding shows.“
After he left high school, he worked as a swimming instructor, as he was also Sarawak’s state swimmer at one time. After his swimming career was over, his interest in physique building soared, and he successfully became a bodybuilder, winning both locally and internationally.
The inspiration
What inspired him to take up diorama? Seriously, none of us old friends were expecting this body builder to fiddle with delicate miniature parts recycled from all kinds of materials.
“My artistic styles are self-taught and based on my observations during my days residing in Seattle, Washington State, USA.
“I used to visit their cultural art centres, which I found most exciting, and they kept me in awe at how simple cast-away junks can be turned into works of art and fetch such awesome prices,“ said the smiley spiritual Nolan, who felt blessed to have this talent and patience given by his Creator.
Childhood memories
Looking at his crafts, which have impressively detailed scenes in miniature, were some visitors who dropped into the gallery. They seemed immersed in the diorama displays, and they even remembered that the Chin Lian Long buses were blue in colour.
Indeed, you can feel the excitement of the visitors when they recognise something. There was a display piece replicating the famous Mee Sapi (beef noodles) in the open-air market. Many of those born in the Boomers era (1946–1964) and the Generation X era (1965–1988) will be thrilled to see it in this style of art that seems to pay homage to places, people, and things that began in those eras.
What was captured in Nolan diorama is helping to immortalise these scenes before they disappear for good.
Calling himself a Junk Artist, Nolan used old junk, such as shoe boxes, milk cartons, sardine cans and a whole lot of others to create something fascinating.
What others may consider thrash are treasures to Nolan Chee who has just made his debut as a Diorama Artist at HOAN Gallery.
