The moving art of Lalan

"I think one of the interesting things about Lalan is the way she keeps expanding her oeuvre, exposing herself to different artistic thoughts and also experiments with artistic mediums," says Poon. "In an artistic career spanning four decades she kept challenging herself in different mediums and at the same time tried learning from different masters and was inspired by different artists."

Lalan celebrated her friendship with those who helped steer her artistic journey in some of her paintings. She had met the music composer Edgard Varese (1883-1965) through the Belgian poet Henri Michaux (1899-1984) and paid homage to both in her works. To Edgard Varese, 1985, invokes the musician's composition, Deserts. It's a bare golden landscape with hints of a storm brewing at its center. Remember Henri Michaux, 1984, shows an apparently tranquil landscape done in soft, soothing colors except for the rippling waters in the foreground where the turbulence, and mystery, are concentrated.