{"id":499671,"date":"2026-06-14T19:27:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T19:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/499671\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T19:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T19:27:41","slug":"seeing-world-through-different-lenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/499671\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing world through different lenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

THERE is a gallery in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, that feels less like a traditional art space and more like an intimate, vibrant landscape of the human soul.<\/p>\n

Greydea Studio is hosting an exhibition titled \u201cCelebrating Individuality: An Art Exhibition by Gem & Bread\u201d, which features the works of 17 young neurodivergent artists.<\/p>\n

Through bold strokes, rich textures and vivid colours, the artists with conditions such as autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy invite the public to see the world through a lens that is often overlooked by society.<\/p>\n

In 2012, Teresa Tan founded Gem & Bread with just two students learning beadwork to improve their focus. Her youngest son, Karl, is autistic and non-\u00adverbal.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Rhythms\u2018Rhythms in Silence\u2019 by Teresa\u2019s son Karl.<\/p>\n

She officially converted the initiative into a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in 2016 to support more families.<\/p>\n

Today, Gem & Bread provides a safe space for 17 individuals to thrive, offering them everything from speech and drama to music and dance.<\/p>\n

The exhibition in TTDI marks the group\u2019s first foray into the art world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis exhibition is a tribute to the artists who offer us something profound: a perspective that is unfiltered, honest and entirely their own,\u201d said Teresa.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir work is a celebration of \u2018different\u2019 as something beautiful, rather than something to be corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n

The logistical challenge of putting together the exhibition was taken on entirely by Teresa and her other son, Keith Tan, who left his corporate banking job to help restructure the struggling NGO.<\/p>\n

\"TeresaTeresa (right), pictured with Keith, says the event is a tribute to artists who offer a perspective that is unfiltered, honest and entirely their own.<\/p>\n

From photographing the artworks to handling their physical installation, the mother-son duo poured their hearts into the project.<\/p>\n

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a stunning community installation made of 200 egg trays and painted by all 17 artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reached out to my neighbours in SS20, Petaling Jaya, to donate empty egg trays.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin a single day, they rallied and provided all the egg trays we needed,\u201d said Teresa.<\/p>\n

Teresa and Keith shared that the process of setting up the exhibition had been tiring but incredibly rewarding.<\/p>\n

Plans are also underway to establish a cafe to provide vocational training for participants.<\/p>\n

\"VickiVicki with mother Lee Eng and father Song Poh in front of her paintings.<\/p>\n

Ho Mei Kei, Gem & Bread art educator and lead curator for the exhibition, said the artistic process was a journey of organic discovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave the artists some paper to see what they could sketch.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I saw their potential, I prepared the canvas, paints and colours to let them explore their creativity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The gallery walls pulse with the distinct personalities of the artists, including Vicki Tan Wei Qi.<\/p>\n

\"AA whimsical piece titled \u2018Bubbles of Hope II\u2019 by See.<\/p>\n

A mainstream school graduate with tertiary qualification in early childhood education, Vicki said she often found it challenging to fully engage with society.<\/p>\n

However, her art has become a powerful emotional anchor.<\/p>\n

Her pieces titled \u201cSunset and Sunflowers\u201d burst with intense yellows, oranges and palette-\u00adknife textures.<\/p>\n

On her artwork called \u201cBlossom in Blue\u201d, which depicts a serene lotus flower, Vicki said: \u201cThe lotus symbolises peacefulness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want everyone and every country to be peaceful and not fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her parents, father Tan Song Poh and mother Tan Lee Eng, beamed with pride, saying that her emotional well-being had transformed beautifully through her creative journey.<\/p>\n

\"AbelAbel Lim Jea Aan (left) in front of his artwork, hand-in-hand with See, alongside other works featured at the exhibition in Taman Tun Dr Ismail.<\/p>\n

For See Choy Yuen, 25, his art brings a joyful, local flavour to the gallery.<\/p>\n

His \u201cBubbles of Hope\u201d series is inspired by his favourite aquascape cafe in Bandar Sri Daman\u00adsara \u2013 a space dedicated to landscaped underwater environments.<\/p>\n

See\u2019s brushwork captures the lively fish and floating bubbles of the cafe\u2019s aquariums, mirroring his own sunny demeanour.<\/p>\n

The artwork titled \u201cFamiliar Reflection\u201d by Glenn Chin, 21, offers a whimsical contrast.<\/p>\n

\"Chin\u2019sChin\u2019s artworks using a simple marker pen reveal a preoccupation with symmetry and form.<\/p>\n

Using a simple marker pen, his bold black ink outlines reveal a deep, sophisticated preoccupation with symmetry and form, infused with a distinct sense of humour.<\/p>\n

Greydea Studio is located at No.30-1 (first-floor), Jalan Wan Kadir 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cCelebrating Individuality: An Art Exhibition by Gem & Bread\u201d is being held until tomorrow, from 11am to 3pm daily.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THERE is a gallery in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, that feels less like a traditional art…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[213928,36355,307,304,305,306,308,93,213927,61,60],"class_list":["post-499671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-celebrating-individuality-an-art-exhibition-by-gem-bread","tag-art-exhibition","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-gem-bread","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=499671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=499671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}