There are landscapes and landscapes and all its megadiversity, and the artist in Jolly Koh, had been through them all – his studies in Britain and the United States, and nearly three decades in Australia, his birth-place Singapore and the country he grew up in: Malaysia. When he got back to Malaysia for good in 2004, the lush tropical reality awash him. After being exposed to the Australian wilderness, The Bush: Coarsely drier, more shrubby and xeric outback. It's vivid nostalgic dreams as he re-romance the tantalising tropical colours of turquoise, tangerine, canary yellow, aqua, fuchsia and coral. Yes, Jolly Koh's back, with more!
Jolly Koh is one of the Magnificent 7 of the GRUP fame - historic 1967 exhibition and 2017 reprisal. He is best remembered for his Jolly Koh@76 survey exhibition in 2017 hosted by Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers celebrating 60 years in art. It traced a career since his first solo in 1957 at the age of 16! And he has great academic credentials, to boot: National Diploma in Design at the Hornsey College of Art in London; Art Teacher's certificate at the Institute of Education in London University; and Doctor of Education and Master of Science at Indiana University, USA. After a brief stint teaching at the Mara Institute of Technology and Sabah's Gaya College, he taught in Melbourne and Adelaide, and back to Malaysia at the MSC College (now SeGi), before deciding to go fulltime painting.