Artist overcomes parental resistance to master calligraphy

MALAYSIANSKINI | Sarawak-born ink and calligraphy artist Jordant Chang Sao Suo was never encouraged to pick up the brush even though his father Cheng Haw Chien is a renowned Malaysian calligrapher, poet, author, and educator.

If you are confused by the different surnames, Cheng is the father's ‘glamourous’ work name while Chang is the name on his identity card.

As his parents wanted him to have a more stable profession, Jordant studied industrial design in Melbourne, Australia, and even worked in the corporate sector for many years.

However, he couldn’t turn his back on his love for drawing and painting. When he held his solo exhibition in 2007 at the Kuala Lumpur Central Gallery, he started getting noticed by connoisseurs of ink paintings. Subsequently, his paintings were showcased at exhibitions in Australia, Singapore, and China.

In 2017, he decided to quit the safety net of his day job and committed fully to life as an ink painter and calligraphy artist. That same year he founded Clarity Art Center, where he teaches ink painting and calligraphy.

Jordant, who is now 40, feels that his inclination...