Stephen Menon: From artist to mentor
By Anansa Jacob
THROUGHOUT his decades-long career, Stephen Menon’s contribution to Malaysian contemporary art has extended far beyond the studio. While his achievements as a painter and printmaker are well documented, his legacy is equally defined by his role as a mentor, educator, and art curator.
Having navigated an unconventional path from self-directed beginnings to national and international recognition, Menon has dedicated much of his career to building opportunities for others, shaping the local artistic ecosystem and advocating for emerging talent.
His commitment to supporting younger artists stems directly from his own formative experiences. Growing up in Kuantan during the 1980s, he had little access to formal art education or traditional institutional guidance. Instead, he learned early on at Taman Kerang, where he watched street artists work and received informal instruction from a portraitist named Aziz.
During this unstructured journey, he found a kinship with Realism and stepped into the realm of masters like Rembrandt. It later taught him one fundamental thing: what appeared “real” was not entirely so; the human mind constantly embellishes its creations with its own distinct elements and visual clues.
Later, during six months of unemployment after graduating from the Kuala Lumpur College of Art in 1993, Menon spent his days at Central Market observing established artists like Aris Aziz. These early encounters instilled in him a deep appreciation for accessible, community-driven mentorship – a principle that would later become a cornerstone of his professional life.
As his career progressed, Menon continuously sought ways to pass on his knowledge. His involvement in education began early: he taught figure drawing at College IKIP in Pahang in 2003 and later served as a Resident Artist at the University of Malaya in 2013. In these roles, and through informal studio interactions, he emphasised technical discipline alongside conceptual independence.
Drawing from his own mentors – such as Amron Omar, who taught him the importance of narrative and movement, and Redza Piyadasa, who pushed him beyond mere realism – Menon encourages younger artists to look past pure technique and develop a distinct visual identity of their own. His first solo show, Me & Mao, built entirely around Mao Zedong, sold out at Metro Fine Art Gallery in 2010. Since then, he has embarked on many other projects, among them a Mao Gospel series.
Beyond individual mentorship, Menon’s impact as a patron and organiser took concrete form through the establishment of ArtVoice Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and the broader ArtVoice Collective in 2018. He co-founded ArtVoice to address a persistent challenge in the Malaysian art ecosystem: limited exhibition spaces and platforms for young or unrepresented artists. Read here.
Through physical and virtual exhibitions, workshops, and talks, ArtVoice has given local and international creators a platform to showcase their work, build professional networks, and engage in critical dialogue. Exhibitions such as Rabbit’s Hole, Rhythm of Time, In Dialogue, and Big Heads illustrate the collective’s commitment to fostering diverse artistic voices.
An excellent example of ArtVoice’s foray into the international art scene was Mastry, held at the TonyRaka Art Gallery in Ubud, Bali, from February 8 to March 15, 2025. Indonesia was represented by 10 artists. On the Malaysian side, we had ArtVoice members K F Choy, Mat Ali Mat Som, Sanker Ganesh, Poojitha Menon, Moly, Sharini Yogi, Sivananthan K, Rekha Menon, Flora, Tulika Prakash, Tamaka, Zulkefli Talha, Ambika Chadha, Xiandra Alanza, Prashobh Nair, Stephen Menon and Lim Siang Jin. Read here and here for the full stories.
Furthermore, Menon’s extensive participation in the global printmaking circuit – including international print biennales in Japan, Bulgaria, and Spain – has served as a vital bridge for the local community. By establishing a sustained presence abroad, he has demonstrated the international potential of Malaysian printmaking, opening doors and offering a blueprint for younger artists seeking to engage with global networks.
Recognising the inherent fragility of the local art infrastructure – where early works and historical records often disappear – he has worked to build spaces where artistic practice can be sustained, documented, and shared.
Ultimately, Stephen Menon’s journey reflects a shift from a student seeking mentorship to a key advocate for the Malaysian art community. Recognising the inherent fragility of the local art infrastructure – where early works and historical records often disappear – he has worked to build spaces where artistic practice can be sustained, documented, and shared.
Through ArtVoice, educational outreach, and ongoing mentorship, Menon has turned the opportunities he once had to seek out for himself into lasting platforms for future generations.
