IPOH, Nov 30 (Sin Chew Daily) — “We are Jia Xian’s ‘Ultraman’ and his protectors. We keep him company and guide him to explore his own world through painting.”

Now 14, Yee Jia Xian was diagnosed with autism when he was only three.

His parents were initially dejected but very soon they started to look for therapy for him, sending him to a special training centre, but Jia Xian remained handicapped in expressing himself.

His parents patiently explored things that could possibly trigger his enthusiasm, including cooking, swimming, clay art, etc. but to no avail until they met renowned local painter Eric Lai in 2015.

With exceptional patience, Eric Lai coached Jia Xian step by step to bring out his unique painting style. To the young boy, the painter has been his Ultraman and protector.

“Ultraman” is Jia Xian’s most favourite fictional character ever since he was very young, and is featured in some of his works on display at “Jia Xian’s Beautiful World” solo painting exhibition.

Develop own style

Eric Lai, whose son is suffering from sensory integration imbalance, has deep feelings for people with special needs children, and has been teaching such children how to draw.

He said Jia Xian started by painting in a disorganised manner and he had to look for a lot of information, introduce all kinds of tactics, elements and painting styles to slowly guide the boy to create his own unique style.

Jia Xian’s mother told
Sin Chew Daily the boy was initially resistant to all forms of noise and would not get out of the car to eat at a restaurant for fear of noise. Fortunately he has slowly recovered and is now keen to explore new things and visit different restaurants to try out new food.

“Jia Xian’s Beautiful World” solo exhibition is currently held at Artgene studio at 34 Jalan Masjid, Ipoh, from 11:00 to 17:00 every day until November 30.