That Spicy Artsy Thing In Town

This spicy image is from here

The thing about arts is - it changes according to the eyes of the beholder.

I went to the latest exhibitions at Galeri PETRONAS on its auguration day - July 13th (no, it wasn't a Friday). I was on my way down the escalator from Level 4 after an after-work book therapy in Kinokuniya, determined to head straight to the train station since I had only 20 mins left to make the journey to Wangsa Maju station if I want to catch the next bus home. But my eyes caught the re-opening of the gallery and knowing that I might miss it if I postponed a visit, I steered from the planned course.

The new exhibitions are Seniman Muda Malaysia: Ba(nta)han Baru [Young Malaysian Artists: New Object(ions)] and Perkataan + Gambar = Buku [Words + Pictures = Book].

The former includes displays of works by 40 young Malaysian artists using different media and form, representing themes of their individual choice while the latter is a process exhibition featuring contemporary picture book illustrations by renown artists that include Pak Yusof Gajah, Emila Yusof and Azalan Hussain.

I didn't take notes because time was on my conscience; it was nearly dusk and I wanted to rush home for before Maghrib prayer time ended. I picked up the spice-ciously designed "brochure" for the first exhibit, tacked it up on my locker at work and didn't think much about it. I've paid my due (PETRONAS makes the gallery free for the public as a part of their CSR so I feel guilty for not utilizing such an opportunity), fulfilled my "art" quota for the month thus I'm done. Or so I thought.

This morning I went to the gallery again to kill time before heading to an art talk at another gallery. And before I knew it, I was scrambling for something to write on as I walked through the gallery once again. I realized that I wanted to record, to remember - if not the paintings and artworks on display, at least I refused to forget my thoughts.

I am not trained as an art critic but I do enjoy arts - any kind of it thus even if my "interpretations" have zero values to others, they are invaluable to me.

So here goes, my take on what I like and do not really like at Seniman Muda Malaysia: Ba(nta)han Baru.

My favorite is Metallic Bath by Hamidi Hadi. It is an abstract piece of painting of dull, dark color of grey and black, finished by a random but extensive splash of metallic paint. With the latest 'developments' in the country in the past several days, I look at the painting as a self-check portrait.

This is what's happening - the country is rotten but it could all be hidden with a coat of metal that is supposed to represent an image of industrialization, which incorrectly means, progress. To be honest, I didn't even look at it this way a few days ago.

Festival, a huge three panel acrylic painting on canvas byAli Nurazmal is cynically titled. You'll understand when you see it - the image is of a man whose lips are sewn shut and hands moved my an invisible puppeteer. Yes, he is a puppet. A local one at that, since he is clad in a white pagoda t-shirt and a kopiah-like headgear.

Anther artwork conveying a similar (never the same) message is Playing with Inte"geli"ty by Muhd Sarip Abd Rahman. The painting is of a trooper from Star Wars, with x-es on his unseen eyes and lips.

And talking about irony - I have to mention the only floor display on exhibit. I didn't catch the title or the name of the artist but it is a slab of stone sculpture of a "King" poker card with a phrase engraved on it: "Mencari Yang Halal Itu Fardhu Bagi Umat Islam." Oh, I should translate, I know but the humor might be lost in translation!

The Wounded Healer (I forgot to scribbled down the artist, shame on me!) and The Man, The Environment and Himself (shame on me twice!) are more self-introspective, or that is what I understand from them. They pose questions on how have I been upholding the responsibilies bestowed upon me as a khalifah in this world, especially when my heart is not pure and my thoughts not clear.

Iqra' by Azharudin Mappon is an interesting piece of work. I like the Rukun Islam, Rukun Iman, Adab Dalam Keluarga (didn't remember it exactly) and Adab Hidup Berjiran written in Jawi. I was such a geek that I read them all, painfully slow I must add since I was never very fluent in Jawi. And the recording of Quran recitation by children while instructed by a tok guru reminded me of the Quranic lessons after school in the musolla by a graveyard during my childhood years in Kelantan.

Take Heed by Rini Fauzan Mohd Zuhair blends technology (video displays) and graffiti arts of disturbing things people scratched on walls in public places. Hence the caution "Take Heed", do you where your daughter is right now?

I didn't really buy (read: like, this is a slang) Deyanna Derahman's two paintings entitled The Tree House and A Trail Is Laid, Which Leaves The Tell-Tale Guide Behind. They are too fairy-tale like, almost foreign in my untrained eyes and has no Malaysian flavors. The women in the paintings look Caucasian as well.

I have a few more from my notes but I don't think I want to share them all. Go see the exhibits for yourself. Don't be afraid if what you see is different from mine - that's what arts is; it changes according to the eyes of the beholder.