A Lesson in Art at Galeri Chandan

“Art is the response from society of the experience that they feel.  Artists respond through art to express themselves"

"For example, through the years, art pieces in Malaysia from pre-Merdeka to post-Merdeka contain the response of artists during those times. Pre-Merdeka art pieces yells out the message of freedom, motherland and struggle while post-Merdeka art pieces screams out society cohesion, the Malay language, the Government and the people.  In retrospect, those art pieces give us a peek into society during those times"

“Every art piece contains two elements, its composition and its story.”

This was the explanation that I got from Nazli Aziz, MD/CEO of Galeri Chandan located in Publika, a creative retail avenue in Kuala Lumpur, when I asked him to define what art is.

Nazli explains that his current effort is to bring Malaysian artists overseas because no one else is doing it or seemed to be doing it seriously.  On the same note, he feels the need in Malaysia as well as in the global scene, to have a significant effort to democratize art. “Art is not for the elites and everyone should be able to celebrate art”, to which I agree.

He has two projects that carry the two objectives he highlighted: The Malaysian Artist Awards and Kembara Jiwa.

Malaysian Artist Awards functions as being the determinant of admirable Malaysian artistic pieces, whereby works of art are judged by other artists. And this concept of “judged by peers” seems to be bringing the best out of emerging artists. With Kembara Jiwa, the winning artists have a chance to display their arts overseas, last year in Jakarta and this year, in Fukuoka, Japan.  Plans are already being laid out for their venture next year in Dubai.

The shows have been getting more awareness not only from the art scene but from the general public as well, a case in point for the “democratisation of arts”. With an increased awareness of arts in Malaysia the demand will increase and consequently, enhance the sustainability of the artists and the arts itself.

“See the art pieces. Get a feel. That’s what art is.” Nazli advised me. I went around watching the pieces in the gallery. What I feel is elaborated in the accompanying caption below the pictures.

Galeri Chandan is well known among local artists for the nasi lemak that they serve on selected days. I hope I am invited again for that. Good food and good art is what makes a man, a man.

Named “Panic Attack” the picture of a skull in blinking LEDs gave me a momentary eerie paradigm of the anxiety attack that Shamsuddin Wahab must have felt to create this unique piece

  

Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman or “Paiman” as he is affectionately known, produced this work, a part of his Circus Elementary School series. This is a peek of his total work. You have got to see the whole thing in action to understand the unique message Paiman is sending out.

“Kocak di Fukuoka” by Hasnul J Saidin somehow reminded me of my years learning the Quran in an old ‘pondok’. In the middle of the installation, a bowl of water stays unmoved though the image of a face seems to ripple through it. One have got to sit in this installation and experience the weird sense that it evokes.

Izan Tahir and Marvin Chan combined effort to produce this trippy, happy warrior piece aptly named “Pendekar Jari Kuat Bertopeng” I love the colours in this one. It evokes a feeling of mixed emotions, from happy to anger depending ion the angle and the different frames I look from. Trippy one, this one.

Haris Abadi’s piece named “Invade!” has got to be one of the most creative pieces in the gallery. Soldiers are placed on a moving background of moving waves. Almost immediately I imagined the Japanese soldiers that landed on Kota Bharu and the scenes surrounding that event.

I envy Fauzulyusri as he is able to go in touch with one’s basic self, possibly as a child, in order to produce this piece called “Sicoreng”. It seems easy to replicate but I know an adult whose mind have been programmed and learned through the education system won’t be able to draw something as raw as this. Basic, raw expression at its best.

Ilham Fadli created this surreal world he termed “Teduh”. A boy, seemingly attired from an Umrah/Haji trip in Mecca, is resting beneath a giant mushroom. Around him, people are carrying away with everyday work nonchalantly. They seem to take refuge from the attack of the giant wasp-like creatures under the mushroom. Yet, people are being flown away by the turbulent wind around the mushroom.

Initially, I thought this is a painting of a shark swimming at low tide, finding its prey. Well, I wasn’t totally right. This piece by Juhari Saad, is titled “Two Dalmations and Red Line”. Now, it makes sense! Love the black and white patterns detailing the whole piece in different shapes and sizes.