My art is not what it is.

Welcome to my online resume on my art work! Visit my virtual gallery at "The seventh Sense - seeing beyond art".

I am a Malaysian woman currently living in Bangkok, Thailand. I come from Penang, Malaysia.

Below is a little summary of why I love to paint.


Why I paint/draw



(Title: Birth of eve, return to nature)

As a writer, I deal a lot with words, but there comes a time when words are lost, or when there are too many words, and no one listens anymore, so I turn to art. Art, for me, is not only therapeutic, but a creative process that is very personal, private and yet political.

Women, and the environment they live (physical or political), and the relationships they have feature very strongly in my work.



Nudity bordering on eroticism is equally prominent in my artwork as a direct response to the conservative and repressive society in which we live, for example, lack or no freedom in expressing religious, political or sexual preferences.

CLICK HERE for examples.


Genre

My art falls into the genre of surrealism/abstract expressionism. I do not wish to replicate reality but the message in my work is very real. Also visible in my art is some form of resistance towards the given (especially traditional and conservative structures, rules and norms in art, e.g. perspective).

Most artists would struggle to have the necessary shading, shadow or strokes to show perspective in their work, for example, things at a distance will look smaller than the one in front.

For me, this may be totally opposite (an item in front looks smaller than the one at the distance) to depict a ‘psychological state of mind’ – many a time, human beings do not notice or prioritise what is in front of them, instead, what is behind them or far away is given much thought and focus.

Medium and technique:

I am a self-taught artist, and begun seriously working on my art since 2000. I work in several mediums:

(a) ink on paper

1. Black and White series (size: A4)

These pieces were created in 2002, when I was living and working in Kuala Lumpur. This was a period of heightened social and political awareness for me.

2. Ink on paper, with color (size: A4)



I started working on these pieces from February – May 2003 while sitting by my father’s bed in the hospital. He died in 2003, when his lungs collapsed. He was 77.I worked on them during the nights while the ward was silent and peaceful and my dad was sleeping. I guess I tried to immortalize his memory through the depiction of Trees, which symbolizes life.

b. Digital art



(Titles (L-R): Fish, Tsunami and Falling)

All my digital art works are based on my original drawings, which are photographed or computer scanned, then either enhanced or digitally modified, to add more creativity to them.

I try to integrate my natural artistic skills with my photography and computer skills.

(Note: Sample are printed and mounted on hard cardboard, size 30x50cm)


c. Acrylics on canvas



(Titles (L-R): Dreams grow on trees, We don't always see people on the same level, Women wearing masks, Mother and Child).

I am currently working on a series of paintings using acrylics on art paper/canvas (various sizes). Go to the The SEVENTH SENSE blog to see the latest artworks.

Exhibitions

* I have only begun to seriously consider exhibiting my work after much encouragement from friends and acquaintances.
So I started an online gallery in November 2008 and called it “The Seventh Sense – seeing beyond art”. SEE MORE HERE.

* I am open to any offers for exhibition, but still need to collect enough pieces to exhibit, no?

* I have exhibited my photo collection entitled ‘Euphoric Victory’ on August 31 at the Indiependent Art Fest, Penang

* End of 2008, I exhibited 4 prints at an event of the ‘Food Not Bombs’ group in Kuala Lumpur on 27 December:

Other achievements/recognition

1. Ranked top five in google search among bloggers in 2008, after Mahathir Mohammed, Anwar Ibrahim, Anil Netto and Raja Petra Kamaruddin (also the only woman blogger to be on the list). READ HERE.

2. Won best English feature for my story on Pulau Jerejak Penang, featured in the STAR, in 2006. Award by Penang State Government. READ HERE.

3. Poem ‘For Isham” – featured on May 15th, 2001 in a book published by Malaysiakini.com: “Pilihanraya or Jalanraya” (elections or street demonstrations). READ POEM HERE.

4. Poem ‘Homeless – with an earth like this, who needs hell?” – featured on ‘Revolving Door’ (a book on modern day slavery and refugees.Launched on 27 September 2008.READ THE POEM HERE.

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