My Heart in The Moon @ Island Gallery, Penang.

21 April 2013

The last time we met was in Malacca, 2006

I'm glad to have met Muhammad at Island Gallery. My first Thai Muslim artist. He is regarded as an Art Ambassador of Hat Yai, Southern Thailand because he is very active in organizing group art exhibition between Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. He also participated in international arts festival

As a Muslim artist, he uses the moon as his subject with various  creative expression and soothing colors. If you hang a super large painting in your bed room it's like sleeping in an open field.

Group photo with artists at Island Gallery

Everyone declare the opening of
Muhammad's solo exhibition 

My Landscape 2 @ Galeri Seni Mutiara, Penang

        

           

This is a very special exhibition for it carries a theme entitled, ‘My Landscape’.

In general term, ‘landscape' can be elaborated as scenery that we see with our eyes in a certain place thus it is considered an easy subject to handle.

However, when the word 'My' is added to become 'My Landscape', it will not just be a landscape painting anymore, in fact it needs to encompass artists’ perception and vision from within.

Our landscape paintings on the wall show differences in style, techniques, angles, perception and hidden messages.

There are ‘abstract landscape paintings' that use various colours, forms, shapes and textures to depict the artists' mind.

There are also the 'conceptual landscape paintings' that use totem as a symbol. Totem, in actual fact, is a symbol of one group. From here, we can draw inferences about an ethnic’s myths, historical records and customs. In primitive times, it was believed that certain natural objects or animate beings have blood connection with their heritage. Therefore, certain animals or plants could be used as the image or sign of the ethnic group.

There are the 'surrealistic landscape paintings' that combine reality and dream to form a soothing, romantic and enchanting panorama view.

                         

There are also the 'realistic paintings’ that showcase our nature and coastal scenes but the artists have shown their distinctive styles.

Chin Kon Yit's realistic 'country life series' has a poetic sense with its fine strokes and sombremood.

Siow Yin Yoong draws her inspirations from the primitive totems to present a graphical treatment of signs n symbols on nature. It can be termed as conceptual art.

Lim Kok Hong uses colour, form, shape and texture to speak his heart while presenting his mindscape.

Tan Yew Choong plays freely with his watery techniques to achieve flowing and very carefree landscapes.

Jason Yeoh's 'boatscapes' is a common scenery in our country side. However, the treatment of the artist has created a poetic sensation on the subject.

Koh Shim Luen's love of flora and fauna on Malaysian country life has inspired her to present a series of surrealistic paintings on her ‘The Earth Splendour’ dreamscape.