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Tucked away in the Piyadasa Gallery at Universiti Malaya is an exhibition that reflects the ‘internal struggles’ of artists Amron Omar and Raja Shahriman.

“It all started when Dr Emelia Ong WhatsApped me a few months ago with a proposal to do a small show with selected artworks from our collection, to be held at the Piyadasa Gallery,” says prominent art collector Pakhruddin Sulaiman.

Ong is the programme coordinator of Universiti Malaya’s (UM) visual art department. The result is 19 pieces currently on show at the gallery at UM in Kuala Lumpur. They are from the private collection of art enthusiasts Pakhruddin and his wife, Datuk Fatimah Sulaiman.*

Entitled Combative Form, the exhibition encompasses sculptures, paintings, drawings and sketches by figurative artist Amron Omar, 59, and sculptor Raja Shahriman Raja Aziddin, 49. The works were assembled to showcase thematic parallels, and to allow the public to view the couple’s collection.

“I look at it as an opportunity to share with the public, albeit on a small scale, our collection of works by both artists. We also hope this show will serve as a stepping stone and catalyst for deeper appreciation and further exploration of their work, specifically in Malaysian art,” says Pakha, as he is known within the local fraternity.

“It has always been my dream to do a joint show of these two artists. Fatimah and I have collected quite a sizeable number of their works in the last 20 years.”

Pakha, a lawyer by profession, and Fatimah, a lawyer by training, have been collecting art since the early 1990s and possess over a hundred of Amron’s works and about 30 of Shahriman’s from various series.

Selecting the artworks
“For this show, I chose works that best represent their artistic development and contributions to Malaysian art over the years,” says Pakha. He selected two pieces from Amron’s Pertarungan series, which portrays the theme of inner struggle, manifested in two male figures locked in the act of silat. The paintings are 1.5m by 1.7m each.

“The first piece, produced in the early 1980s, depicts the figures in a graceful and dance-like posture, while the second depicts a more aggressive and combative posture denoting the intensity of an inner struggle,” Pakha says.

Amron’s preoccupation with this theme also alludes to the struggle “between the forces of good and evil”. For the show, there are also several oil pastels and gouache drawings on paper, as well as studies for the two main pieces.

Shahriman’s metal sculptures from his early Gerak Tempur series capture the dynamic movements of silat interpreted in anthropomorphic forms. A trained blacksmith, he constructed the robust sculptures using metallic found objects.

His works selected for the display comprise five sculptures, two oil paintings on board and three sketches on paper. “I chose sculptures from Gerak Tempur and the subsequent Semangat Besi, Nafas and Rentak Abad Ke 21 series, and these are augmented by several of the artist’s study drawings. These series best represent and manifest his struggle with the idea of the ‘forbidden’ in Islam, specifically depicting the human figure in 3D form,” Pakha points out.

Combative Form is an acknowledgement of “bodily impulses” that “acquire a kind of metaphysical charge” in Amron’s works, and shows understanding of the “mystical process that accompanies the transformation of metal through blacksmithing” in Shahriman’s artistic practice.

Academia and art
On how the exhibition came about, Ong, a senior lecturer in Malaysian art studies at UM, says, “The idea to present Pakhruddin’s and Fatimah’s collection at Piyadasa Gallery occurred when I took my master’s degree students on an educational visit to the couple’s home in 2015.”

Ong, together with Combative Form curator Dr Simon Soon, who teaches Southeast Asian modern art at UM, have been organising exhibitions at the 65 sq m gallery as part of the academic syllabus.

Set up in 2014, this third art space at the university also facilitates research work by students.

“Dr Ong said I was free to conceive the show and propose the artworks to be displayed. At that time, I had not heard of the gallery and had no idea of its size and what it looked like,” recalls Pakha.

“It is named after the late Redza Piyadasa, founder of the post-graduate art course at UM.

“When the offer came, it was like the Malay proverb, ‘orang mengantuk disorong bantal’ (slipping a pillow under a sleepy person). I am looking at this as a sort of a pilot project, in order to expand it later to an exhibition at a larger space with proper documentation, to do justice to both artists’ extensive works in our collection,” says Pakha.

When asked if there will be more collaborations to showcase their collection at UM, he adds, “I am certainly open to that.”

The Pakhruddin and Datuk Fatimah Sulaiman collection, regarded by serious art collectors, curators and scholars as one of the most important in the country, is unrivalled for its depth and relevance to the study of Malaysian contemporary art.

It has some 3,000 books, monographs and catalogues on art and photography housed in their private art space, Ruang Pemula (RuPé), located below Pakha’s law firm in Ampang.

*Datuk Fatimah Sulaiman passed away on Sept 27 after an illness. Our condolences to the family

Combative Form runs until Oct 7 at Piyadasa Gallery, Visual Art Department, Cultural Centre (next to Dewan Tunku Canselor), Universiti Malaya.

This article was originally published by The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd in October, 2016.

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“It is as though every work contains an ‘exclamation mark’, so to speak,” says Mark Neo, Deputy High Commissioner of Singapore, at the recent preview of Jalaini Abu Hassan’s solo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.

“There are the beautiful exotic landscapes, which I really appreciate. Overall, it is an excellent collection,” says Neo, an avid art collector.

The diplomat was among 200 guests who attended the exhibition, Siang & Malam: The Landscape in Mind, which is being held at The Edge Galerie in Mont’Kiara.

One of Malaysia’s leading contemporary artists, Jalaini, popularly known as Jai, is known for his sharp social commentator on national and international issues. He is showing a dozen new works that reflect his current thoughts.

Among the other prominent art lovers who attended the event were legal adviser Naimah Abdul Khalid, distinguished photographer Tara Sosrowardoyo, art consultant Valentine Willie, film director Saw Teong Hin, architect Dr Tan Loke Mun, lawyer Yoong Sin Min, company director Billy Too Hing Yeap, Minconsult executive director Datuk Rosaline Ganendra, engineer and Crescent Capital chairman and CEO Mirzan Mahathir and Crimson Petroleum CEO Datuk Meor Azman Mohamed and his actress wife Datin Sofia Jane Hisham.

“Jai’s Siang section of lush greenery reminds me of home as I live abroad now. I have always admired Jai’s creative oeuvre. Every work in this show is a personal favourite,” says Sofia Jane.

Arranged within the gallery in two sections — Siang is characterised by bright, vibrant hues and Malam with dark, monochromatic compositions — Jai’s works are said to relate to “fragmented narratives” derived from travel notes, postcards and snapshots.

“The ‘day and night’ theme is carried out very well because of the gallery layout,” says Asian Banking School Sdn Bhd corporate communications senior manager Rafizah Abdul Rahman, who is a former art consultant.

“The artworks are also thoughtfully hung. This is a good progression from Jai’s past works.”

MyCreative Ventures CEO Johan Ishak says, “I admire Jai’s version of the dark genre. The night section is minimalist in approach. Jai’s technical ability with his use of colours and rendering, like the drip effect are impeccable. The narrative in works like Diego Garcia is also powerful.”

IJM Land managing director Edward Chong comments: “Jai has done a fantastic job in creating attractive works that are very contemporary. Based on my observations tonight, the show is a great success.”

“It is remarkable to see the response by art lovers tonight,” says Au Foong Yee, managing director and editor-in-chief of TheEdgeProperty.com and managing director of The Edge Galerie.

Jai concludes: “Tonight is not merely a preview but a social gathering. It’s great to see art lovers as well as new collectors come together to show support.”

Supported by IJM Land, the show is open to the public from Sept 22 to Oct 7.

This article was originally published by The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd in September, 2016.

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In Malaysian art, few artists handle sociopolitical subjects as deftly as Jalaini Abu Hassan, who has established himself with works that continuously prick our collective conscience.

Constantly pushing the envelope in search of new processes, leading contemporary artist Jalaini Abu Hassan has created a new body of works that is pregnant with meaning associated with Malaysia today.

Popularly known as Jai, the 53-year-old artist is showcasing a dozen acrylic paintings at his 27th solo show at The Edge Galerie in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 22 to Oct 7. Entitled Siang & Malam: The Landscape in Mind, the latest works are grouped under two categories — one section characterised by bright, vibrant hues and the other, dark, monochromatic compositions.

In an attempt to recollect, rearrange or retell stories and meanings, the works are said to comprise “fragmented narratives” derived from travel notes, postcards and snapshots. For instance, his largest work, Exotica Malaya (184cm by 245cm), is full of irony. It illustrates the lush landscape of green trees, blue sky and the silhouette of mountainous terrain in the background. And amid the beauty of nature lies three camouflaged tanks visible through the expulsion of white smoke.

In this work, Jai references Caspar David Friedrich’s 1807 painting Cross in the Mountains.

“As a subject matter, the picturesque landscape was a convenient adaptation [of scenes] from periodic trips back to my village up north. The transient journey from day to night, from bright light to twilight, ultimately transpired in the theme of day and night,” says Jai in an interview at his studio in Ulu Klang, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

“I began to find interest in the way these two linear and cyclical tracks intertwined with each other in a defusing manner, where the contrast between light and shadow and the subtle darkness hidden between the night clouds became full of meaning.”

Such a contradiction is also evident in The Burning Love, in which Jai illustrates the captivating view of the blossoming sakura (Prunus serrulata) with its branches in flames. The artwork bears an arresting caption, painted across the canvas, in another attempt to liberate it from the serial notion. Another work, Bahang Pisang, contains an element of surprise with the use of fabric collage amid the burning landscape. Inspired by his wife, Jaslena Amir, a fashion consultant, Jai collects fabric with titillating prints and patterns from around the world. Besides stretched canvas and linen, he also works with printed fabrics in silk, chiffon and georgette as part of his collage work.

“Look at these prints. It’s amazing how beautiful imagery, such as birds and flowers, is found on simple cloth motifs! This is a piece of art itself. It’s irresistible not to include them in my work,” says Jai.

Nature being set ablaze seems to be a recurring theme in Jai’s rendition of the light of day. In works like Aku Terbakar, Bahang Pisang and Bumi Membara, he expresses his admiration for picturesque scenes in the backyard of his family home in Batu Kurau, Taiping.

“The landscape is, without doubt, a symbolic place where one moves back and forth between internal and external realities. Embedded are the mysteries and personal stories of joy, despair, hope and struggle,” explains Jai.

In Hakone’s Three Samurais, Jai selects an intriguing vantage point of a cable car tower and a scenic mountain in the background. Depicted at close range, the towering steel dominates the entire left plane against the split perspective of the mountain and blue sky. Three miniature samurais are seen ascending the steep hill.

“Japan is one of my family’s favourite destinations because of its rich culture and history,” says Jai.

Noted for its onsen or hot-spring resorts, Hakone is a popular tourist attraction due to its proximity to the greater Tokyo metropolis and Mount Fuji. Places of interest include the Owakudani geysers and Hakone Shrine on the shore of the lake as well as the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands. Cherry blossoms in April and the Miscanthus sinensis (susuki) in autumn are the main highlights.

Nocturnal Mystery
The Malam group of works features a more mysterious approach to the unknown and an almost surreal landscape. According to Jai, “the night becomes the time for stories told in the brightness of the moon”. In Injured Mountain (Bukit Putus), Jai depicts a mysterious hill at nightfall. The trunk road that connects Seremban to Kuala Pilah is notorious for its narrow and sharp bends. Jai emphasises the split in the hill by creating a void in between and accentuates the cloudy and gloomy atmosphere with hints of stars in the darkened sky.

Diego Garcia alludes to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in 2014. The painting features an aerial view of the atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean. A single commercial plane is seen ascending above the controversial island.

Conspiracy theorists suggest that MH370 was either captured by a foreign power and then flown to the military base of Diego Garcia or made to land at the base directly.

In the same vein, The Island of Shame contains elements of metaphor. The atoll of Diego Garcia is illustrated from an aerial perspective. Jai accentuates the vastness of the sea and sky that depicts seamless assimilation. The Polaroid format has also been appropriated in its presentation.

“I was inspired by David Vine’s book about human political behaviour and displacement, the abuse of human rights and people’s struggle to survive. The work in monochrome reflects the element of mystery and secrecy in addition to a journalistic, photo-narrative element,” explains Jai.

“For most of us, the infamous location (Diego Garcia) only surfaced after the tragic MH730 episode. It aptly conspired with many unfounded theories of conspiracy to suit our agendas. This is my most intriguing painting executed as the last work for Siang & Malam.”

As a “process painter”, Jai is interested in exploring the act of creation that goes into forming a work, the exploration of material and media and the marks that form a drawing. His works are inspired by current affairs, and expressed using local and familiar imagery seen through his personal lens of nostalgia and history.

“Siang & Malam can be read in multiple ways, either by thinking about real landscape, imaginary landscape, conceptual landscape or landscape as process,” says Jai.

Mainly devoid of human figures and portraiture, one of Jai’s strong points in art-making, his latest works celebrate the splendour of nature and the art of landscape representation.

Educationist
Jai obtained his bachelor’s degree from Mara Institute of Technology in 1985 and did his master’s degree at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where he obtained his master’s degree. In 1994, he earned a master’s degree in fine art at the Pratt Institute in New York.

Since 1988, the painter has also been an academician at his alma mater. He has been an associate professor in the faculty of art and design at Mara University of Technology from 1999. And since 2005, Jai has been mentoring master’s degree students in fine art. Over nearly three decades, Jai has mentored hundreds of fine art students and young artists.

“Artists like Najib Bamadhaj, Fadilah Karim, Shafiq Nordin, Faizal Suhif, Khairudin Zainudin, Anisa Abdullah, Arikwibowo Amril, Yusri Sulaiman, Fawwaz Sukri and Khairul Izham, to name a few, have shown incredible talent and growth,” says Jai.

“Art education evolves just as we do. Art production also changes as knowledge expands. What was once important will become obsolete and vice versa,” says Jai, in response to a question about the level of improvement or differences in art education for every generation since the 1980s and today.

“In the 80s, I was taught to look for the Malaysian identity or Islamic values. The word ‘peribumi’ was imposed in the education system, which was a much more secular concept before.

“In the 90s, when I was teaching, this sensibility was suitably reversed to focus on universal concerns. Art in the Nineties embraced globalism and addressed the social, political and economic forces that triggered global art. And local narratives were about colonialism, political war, social dysfunction and the degradation of nature, among other concerns.

“In the new millennium, issues have become more individualistic where experimentation and cross-disciplinary approach are encouraged. Technology-based art-making is the new phenomenon.”

As an educationist, Jai encourages the younger generation to understand the economics of art besides producing artworks.

“In today’s global economic system, I think it is crucial for young Malaysian artists to be exposed to the elements of commerce in art. Besides formal knowledge, art schools should also educate students on business ethics, counsel them on the challenges of early fame and teach them to deal professionally with galleries and art dealers, and address collectors skilfully and so on. These skills will put Malaysian art on a higher level.”

This article was originally published by The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd in September, 2016.

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Private sales appear to be spearheading the niche demand for artworks with historical significance. Three art advisers talk about the current market for vintage Malaysian art of the modern era.

At RM150,000 to RM500,00 each, the prices of the four paintings by pioneer Malaysian artist Abdullah Ariff raised eyebrows at the recent show, Convergence of Souls, organised by Fergana Art.

Held at Publika Shopping Gallery in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 6 to 11, the “private selling show” featured 58 rare works by 17 Malaysian artists. The event was aimed at targeted buyers, allowing them to view the works in a gallery-like setting.

Two of the oil paintings by Abdullah (1904-1962) were from the 1930s and are among only five that survived World War II. “Sidang Roh (Conference or Conversation of Souls) is the title of both the 1970 painting by Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, which was the metaphorical focal point of the exhibition, and the 1960 poem by Kassim Ahmad, that together inspired the title of the exhibition, Convergence of Souls, alluding to a meeting of ‘soul-searching’ art, some of which is by ‘souls’ who have passed on,” says curator Zainol Abidin Ahmad Shariff, 64, who is also known as Zabas.

Even though the focus of the exhibition was the painting Sidang Roh by the late national laureate Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, which has now been withdrawn from sale, the asking prices of Abdullah’s works were astonishing.

“What drives the direction in terms of selection of artwork is that they are significant works of institutional quality, key works by artists who are under- appreciated and, perhaps, exist under the radar, and unearthing artworks or digging out quality and rarely seen works from an artist’s own archive or private collection,” says Fergana Art adviser Jaafar Ismail, 60.

“Most importantly, we thought it just would be interesting to show this type of works to the public. The history of modernism and post-modernism is an obvious reference to the selection process,” he adds.

The “gold standard” selection of artworks that are scarcely available on the mainstream market all come with a high premium. What was surprising was that the prices were chalked by artists whose works are normally sold at quite conservative levels.

For instance, 72-year-old Ismail Mustam’s triptych titled Three Horizons, dated 1965, which was created by the artist when he was 21, was priced at RM200,000.

“A classic ‘unearthing’ outcome. He was part of Malaysia’s participation at the 10th São Paulo Biennale in 1969. How many people are aware that Malaysia was represented at the second oldest art biennale in the world in 1969?” says Jaafar.

Other highlights of the exhibition were two paintings from the Pago Pago series, dated 1967, by Latiff Mohidin, 75, priced at RM650,000 and RM800,000, respectively.

Regarding the successful sale of Latiff’s Pago Pago for RM650,000 at Convergence of Souls, Joshua Lim, 48, founder of A + Works of Art gallery, remarks, “This particular sale is what I term as ‘never a right time to sell’ artwork, as the next time it or a similar quality Pago Pago becomes available on the secondary market, the price will be much higher!”

Value versus price and public versus private
In Convergence of Souls, the most striking artworks that bore hefty price tags (though not the most expensive) were oil paintings by Abdullah. Caunter Hall, dated 1932, was priced at half a million ringgit and so was Batu Ferringhi, dated 1933, while Chinese Junk, dated 1956, was offered at RM350,000.

According to Jaafar, the three oil paintings are part of the artist’s family treasure and the prices were decided by Fergana’s management and the consignor.

“The pricing of Abdullah Ariff’s oils is anyone’s guess — after all, only five of his oil paintings survived World War II. The two oils from the early Thirties are of historical importance and are museum-quality pieces. They are almost family heirlooms, hence, one cannot work out a per square foot valuation — as for conventional real estate. It is historical real estate, in a manner of speaking,” says Jaafar.

In private sales, there is a mutual understanding of “willing buyer, willing seller” that determines the “fair market value” of an artwork. To a handful of collectors, RM500,000 for a unique 1932 oil painting by Abdullah, with good provenance and in good condition, may be the right price to pay.

But to some, the same amount can be allocated to build a comprehensive collection of contemporary art by young and emerging artists, and even expanding one’s portfolio to acquire Southeast Asian, Asian and even global art.

Adds Lim, who turned professional art dealer last year and has been collecting Southeast Asian art since 2000, “I think it is important to understand the psyche of the collector. Collecting art is an emotional and a very personal endeavour. The more important the collection, the more of these emotional attachments.

“Serious collectors are well informed and know the value of their art collection, thus, they are unlikely to bargain for ‘unreasonable’ prices. The extremes are more likely to happen with ill-informed corporate sellers, the heirs who inherited the art collection or artists who propose either below market or over-the-top prices!”

On the prices of the works in the Convergence of Souls exhibition, Jaafar says: “The key works are priced to market or what we think the works should fetch in a market that is reasonably knowledgeable about art history and the modernist movement.”

The record price for an undated Abdullah Ariff watercolour sold at a local public auction was RM46,200 (including the buyer’s premium), for The River Ferry (estimates RM40,000 to RM50,000), in 2013. The unique watercolour titled Hut on the Rock by Abdullah and dated 1955, offered by Fergana Art in the exhibition, was priced at RM150,000.

“Pricing is at best a guesstimate about significance. No rocket science involved: rarity, significance and ultimately aesthetic quality, albeit subjective,” says Jaafar.

Art dealer Chris Tay, of Chris Tay Art Advisory, held a thematic private selling exhibition focusing on Nanyang Art in June this year. His consultancy was established in 2014 after he spent four years with a local auction house.

Tay offered 46 Malaysian artworks to the Singapore market in June, in his first art exhibition, and sold half the collection. His transactions also benefited from the exchange rate.

“The Singapore government has done a great deal to promote the pioneer Singapore Nanyang artists and we have received feedback from art enthusiasts in Singapore that they would like to learn more about Malaysian pioneer art of the Nanyang era,” says Tay, 28.

Ranging in price from RM6,000 to RM400,000 (S$2,000 to S$130,000) the highest valued work was an oil painting by Yong Mun Sen titled Paddy Planting, dated 1946.

“The prices are decided after discussion and agreement with the consignors,” says Tay.

Agreeing with Fergana Art, Tay too believes that historical works of art fetch high prices regardless of economic conditions.

“Art is an asset class unlike other collectibles or investment channels due to its uniqueness, rarity, cultural and historical values, as well as an ability to offer an emotional return,” he says.

“Hence, the art market may not run parallel to the economic climate. Some would even say that the best time to buy art is during an economic slowdown.

“Modern works usually appreciate in value over time because the artists are no longer around to produce more works and the museum-quality pieces available for private acquisition are few and far between.

“Sometimes, it is not how much money you have that can secure you these important works of art, simply because they are so rare.”

But are “guesstimate” prices healthy for the future of artworks and the art market?

This article was originally published by The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd in August, 2016.

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