An Artsy Fartsy Sunday

On a Sunday recently B and I went to the Balai Seni Visual Negara (National Visual Arts Gallery) off Jalan Tun Razak, KL. Before that she had accompanied me to a sharing session at the Perceptorship Program for Malaysian GPs and Non-Liver Specialists Pt 2 Advanced Workshop at the Ixora Room of Double Tree by Hilton, also on Jalan Tun Razak. I will write on this medical event later maybe, but now I prefer to 'story' about the artsy fartsy.

I have not been to the BSVN in a very, very long time, even missing out on the six-month long Latiff Mohidin retrospective exhibition! Tsk! Tsk! We had to be content with the current exhibitions of 'Absurd(c)ity', 'Warisan' and 'Penglipurlara'.

Absurd(c)ity & B (CNB 2013)

The 'Absurd(c)ity' exhibition (01.06-31.12.2013) has 60 pieces of art works (paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, installations) by 30 artists from the BSVN collection. The exhibition "is a presentation of a narrative of art of the surreal nature from modern to contemporary from Malaysia from 1950 to the current year 2013". The artists/works include Long Thien Shih, Zulkifli Dahalan (Kedai-kedai/Shops, 1973), Ilse Noor (etchings), Askandar Unglehrt, Hamir Soib @ Mohamad (Dan Master itu sedang bekerja, 2005), Maryam Abdullah (Sri Teja 3, 1991), Chang Yoong Chia (Safe house, safe city, safe country, 2008), Ilham Fadhli (Arson's delight, 2010-2011), William KK Lau, Nor Samad, Zainuddin Ismail, Mustapa Ibrahim, Ali Rahamad, S. Amin Shahab, Lee Kian Seng, Raja Zahabuddin, Tsai Horng Chung, Tan Chin Kuan, Eng Hwee Chu, Imanordin Mohd Shah, Wong Woan Lee, Ahmad Fuad Osman, Shahrizan Akil, Jeganathan Ramachandram, Chan Kok Hooi, Ruzzeki Harris and Haslin Ismail, Loh Bok Lai, Yee I-Lann and Khairul Azmir/Meme (Orange dragon).

Zukifli Dahlan's Kedai-kedai

Chang Yoong Chia's Safe house, safe city, safe country

Eleven young artists works of the surreal style in the contemporary art scene include those of Haslin, Khairul and Ilham (abovementioned), Shamsudin Wahab, Lim Keh Soon, Azam Aris, Mahadi Ayob, Muhd Sarip, Tey Beng Tze, Hafiz Yahya, and Shahrul Hisham.

The works that qualify for this exhibition are in the words of the BSVN, "any form of art that combines facts, whether images, shapes, events that exist in the real world or impressed from an interpretation of elements in a dream into an assumption, perception and justification". I must admit that I am only familiar with the works of Long Tien Shih, Zulkifli Dahalan, Ilse Noor and Askandar Unglehrt, but all the rest are 'new' to me! Just shows how much I keep up with the art scene! Anyway I am not really into surrealist art, although who can forget Salvador Dali's Time?

Part of the Chinese calligraphy exhibition

Apart from Absurd(c)ity, the "Warisan"/"Cheng Chuan"(Heritage) exhibition on Chinese calligraphy is also on from 25 June till 19 August 2013. This 6th Malaysia Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition is organised by the Calligraphy Society of Malaysia, and co-organised by the NVAG, Malaysian Stone Lover Society and Soka Gakkai Malaysia.