SHIFT 2019 // A Contemporary Visual Art Exhibition - Our Activities

SHIFT 2019 // A Contemporary Visual Art Exhibition

CENDANA presents SHIFT 2019, a Contemporary Visual Art Exhibition featuring 42 Malaysian artists at Black Box & White Box, Publika on 1st – 11th August 2019. Working alongside independent curators The SHIFT 2019 explores on the theme of change; focusing on identity, technology and popular culture.

Serves as an ancillary initiative under CENDANA’s Art In The City platform, SHIFT 2019 intends to provide local independent visual artists, art collectives and art associations with a prospective platform to reach out to wider audiences of art lovers through a more contemporary curation of art works. SHIFT aims to provide a sustainable platform for independent artists to initiate and explore expanded artistic practises from text-based practices to painting, printing, photography, sculpture, installation, performance, sound art and new media; capturing a current time and place, our thoughts and sentiments through artistic representation.

SHIFT 2019 Artist Line Up

Ajim Juxta

Lapis

Sunrise and sunsets, peak hour traffic and the dead of night. Influences on our being, blind-spots of familiar mundanity.

Ajim Juxta is not afraid to experiment with new media types, or explore new ways of using mediums he is already adept at. The training he had in architecture is an integral part of his approach and methods. Ajim’s artworks are akin to organic blueprints, created to make sense of a world that has gone wrong in many ways. He draws upon ideas of dystopian realities that many worlds have ended up in whilst in pursuit of personal utopias.

Alias Mat

Three Thumb Tacks

When was the last time you said the words ‘thumb tacks’?

Alias Mat aims to decipher and convey various facets of our lives through distinct and unique paths. His ultimate aim is to bring out timeless inspiration to viewers. By being fresh and exciting, he wants the arts to embrace and beautify one’s world. Alias manifest his ideas using either one of two mediums - woodworks or photography images / photography-based artworks. He takes certain cues from the realm of sci-fi, steampunk, celtic, fairy tales, science, mathematics, and even the lighting spectrum to shape his final works.

Alya Hatta

6.30 AM

The sugar coating of the Malaysian identity, and of Satu Malaysia. What a fluffy and colourful amalgamation of stereotypes.

Alya Hatta is a multi-disciplinary artist, interested in Painting and digital mediums like Video, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. His approach is often introspective, based on observation of himself within the spaces around me. He is particularly interested in identity and how his Malaysian identity changes the spaces he is in - how he views the world differently than those around him. Alya’s inspiration and knowledge come from reading - literature by Kafka, Mandeville's Travels and as well as essays on the minor by Deleuze and Guattari really motivate hims, as well as looking into essays about women, religion, history and politics of Malaysia.

Amar Shahid

City Girl

A construct of self-identity and media; yet a yearning for retrospective comforts. Popular Japanese album covers, masking cultural escapism.

Amar Shahid’s works stem from his previous education in various vernacular schools that in turn strengthened his understanding of linguistics and its role in visual language and arts as a whole. The juxtaposition of possibilities in visualizing an alternate social construct in the form of Japanese album covers that features Malaysian situations are meant to highlight the disparity and awkwardness of a theoretical merge and possible history of a given cultural context. These hypothetical situations are ultimately an exercise in linguistics, as it is best seen as an attempt on visual-language constructs that feature tropes of popular literary tools such as puns and innuendos.

Ammar Idris

Companion

The empty vibes of depression versus the theories of talk therapy. The power of companions as a treatment.

Ammar Idris works aim to depict society’s thought about depression, an issue that has not been taken seriously by many people. Unlike certain physical illnesses, depression is stigmatized - sometimes as a non-problem. People tend to view depression as ‘normal stress’ that happens to all people. Everyday, people suffering from depression are ignored due to their ‘silent’ shift, resulting in them being hardly noticed by other people. With his own past history of mild depression and personal connection with people diagnosed with depression, Ammar aims to show how this disorder can negatively change individual feelings thus creating a chain reaction that affects health and interaction issues.

Anas Afandi

Lukisan Memori Penting

Semi-autobiographical works of my experience living in Kuala Lumpur.

Anas Afandi was nurtured in the mythology and knowledge of Malay traditions since he was a child. However, since migrating to Kuala Lumpur a few years ago, the tradition that existed within Anas started to lose its place because of the constant battles in this new territory. Often produced in a series, his works circles the notion of Malay customs and spirituality as both subjects rely on each other to form a culture. A few years after Anas migrated, he started to treat his work as a journey in search of tranquillity.

Azarikh

404

Cyberpunk, Retro-futuristic, Sci-fi. Humans.

Azarikh is a motion graphics artist, specializing in 2D and 3D animation. His source of inspiration mostly comes from sci-fi art, cyberpunk, retro-futuristic and anything within the same genre. Azarikh also does a little bit of VJ-ing on the side. Seeing how an object in motion interacts perfectly with sound gives him the ultimate satisfaction. Azarikh likes seeing animated graphics, and he regularly experiments by interpreting them differently. By creating animated objects with their own different perspectives, Azarikh is able to produce different meanings that make them unique.

Blankmalaysia

My Sacred/Profane

The components and influences that determine the creation of an individual living in 21st century Malaysia.

Blankmalaysia has been exploring two core values in his art practice: the idea of time and explaining it using the medium of paper. He believes the theme of SHIFT strongly relates to his current exploration on the ideas of time, identity and mortality. He is inspired by the books he reads (literature, philosophy, history) as well as his everyday life within the ever-changing urban environment.

Cristjen Lai

Dovetail & Awakening

Artists are like goldfish and the art scene is like an aquarium. We are all living in this aquarium separated from the outside world.

Cristjen Lai is an admirer of Eastern and Western artistic traditions. Influences of both can be seen in his unique aesthetic. He creates his pieces with a combination of watercolour and Japanese ink, two light media that he deploys with the precision of centuries-old Chinese ink paintings but with a European mindset. His lines are thin and deliberate. His usage of large, mysticism, Zen-ish spaces mirror Chinese ink painting, while the use of Fauvism and abstraction of the colours are usually found in Western paintings.

Emir Nazren

USJ 6

Exploring cucuk tanam amongst its streets & buildings.

Emir Nazren is based in Selangor, Malaysia. Using the hectic city environment of Kuala Lumpur as the catalyst for his artistic process, he wanders the corners and streets of the city to hopefully stumble upon a view that will inspire his next project. He is energised by a variety of sources, such as old and new films, music, books, dreams, architecture, everyday conversation, video games, clouds, and even street signs - all of which serve as the base for his artworks. When Emir begins to build his own artistic identity, he translates daydreams into an ambiguous painting, sculpture or photography collage.

Fauzan Fuad

Seni Popular

An object so commonplace as an ever present reminder of mass-consumerism in popular culture; the plastic bag.

Fauzan Fuad is an abstract expressionism artist that is inspired from the self demand for natural freedom (anarchism). He is a passionate full-time artist that wears many hats as he is also an experienced skateboarder and an observant film photographer.

Fizrie Azhan

Pancaroba

Setiap manusia akan melalui zaman kegagalan sebelum mencapai sesebuah kejayaan.

Fizrie Azhan graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) from UITM Shah Alam in 2015. During the same period, he studied informally under Prof Yusof Ghani, who specialises in Malaysian Abstract Expressionism. Witnessing Yusof Ghani’s efforts and discipline to create works of art became Fizrie’s main source of inspiration to continue working and succeeding in this field.

Haris Rashid

Meal Prep & Pakai - Buang

Humans decide, nature ceases.

Haris Rashid is inspired by nature as a means of metaphor for human life. He is interested in investigating the similarities between the forces of nature and humans, be it scientific or spiritual.

I-Ling

Acha, Murut Girl & Untitled

This series is on-going exploration of the livelihoods of girls and young women in the interiors of Sabah.

I-Ling Yee is a self-taught photographer who has always been fascinated by telling a visual story through an image. She decided to pick up film photography instead of digital photography because she found the learning curve more challenging and rewarding. The medium of film has made her work even harder for the images she wants to create in her home of Sabah, where she is constantly inspired by her surroundings. Her influences are first and foremost everything that she sees, feel and experience - glimmers of which she tries to reflect in her photos.

Jack Yong

Gravity Smiled Upon

A series of apparatus malfunctions constructed these “accidental” photographs.

Jack Yong’s works are motivated by his fascination in the observation of science and technology and our interaction with them. He is fond of photography’s inherent capability to “control” time in a fast-paced world and function as an extension of his peripheral vision. Based in Malaysia, Jack explores the contrasts and contradictions of the delicate balance within urban life, expanding the wonder of both natural and constructed elements in contemporary environments as a central focus in his artistic endeavours.

Kara Inez

Absent Bodies

The personal and physical struggles with my dysfunctional female body manifests itself into a collection of monstrous creatures, each armed with its own personal story.

Kara Inez draws from the unregulated corporeal aspects of being a woman to induce a necessary feminist discourse in Malaysia as a means to re-inhabit the social sphere with the suppressed female body. She believes that the reinvention of the female image opposing traditional representations is vital in creating a space whereby women can speak as women away from the patriarchal language.

Kua Chia Chi

Buying Flowers

We try hard to find the itches, which might not exist at all, perhaps just a meaningless psychological effect.

Kua Chia Chi views society as a big loaf of bread, while the majority is heading towards totality or meta-narrative (the big bread), her passion as an artist is to pick up the bread crumbs (fragments or values that have been left behind). She doesn’t have a specific visual style in her drawings or paintings because fragments do not have a specific form but she often adds a touch of humour to her work.

Lai Chan Shiang

Frogs Leap for Better Future

Observations on local culture, politics and environmentalism. Observed and delivered in wry humour.

Lai Chan Siang derives a lot of colourful pictorial, digital-virtual imagery, illustrative techniques and elements from cybernetic and comical sources to express the sub-cultural phenomena which are inseparable in our lives today. His works are mostly in the symbolist idiom and peppered with generous amounts of surrealism.

Lee Mok Yee

Malaysia Map

The Map is formed by the ‘Poe Divination’ or ‘Throwing Poe’, where it is a traditional Chinese custom to use the red-half-moon shaped wood to ask permission from the Gods and Ancestors.

Lee Mok Yee’s works revolve around the language of the materials used. This includes the physical materials, conceptual materials and cultural context. Using readymade objects, she interprets and reconstructs the characteristics and utility of the objects and at the same time, imbues it with her point of view on her own cultural and political background. Her works come in a variety of media such as installations, sculptures and printmaking. Daily visual experiences and childhood memories are also very dear to her as she relies on them to gain inspiration for her next work.

Lim Jing

Form System

‘Form System’ is a body of work that contemplates the idea of distracted truth and reality.

Lim Jing is a multidisciplinary artist based in Kuala Lumpur and prefers to use ‘singular they’ as their pronoun. Their early works mostly explored the ownerships and fluidity of identities in the living- and cyber-space. While they were attempting to coordinate and identify their roles in society, they perceived that people and the system are always consuming each other. This vice versa relation is similar to the Ouroboros, where it aims at nothing but itself. This is now their signature aesthetics to their creations.

Lith Ng

Untitled

By literal definition, sex is natural, personal, and intimate. Yet, for an act that is pivotal to life and society, it is still highly taboo, especially in our country.

Lith Ng draws inspiration from how society views men and women differently. She observes and creates based on her own experiences and what she has seen happen to women around her. Her artistic style and approach has always been centred around womanhood and female sexuality. She aspires to make art that provokes and start conversations in hopes of breaking the unhealthy silence surrounding female sexuality.

Mark Tan

Identity

Kuala Lumpur in transformation. Cycles of continuous construction works, torn down and built up, man-made structures constantly in flux. Served up to power.

Mark Tan searches for memories that are long forgotten in certain stages of his life. At the same time, he is creating new ones through constant visits to different places that strikes a connection to him. He expresses his personal multi-sensorial experience for a specific place through photography, drawing and printmaking. By working with these methodologies, Mark strives to uncover and encompass the thoughts and emotions that are obscured by local boundaries within him.

Max Jala

Along With Yourself

A state of perception & reflection.

Max Jala is a new media artist using code to create interactive digital art and installations. His work is playful in nature and often requires interaction from its audience. It is through the use of programming and sensor-based technologies that Max’s pieces are able to dynamically mutate and respond intuitively to human interaction - whether that be through sound, motion or any other action. The main goal of his artwork is to surprise and intrigue audiences. As someone with little to no formal background in fine arts, he hopes these often 'accessible' nature of his work can encourage the layman to be interested in art, while also changing the general perception of what is considered Art."

Mohsin Aminuddin

Hari

Spatio-temporal; a belonging to both space and time. A personal motion.

Mohsin Aminuddin’s fascination with the mysteries of the cycle of life, theology, creation of man and death are central issues in his works. Aesthetic observation, interpretation and experience are fused into a single narrative in search of the true self. Mohsin enjoys the iteration technique of printmaking and woodcut, as its tedious preparation process both motivates and teaches him inner patience. The symbols appearing in his work is Mohsin’s way of dismantling the many philosophical questions asked throughout history. His desire is to draw audience members to see it firsthand so that they realise the artwork piece is not just alive but is actually living amongst them.

Myra Myn

Ibu Kota

Malaysia, is a woman. From her we seek nourishment; from its cultural teat, blessing us with sustenance. We are all her children.

Myra Myn is a KL-born surrealist, raised by parents who are also humanitarians. As a mixed-race artist who is half Afghani Pakistani and half Malay, she is fascinated with the relationship between culture and religion in modern day Malaysia. Her technique generally consists of a lot of mixed media. Myra was brought up homeschooled, living half of her life in Dubai.

Nabihah Haiyee

Muka Depan

Through the years I have explored the potential of paper, an obscure fixation.

Nabihah Haiyee fondness for paper started at a young age and she began her folding journey simply with origami, self-taught from books. Throughout the years, she explored the potential of paper so much that it became an obscure fixation besides her gardening interests. She first joined the UM art exhibition for her low-poly “Animal Instinct” paper sculpture series, which was followed by other designer exhibitions before continuing her masters in architecture. She later came back with a series of “Flatpak” furniture design where the concept was also derived from flat sheet but using plywood.

Ng Kim Peow

Headlines

The front pages of our daily newspapers, in three languages; burnt to ash, mixed with translucent varnish and applied to textural canvas.

Ng Kim Peow approach towards art lie in always adapting suitable materials and art forms to represent an idea or concept, and then transforming the idea into a physical visual representation that is able to resonate with its viewers. He works with a wide range of materials and art forms, ranging from mixed media painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation work and ceramics. Different materials have their own material language and meaning. In selecting the right material and art form, artists can express and convey their intention and idea more efficiently. Throughout the year, Ng develops different approaches in making art with different materials.

Nicholas Choong

KL 46 (Leboh Ampang, KL)

I would like to paint a beautiful cityscape with many points of interest and details, but the Story of the City is King.

Nicholas Choong’s work is a little abstract and representational since it's the result of years of experimentation with alternative painting tools. No two works are the same as he plays with perception, shape, line and colour. Nicholas’ paintings reflect a time and place where he is currently located right now. Buildings and architecture both fascinate and inspire him. Change is constant. Nicholas sees cityscapes not as disparate elements of a system but as a whole. In his youth, he experimented with darkroom photography, graphic design and music. He is fascinated by the intuitive process of painting, and regularly spends a fair bit of time just looking and observing an unfinished painting because sometimes, paintings take on a life of its own.

Rico Leong

Serumpun

In Bahasa, 'rumpun' is translated as 'clump' and it is commonly used to describe the leaves and plants.

Rico Leong’s work consists of documentation and exploration through his everyday travels. His work comes from the result of his reflection and observation of social norms, cultural and spiritual values of the environment. Rico is attracted to situational moments in which people interact, engage and relate to each other as well as things and objects around us - He also enjoys capturing and catapulting our mundanity onto a visual narrative.

Sanker Ganesh

Flawed Good Man and Pink Head & White Dice

From the Wayang Kulit, the Devils in the middle influence or deceive us into traps of lies, manipulation and hate.

Sanker Ganesh likes to explore material around us and infuse it to his work of art as a self-styled “brawler” in the arena of mixed media. He likes to usually start with a photography image on a canvas, slowly building up the work with various materials of interest, colours, and strokes. Sanker is always questioning the way of life we are living, and integrating his thoughts back into his works, which are mostly about individual and society inner feelings, thoughts and wish for changes.

September Khu

Healing in Turmoil

SHIFTING the consciousness of the entire Nation is not impossible. It starts with ourselves.

September Khu is an abstract artist that uses acrylic paint, markers, charcoal, and crayon to bring their works to life. Inspired by our nature and influenced by the science and mystery of the metaphysical, she creates natural flow and drip patterns with various paint densities in bright colours. Other materials are used to create visual balance.

Seven Sans Set & Foie

Ritual - Gateau

The Gateau Series consists of digital art reproductions through a year-long process with ingredients such as soil, acrylic, polaroids and microscope, among others.

Seven Sans Set & Foie is a collaboration between Shiela Samsuri and Foie. Derived from a luxury food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been especially fattened, Foie is an alternative rock band from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that was formed in late 2016. Founded by Azizi Salleh and Naqeeb Ilham, later joined by Khairul Aznam, Akeef Azmir, Jazlee Azmir and Fuad Rahim. FOIE starts with their sweet astringent dessert which is their debut EP titled ‘Gateau’ (cake) in 2019.

Shiela Samsuri

Human Remnants

Human upon human-mades.

Shiela Samsuri does not know precisely how her artistic excursion began any more than her need to express the innate characteristic of oneself. In return, she discovered a strange yet known language. As art historian Sir Ernst Gombrich once said, “We do not know how art began any more than we know how language started.” Over the years, Shiela’s desire for a ‘language’ has been drawn within a spectrum - sounds of Radiohead; poems of Latiff Mohidin; critiques of Goenawan Mohamad; ‘Space Oddity’ and ‘Sans Soleil’; of human, God and other unfinished things.

Sophia Kamal

Study Of Hands

The Malay Muslim woman adjusts and sublimes herself to the changing cultural landscape of contemporary Malay society.

Sophia Kamal’s body of work revolves around reflections of her identity as a modern Malay Muslim woman. She finds herself battling issues concerning femininity between her sense of humanity and spiritual, especially its conflicting nature between traditional and modern culture. Inspired by women with a sense of strength and courage, Sophia loves looking into their subliminal characteristics that are sometimes hidden, as if being covered under a mask. By using strong yet feminine colours, her work acts as a metaphor of female strength and courage.

Syazana Afrina

Saling Kait

A contemporary and modern take on embroidery, bring it forward from embroidery for clothing and decoration

Syazana Afrina recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Construction Management from UiTM. She is a self-taught artist born in 1996 from Selangor. While pursuing her studies, her passion for textile art led to the start of her art career. She experimented with her installation by mixing it together with textile, believing that she could create more unique works with new mediums and techniques.

Tajrin Faruqi

Merdekakah Kita

Merdekakah Kita? Sebuah karya yang mengajak para pengunjung untuk berinteraksi, dan bermain, bebas dan tanpa ada sebarang paksaan.

Tajrin Faquqi’s work is titled “Are we independent?” His approach may one what might call ‘avant-garde’, but it is more about trying to introduce innovative ideas that go beyond the norms of society that are also considered taboo. Ideas and concepts are also important to Tajrin he loves to play with various disciplines and media. That’s why every piece of research and his work is in the form of a question – what makes something worthy of being called an artistic work? Tajrin balances his works with a bit of dark humour which helps to ease the tension and seriousness that may arise from and debate of hisf resulting work

Tomi Heri

Sunflowers

I have created the Sunflower Pattern video; a combination of the buffering icon and the no- signal noise effect for your enjoyment.

Tomi Heri’s work consists of documentation and exploration through her everyday travels. Her work comes from the result of Tomi’s reflection and observation of social norms, cultural and spiritual values of the environment. She is attracted to situational moments in which people interact, engage and relate to each other as well as things and objects around us. Tomi enjoys capturing and catapulting our mundanity onto a visual narrative. Through her experience and understanding of the socio-cultural aspects of the people in a modern society, she is able to capture the spirit of the place; she creates creatures as a way to develop a discourse on contemporary life and human nature.

Tsa Meera

Garis

The concept of "Garisوقت" is to portray the communication of two individuals which happens during the timeline of the filmmaking process

Tsa Meera believes the concept of "Garisوقت" is to portray the communication of two individuals which happens during the timeline of the filmmaking process, which goes in parallel with their feelings, psyche, past, current and future lives.

Victor Khoo

After Life

I am taking these so called ‘waste’, recycling and up-cycling, in hopeful contribution.

Victor Khoo has played various roles in his professional life, but environmental issues and the philosophy of life have always been the main inspiration behind his body of work. Victor’s "Relic" photography and "Embrace" artwork fall under environmental issues whereas “Reborn”, a costume inspired by Ibn Arabi “The Universal Tree and the Four Birds”, is categorised under philosophy of life. As an artist, Victor does not wish to restrict himself to work with only one medium; he loves to challenge himself with various possibilities. His artworks speak through him and he hopes they will inspire the world.

Wong Xiang Yi

Blanket & Goldfish

I became interested in studying the iconic beautiful youth figure, a sub-culture of Japanese manga,

Wong Xiang Yi learned how to draw by imitating Japanese manga, noticing the beauty and similar characteristics of Ukiyo-e and Song Dynasty paintings. Those became her starting point, as she combined manga and ink painting styles while making it her own. Xiang Yi is fascinated by the complex patterns and lines of Malaysian Batik, integrating them into her creation. Xiang Yi’s fondness of figurative painting sees her remolding her own face proportions to make all of the portraits in her creation heterogeneous extension of herself. She focuses more on intricate painting elements to carry her messages, believing in the strength of portrait paintings to reflect the artist’s image.

Yati

Waking Life X Witching Hour

YOU REAP WHAT YOU HAVE SOWN.

Yati draws on a fabric called Calico Cotton as a canvas, and hand-stitch every line using backward stitch style. She uses different sizes and colour of threads to give depth to the image as well as improve the anatomy of the faces. Embroidery or thread painting allows Yati to express herself as she goes through entropy and decay of life. She is inspired by the randomness of disorder in the ethos of kintsugi and wabi-sabi of Japanese aesthetics.

Zariq Zin

Berubah

‘Berubah’ or ‘To change’ moves into our identity as individuals. Through different walks of life, from the past until the present advancement in infrastructure and technology.

Zariq Zin is a painter who works mainly with oil paint on wood. His works focus on figurative contemporary realism, in a monochromatic limited palette. Drawing inspiration from classical painting techniques, namely from the Baroque and Romanticism era, Zariq’s visual narratives is influenced by Absurdism, the philosophical school of thought. The "Human Condition" is his main subject, which examines corporeal issues, such as emotions, psychological, and physiological aptitude.