Azam Aris

try to depict my process in my artwork. And this process involves using different images from a variety of places which I then put together in a scenario and juxtapose with the image of a burning astronaut. The intention here is to create a sense of drama and transference of the mood from the painting to the audience. This artwork uses various approaches in art like sculpture, photography, design and painting in order to get the end result that is beyond my expectation.

Hit the Lights

2013 / Acrylic & digital print on canvas / 200 x 305cm

The work here is a tribute to my first born. I see flames as the spark that ignites my passion to continue with my artistic expressions. This artwork celebrates my excitement in embracing family life. A child is akin to a gift and a source for zest in life.

Fragile, Handle With Care

2013 / Mixed media on canvas / 259 x 207cm

‘What Turns Me On’ is a metaphor for my art career. As an outsider artist with no formal training and zero ability to draw and paint, I am forced to try and experiment with all sorts of mediums and methodologies. Sometimes I get amazing results, most of the time, I simply fail. This work invites the audience to try, try, and try until they hit the right switch.

What Turns Me On

2013 / Light switches on wood panel / 197 x 198cm

I believe personal items and living spaces constitute an individual’s personal life. I deconstruct and rebuild visual relationships as I draw figures, objects and space to explore the state of a person’s life.

“Deluge” is the theme of this new series. Flood, tsunami, collapse, storm are a few words

that keep surfacing in reports of natural disasters. Words such as “political tsunami” are also often used as expressions when describing political and economic climates. Malaysians are quite familiar with one natural disaster; floods. Just a foot of water may be enough to move a car. Flood waters can be seemingly gentle but dangerous in actual fact.

My paintings misappropriate IKEA publicity pictures, depicting the trademark minimalist interiors submerged in flood and erosion. This is to reflect the globalisation of consumerism that erodes a Malaysian’s identity where lifestyle, taste and even values are being replaced.

The Unknown Adventure

2013 / Oil on linen / 200 x 360cm ( Diptych)

I would like to share the journey of my career as an artist through my artwork. This particular artwork visualises my experiences through a selection of images that represent past and current memories juxtaposed against collage and painting techniques. I hope that this piece will give you a window into my soul.

Separuh Nafas

2013 / Collage & acrylic on canvas / 200 x 200cm

My artwork invariably reflects personal experience. In this case, my choice of colours is influenced by comics. I have an interest in faces and portraits. For me, a face is a subject matter that is balanced and has expression. The position of the eyes, nose and mouth can in itself inspire artistic ideas. Here in this artwork, only the nose is left human. I have depicted all the other features as being spoilt by technological development. I can’t help but observe that metropolitan development results in the destruction of heritage buildings, a disparity between the rich and poor and the mushrooming of high rise living that pigeon-hole the people.

Ultramundane No.15: Metropolis

2013 / Acrylic & oil pastel on jute / 182.5 x 244cm

Artists are normally viewed as unique and sometimes even bizarre. Their perspectives on life might be different, even radical compared to the average person. However, they play an important role in society and provide a balance in the bigger picture of life. They deserve to be acknowledged and do appreciate being acknowledged for their role in society. Here, I use “sign board” to bring attention and highlight their presence to the world.

Artist Crossing

2013 / Acrylic on canvas / 258 x 259cm

This particular work of mine is based on my experience living in a city. The imposing pressure of urban life moves me to feel the importance of embracing nature. This artwork is part of the outdoor activities series. Here, I explore the experience of relaxing while enjoying nature.

Sunny Afternoon

2013 / Oil on canvas / 200 x 200cm

I express my sentiments on current issues in my craft. This time, I am reacting to issues in the world’s favourite sport, soccer.

My thoughts on the news of corruption and gambling currently scandalising the world of soccer inspire my latest work. Soccer balls and boots are symbolic in this work. I feel that this issue is on the lips of many fans because it transcends age and geographical borders. I am a big soccer fan and this current issue is something I feel strongly about.

Match Fixer

2013 / Ceramic, digital print on canvas, PVC alphabet & plexiglass in wood box

152 x 204cm

As an artist, it is important for me to paint a self- portrait. This figure of a girl skipping rope in a studio represents me. Skipping rope in the studio is symbolic of how I see my life. Sometimes in skipping rope, just like in life, you take a wrong step and falter. But you just get back into the groove and simply carry on.

Beautiful Tangle

2013 / Oil on Linen / 263.5 x 187cm

Every life is unique and this is my attempt to depict different circumstances of life on one canvas. This is a series of comics where each storyboard concept is a different situation that does not adhere to a fixed reading sequence. The characters created are inspired by my own visual experiences. I find this therapeutic and a great incentive to continue artistic pursuits.

Setiap Satu Situasi Pembakar Semangat didalam Kegelapan

2013 / Acrylic & mixed media on canvas / 152.5 x 305cm

My artwork expresses concerns about endangered animals and animal rights. I used the body language of the animals to evoke sadness. I then moved on to the migration series to expose the destruction of animal habitats as a result of human greed and the obsession with money and development. My current series explores the idea of survival where animals migrate from their natural habitats to the urban jungle. Expressing ideas by adapting stencilling and marking techniques normally used by street artists, I visualise my feelings onto canvas.

Life After People

2013 / Acrylic & oil on jute / 187.5 x 248.5cm

In creating this artwork, I chose the `destruct to create’ approach. I removed a surface to create a shape, something new and different. The idea here is to connect with something that we pay little attention to. I pick subjects such as second-hand objects and elderly people to visualise this idea. The elderly represent our roots that have now been forgotten. Here buildings are chosen to symbolise modernity. I feel that in riding the wave of modernity we often lose sight of our heritage.

The Distance Between Us

2013 / Carving on wood door frame / 212 x 280cm

This work is a response to the current political situation in the country. Carved manually on MDF board, the whole work is composed of two figures, a portrait, a weapon with a hand on its handle and mini plant with a human hand as its roots. In my view, this work shows the extent of how far one is willing to go to remain in power. The situation reveals a parasitic relationship where those in power live off on our ideas and hard work (both represented by a plant growing on a figure’s head and the plant from one’s hand). To placate our dissatisfaction, the hand (with the weapon) that is extended to console us is also a weapon ever ready to be use against us to ensure we do not rock the status quo. It accurately depicts our reality where those who used us to climb to or remain on top of the power structure are oblivious to our daily hardships and sufferings.

Tertinggi
2016

Carving on MDF board
305 x 122 cm

“Raksasa Bawah Katil” (The Monster Under The Bed) is about something frightening that haunts the self each time one is about to fall asleep. This work, with its dark surreal aspects, is a continuation of another work I had produced earlier. The transition to dark and disturbing themes from cheerful and happy pictures came about from my time as one of the resident artist at Sembilan Residency in late 2016. I suddenly felt that my previous works did not honestly reflect what I feel deep down inside. Since then, my art depicts myself in various weird or strange situations, engulfed by pain, darkness or engaged in disturbing acts. In this work, I am in my room, sitting beside the bed, trying to lure the ‘monster’ that is hiding underneath by using my heart as the bait. It is also in this same room where I had produced my darker works. The said‘raksasa’ is the reason why I turn to the visual arts. It is also the cause for my artistic shift to the dark and disturbing.

Monster Under The Bed II
2016

Ballpoint pen & white pencil on canvas
200 x 230 cm

Crisis-Self Defence: is my personal reflection on the situation and happenings in the local art scene. To have staying power in the artworld is no easy feat. Besides the constant pressure to deliver outstanding work based on solid ideas that could convey deep and powerful messages, one has to face with other less savoury aspects amidst the art circle. The endless backstabbing, the schemes of investors, speculators and money launderers must be taken into account when one decides to embark on a serious career in the visual arts. Therefore, artists need to formulate their own strategies and have long term career plans in order not to be overwhelmed and swept away by the commercial tide. The strange looking animal in this painting symbolises certain characters in the art scene one has to beware of. The pairing of the head of an alligator with the natural armoured body of a Rhinoceros reveals someone who has a huge appetite and will swallow anything whole in front of them without any forethought of the consequences while being defensive of their actions. The clown collar or ruff around the creature’s neck is sign of a hypocrite who pretends to be open, funny and friendly while in actuality is a backstabber. The numerous little sumo wrestlers are the obstacles they will place in front of you to slow you or prevent you from succeeding to the next level in your art career.

Crisis – Self Defense
2016

Acrylic on Jute
200 x 255 cm

This work is an invitation to the audience to enter my world. I want them to experience the chaotic existence of living in the city with its many challenges and offerings. I live in Gombak, with its diverse ethnic make up and different social class groups. On the streets, one can see the endless posters offering loans by licensed money lenders. These bills are pasted everywhere in the style of guerilla marketing to be seen and to entice different sections of society to seek them out for easy credit to either finance a luxurious lifestyle or for starting a business. Most days I just drive past these bills. They all look monochromatic grey to me. Grey is my view of everything. That area between the black and the white. If you go ‘black’, that is a dangerous place, if you choose ‘white’, you are safe. The grey area however, is ‘chancy’, meaning the situation is unstable, undecided or subjective. These posters are part of the subject matter. It is there because I am sometimes tempted to seek them out due to the growing hardships caused by the economic downturn. However, I remind myself forcefully that, if I go ‘black’, I might endanger myself or my family. The many overlapping figures in my work are real people from my area, with their social status revealed through their attires and states of mind from their facial expressions, all walking symbolically on the same path with hard choices. This seem to be the only path available to us whether we like it or not, therefore we have to face it. Money, some need it, some don’t.

Uncertainty In The Gray Area
2016

Acrylic & charcoal on canvas
183 x 275 cm

This work reflects my response as one who is deeply affected by the destruction of our natural environment today. It also reflects my concern for the existing greenery that surrounds our living spaces. Due to humanity’s insatiable greed in pursuing development as means of modernisation, it has led to major destructions on parts of their own lives. (man made causes behind natural disasters). Drawn with ink in a spontaneous way, the sketchy image of a tree is overlapped by human figures in various positions, portraits and body parts. Human forms in the visual construction of the tree. I enjoy making the surroundings of where I live, or places I’m going to or back in my place of origin as inspirations for my work. This work also allows the audience their own personal interpretation.

Khabar Dari Dunia

2016

Mixed media on canvas
243 x 200 cm

Most of my works were influenced or inspired by Malay culture, proverbs and paradigm. This involves a combination of human and animal imageries in representing characters and their characteristics. Besides passion and feelings, I always try to experiment with the medium and materials together with the zoomorphic beings as subject matter in my work by turning them into sometimes cynical takes or a parody of current local issues, geopolitics and the surrounding socio-cultural dynamics in contemporary context. The animal images in my work are meant to express my observations of an issue or my criticism of human behaviour. In ‘Behind Animals’, I press my imagination further especially on a number of animal characters that are always playing in my head. They appear together in my current work which also includes my own self portrait to represent the active world of my imagination that always seek to come up with something new and different through my art making.

Behind Animal

2016

200 x 244 cm

Mixed media on canvas

Through this work, I present my interpretation of a traditional totem in a contemporary context with the aim of making it relevant to today’s society. The intricate design that makes up a major portion of the sculpture is derived from the traditional Sarawakian textiles called Pua Kumbu which are woven by native Dayak women of the island of Borneo. The textiles are used in rituals and special events including childbirth, coming of age ceremonies and is considered a sacred activity mandatory for all Iban women. As an artist, I find that art is a great tool to promote one’s culture and tradition. Staying true to my roots, I decided to embed these motifs and design into my work. Viewers can interpret each component accordingly in their own way. To create perspective and depth, I transferred my drawings of Pua Kumbu patterns onto my three dimensional sculptures. Each slice of wood is minutely detailed and perfectly aligned in order to create a smooth, seamless flow. I have altered and modified some parts of the design to create some sort of connectivity to our modern yet complex life.

Lemba Bumbun

2017

Mix of hardwood

213 x 90 x 90 cm

The Malay proverb ‘Kucing lalu, tikus tiada berdecit lagi’ refers to the behavior of certain people i.e. those who are usually noisy but suddenly becomes quiet in the presence of an authoritative figure. Other Malay proverbs about the loss of authority are ‘Bila kucing tidak bergigi, tikus berani melompat tinggi’ and ‘Kucing pergi, Tikus menari,’. An example ‘Kalau kucing tiada bermisai, takkan ditakuti tikus lagi’ means that when someone from a higher position in an organization is fired, he loses the support and the respect of his subordinates. This animal-related situation is mapped onto a human situation, which emphasises the meaning of some unlikely situation with regards to power relations. My sculpture is inspired by Malay proverbs. Malay proverbs mostly use metaphors to express inner feelings as found in the visual arts. My sculpture reflects an intense relationship between the issues of Malay culture, myself and the materials used in the artwork.

The relationship is based on my experience while trying to visualize the idea from intangible (Malay proverb) to tangible form. I use steel wire as it represents lines which is the main element in creating shapes and forms. Intellectually, the line is one of the basic elements of art. Spiritually, the line also represents connectedness, relationship, unity, and journey. Indirectly, the lines are the narratives for my artwork.

Bila Si Misai Tak Berkuku...
2016

Steel wire & chicken wire
Variable dimensions

An artist’s sensitivity towards his or her culture can be gauged from the choice of materials used in their artworks. I constantly find myself utilising soft and flexible materials in my work because they can be easily shaped and managed. Such materials, with their characteristics and properties, requires a certain level of care when handling which give rise to metaphors I hope to draw out as the main theme in my subject matter. In the process of knitting, the needle and thread that shuttles back and forth are two different things that were once distinct and separate, becomes whole or forms a union. This is not unlike individuals in society who form relationships which give new meaning to their lives and affect others around them. These materials are not just objects to me; they are a part of my life and experiences, created from my imagination. I like repeating small units of work in a huge setting because whole structures allows us to feel the process of life, drawing us to get close to it.

We Are Only Stardust

2017

Embroidery, gauze dye & acrylic on gauze
290 x 210 cm

I learnt that the nation state is a product of colonialism. A colony claims independence and becomes a nation state. It then struggles to groom her own identity and visions based on her cultures, histories, wealth and politics. My artwork is a relief wall sculpture depicting two similar looking national symbols from America and Malaysia; the Iwo Jima Memorial Monument and Tugu Negara (National Monument). Both portray the triumph of their military over their enemies. Another symbol that both nations have in common are the similar design elements on our flags. The appropriation of these national symbols and represented here serves to highlight how much nation states influenced one another in numerous aspects. How the aspiration, inspiration and maybe admiration, influence the direction of a nation state’s vision, and the price we pay for that transaction. America is a nation loud and proud of her achievements. With all her power and ideals, she represents the peak of humanity’s development and the depth of civilization. America and Europe is influential on the global scale especially in the areas of economy and more so, culturally. My work is intended as a discussion on cultural transactions. What did we learn in our journey of leading a nation state? As we’re behind in numerous aspects, aren’t we able to profit from the mistakes and the sacrifices they’ve made to be wherever them are at right now? Are we going to try to reach the same peaks as they or are we prepared to scale our own peaks?

The Greatest View At The Similarities in Features Between the Pinnacles of Two Different Nation (Revisited)

2016

Pulp clay, steel pole & custom banner

439 x 335 cm

The earth (tanah) is an expression of the timeless relationship between mankind and nature. It also expresses mankind’s appreciation for natural beauty. This mixed media work is made with mono printing and oil paint. Here, Nature is also included as a participant in the creative process. By utilising the possibilities in printmaking, I have instilled a part of me in each of the works as a means to enhance it. This act represents aspects of my journey and what the soil and earth means to me. Such was the cultural and intellectual milieu in which I grew up in, appreciating the earth beneath me as if it is as valuable as gold. I am thankful for what the earth produces and what is grown from the soil as a result of sowing and seed planting. There is much love in the act of nurturing each plant until the time is ripe for it to be harvested. Every inch of my being is connected to the earth and soil. As in my faith, I believe that no matter where I may go, it is back to the earth that my body returns.

Sebesar Zarah

2016

Monoprint & oil on canvas

305 x 305 cm (diptych)

eksadas

noun

a mass departure of people, especially immigrants. synonyms: mass departure, withdrawal, evacuation, leaving;

Exodus is the title of my entry for the Young Guns Award and traveling exhibition. The painting is about the prophecies and mysteries surrounding us. An example, migration occurs out of fear of uncertainty (when people feel threatened) like in the recent case of the hawkish billionaire Donald Trump who was democratically elected as the 45th president of America. Illegal Immigrants in the US are worried that they might be forcefully deported and there are even conspiracy theories that claim Donald Trump is a member of the Illuminati. In my painting, the image of the monkey represents the new president of the US while the female figure with the worried facial expression represents an illegal immigrant. The presence of the popular monster, Godzilla together with an octopus out of the water are strange omens indicating of the impending doomsday. This work is my own interpretation of what will happen when something strange occurs that is beyond our daily norm. A parody about the coming end of the world.

Exodus

2016

Acrylic & silkscreen on canvas

200 x 200 cm

Young Guns

Azam Aris

Ruzzeki Harris

Chi Too

Seah Zelin

Anisa Abdullah

Haslin Ismail

Samsudin Wahab

Chong Ai Lei

Al- Khuzairie Ali

Fadilah Karim

Donald Abraham

Najib Bamadhaj

Muhammad Akhmal Asyraf

Sabihis Md Pandi

Syahbandi Samat

Shafiq Nordin

Khairudin Zainudin

Khairul Izham

Meor Saifulah Lulaed

Anniketyni Madian

Jamil Zakaria

Yim Yen Sum

Edroger C. Rosili

Faizal Suhif

Fawwaz Sukri

Organizer

The Team

2016 Awardee

2013 Awardee

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