SARKAS by studio 25

SAR KAS HISYAMUDDIN ABDULLAH

ISBN 978 - 981- 09- 3601- 3 PAPERBACK

978 - 981- 09- 3600 - 6 E-BOOK

TAKSU is a leading contemporary art gallery and specialist in Southeast Asia. Representing selections of fine art with distinctive urban edge, we are at the forefront of contemporary art in this region. TAKSU works to forge a platform for established and emerging artists to share their pool of creativity and knowledge through its residency programs and exhibitions. Encapsulating the true meaning of the word TAKSU; divine inspiration, energy, and spirit. Suherwan Abu Director, TAKSU Galleries

Essay Rachel Jenagaratnam Graphic Design Jeffrey Lim / Studio 25 Printer Unico Services Artworks & Images ÂŠ 2014 Hisyamuddin Abdullah This publication may be reproduced in any form for academic, editorial and/or non-commercial purposes without special permission from the artist(s) and gallery, with acknowledgement of the source. For other purposes, prior consent is needed.

SAR KAS HISYAMUDDIN ABDULLAH

KUALA LUMPUR

17 Jalan Pawang 54000 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia T +603 4251 4396 F +603 4251 4331 kl@taksu.com SINGAPORE

43 Jalan Merah Saga #01-72 Workloft @ Chip Bee Singapore 278115 T +65 6476 4788 F +65 6476 4787 sing@taksu.com BALI

W Retreat & Spa Bali Jalan Petitenget Seminyak Bali, Indonesia T +62 361 4738106 F +62 361 4738104 bali@taksu.com

I extend my utmost gratitude towards Allah s.w.t, my family, Taksu, Studio Pisang, Studio Sarang and art community in Ara Damansara, Meru Art Friends and those who have supported me throughout these years.

HISYAMUDDIN ABDULLAH (b. 1989) EDUCATION 2012 BA of Fine Arts (Hons) UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor 2010 Diploma of Fine Arts UiTM Machang, Kelantan SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2014 SA R KA S TAKSU Kuala Lumpur GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2014 Art Expo Malaysia MATRADE, KL Merdeka Show TAKSU Kuala Lumpur Notes To Self TAKSU Singapore PULPA: The Cutting Edge Galeri Chandan, KL THE DOOR III : INITIATION HOM Art Trans, KL GAME ON R.A Fine Arts, KL MEA Awards 2013 White Box, MAPKL Locals Only! TAKSU Kuala Lumpur Nasi Campur TAKSU Singapore 2013 PIECE OF ME White Box, MAPKL NAH! Bali G13 Gallery, Kelana Jaya Art Expo MATRADE, Kuala Lumpur Wajah M50 Kini Morne Art Gallery, KL PLIGHT HOM Art Trans, Kuala Lumpur UP! Show TAKSU Kuala Lumpur Momentum Awal Morne Art Gallery, KL Locals Only! TAKSU Kuala Lumpur SPICE Pace Gallery, Petaling Jaya Sekaki Segaris Art Center, Kuala Lumpur 2012 Transit A4 House of MATAHATI, KL The Door House of MATAHATI, KL Green TAKSU Kuala Lumpur Rubanization Galeri Tuanku Nur Zahirah, UiTM Shah Alam 2011 Pesta Open Art Competition Balai Seni Lukis Pulau Pinang Bunga Raya Balai Seni Visual Negara, KL Open Show Galeri Shah Alam, Shah Alam Nando’s Show One Utama, KL Life & Natural Pelita Hati Gallery, KL 2010 Pra Gaya 67 Tempinis Gallery KL Mekar Citra Galeri Shah Alam Open Show Galeri Shah Alam

ACTIVITIES 2013 Performance Art Nusa Penida Bali, Indonesia 2011 Kembara ‘Life Drawing’ Pelukis Figuratif Malaysia, UiTM Lendu, Melaka Life Drawing, Arti Gallery, Kuala Lumpur 2010 Palestin Charity ‘Life Drawing’, KL AWARDS 2013 Art Residency Bali G13 Gallery Art Residency Kuala Lumpur Morne Art Gallery, KL 2012 3rd Winner Drawing, Tanjong Heritage National Level Art Competition 2011 Consolation Prize Pesta Open Art Competition Balai Seni Lukis Pulau Pinang 1st Prize Mix Media, Tanjong Heritage, National Level Art Competition 1st Prize Oil/Acrylic, Tanjong Heritage, National Level Art Competition Consolation Prize Charcoal/ Pencil/ Ink, Tanjong Heritage, National Level Art Competition Incentive Awards Open Show, Galeri Shah Alam

SAR KAS HISYAMUDDIN ABDULLAH

ISBN 978 - 981- 09- 3601- 3 PAPERBACK

978 - 981- 09- 3600 - 6 E-BOOK

There’s a lot to be said about the challenges that linger at a cusp of true adulthood and finding one’s way in his or her career, and at that, in the frantic throes of a large city. Such paths have been taken by Hisyamuddin Abdullah. An East Coast boy hailing from Terengganu, Hisyamuddin is embarking on his first solo exhibition this December and the artworks on show are products of his compelling journey to arrive at this point, and symbols of his innermost feelings. Figurative works dominate the total showing in sarkas, a title that’s been derived from the Malay words ‘Saka’ (demon) and ‘Sarkas’ (circus). Selfportraits are the presiding vocabulary in the show, and Hisyamuddin’s strokes sway between doses of realism and edgy touches that heighten the emotion in each work. In ‘Sentap’, for example, this can be seen in the contrasts between the artist’s sinewy abdomen and the coiled fabric around his face, whilst in ‘Pekik’, this combination plays out in the juxtaposition between the strong gaze of the subject’s eyes and the neon spew that shoots out from his graphic mouth.

A SOLO IS A SAR KAS

STYLING HIS OWN STYLE

The artist’s choice of mediums has afforded these sharp contrasts. Combining charcoal drawings of his own figure with added elements of paint, such as the outlines of devil horns in ‘Perompak Keamanan’, Hisyamuddin manages to inject punchy elements into his storytelling and leverage on the delights of visual contrasts. This can also be seen in ‘argghh’, where the artist’s athletic figure is restrained by a taut string that stretches horizontally across the canvas, and in ‘tak + ok’, where the two heads of his figures are conjoined by a black-andwhite striped fabric. If these elements ring some bells – the contrast between graphic-like elements and realism in his figures – it’s only because there is some precedence for Hisyamuddin’s stylistic ways. And, it’s an artistic pedigree to be reckoned with to boot, for as a student at UiTM Shah Alam, he was taught by one of the local art scene’s biggest names, Jalaini Abu Hassan, and his skills in figurative representations were sharpened under the tutelage of Amron Omar, a leading proponent in the field. Still, Hisyamuddin’s style is his own and so are the issues pertaining his work. Tension and anxiety are the gripping themes here, making the artist’s selfportraits compelling gestures that reveal his innermost fears and feelings. In almost all of the works, the artist has portrayed himself gazing challenging at the viewer, shrouded by his own hand or a piece of cloth, or bound by string. The tension, as mentioned, is obvious. What do these stresses in the visual expressions mean? And, what fears beleaguer THE ‘SARKAS’ the artist? Wider political and social issues, for one. The work ‘Manusia Setengah Hormat’, explains the artist, is about the less-than-human qualities that OF LIFE sometimes prevails in the actions of politicians, and in ‘Muntah Hijau’ (green vomit), the artist has portrayed himself with water spinach (kangkung) in his mouth – a blatant poke at a Malaysian politician’s dull-witted emphasis on the price of this vegetable over larger, more pertinent social issues.

m u n ta h h i jau / c h a rc oa l a n d ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 5 2 c m / 2 0 1 4

s u m pa h s e r a n a h / c h a rc oa l a n d ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 5 2 c m / 2 0 1 4

o p s s t. . . m a n a saya p k i r i / c h a rc oa l a n d ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 8 3 c m / 2 0 1 4

u c a pa n p l as t i k / c h a rc oa l a n d ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 8 3 c m / 2 0 1 4

b e r k e pa k / c h a rc oa l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 8 3 c m / 2 0 1 4

s e n ta p c h a rc oa l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 8 3 c m / 2 0 1 4

a k u b u k a n s u p e r m a n / c h a rc oa l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 2 2 x 2 4 4 c m / 2 0 1 4

m a n u s i a s e t e n g a h h o r m at / c h a ro c a l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 2 4 4 x 1 2 2 c m / 2 0 1 4

p e k i k / c h a rc oa l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 5 2 c m / 2 0 1 4

b e r g ay u t / c h a rc oa l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 5 2 c m / 2 0 1 4

l a n s k a p s e n i / c h a rc oa l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 8 3 c m / 2 0 1 4

p e ro m pa k k e a m a n a n / c h a rc oa l & ac ry l i c o n c a n vas / 1 5 2 x 1 8 3 c m / 2 0 1 4

Nationalistic as these themes seem, all of Hisyamuddin’s works in sarkas are actually deeply personal and the choice of using himself as the subject has not been coincidental; the artist is portraying his position within these wider themes, and exploring the stirrings of his own individual self within this world. “Before I criticize others, I want to criticize myself,” explains Hisyamuddin, adding that self-portraits allow him to do so. Prior to this, Hisyamuddin communicated differently. The body of work preceding today’s saw the juxtaposition of iconic faces – politicians and artists, specifically – that were intentionally blanked out. This was Hisyamuddin’s comment that artists were just as important as world leaders, and that they were pivotal to the shaping of a society. Today, remnants of these thoughts remain and whilst it seems that Hisyamuddin has arrived at a point where he is confident enough to make these comments as himself, it also appears that the challenges of being an artist have not be easy; familial pressure, financial strains, and professional challenges have all been topics that the artist has been grappling with. ‘Lanskap Seni’ is Hisyamuddin’s pictorial response to all of this. In the work, the artist is seen with one balloon tied to his finger with the other, attached to his mouth. The words ‘guests are more at peace here’ have been scribbled on the balloons in the artist’s native tongue, and these precarious objects – lingering innocuously across the centre of the canvas – are symbols for private galleries and the choices that a young artist must make. “A balloon does not go up when it rains,” notes the artist of the rainy background that he has painted, illustrating the difficult choices that a young artist must make: which choice will weather the storm?

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

But individualistic as this may seem, what’s also interesting about Hisyamuddin’s coming-of-age as an artist is that his journey hasn’t been in solo. Fadilah Karim, Najib Bamadhaj, Azrin Mohamad are all fellow artists who are based close to his studio, one in Ara Damansara that Hisyamuddin shares with two other artists, Shafiq Nordin and Sabihis Md Pandi Shafiq. Similar themes of introspection can be gleaned across the collective, and all their works are emblematic of their developments as artists and individuals in society. In sarkas, Hisyamuddin conveys this through a potent showing of self-portraits that dive deep into the self and that examine the surface of his surroundings, the wider Malaysian context. Self-portraits have been Hisyamuddin’s vehicle to bring these expressions to life, but ultimately, what they offer viewers is a reminder to look within one’s self before pointing a finger at others. Then, and only then, will we be able to relate better to one another.

ESSAY RACHEL JENAGARATNAM