KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 ― Art can help a person express different kinds of emotions.

For some it allows them to showcase culture and heritage.

Here are a few artists who are taking part in the Merdeka Art Exhibition with their stories and messages behind their artworks.

Local artist, Massalwa Jaffar artworks were heavily influenced by nature and wildlife.
Local artist, Massalwa Jaffar artworks were heavily influenced by nature and wildlife.

Massalwa Jaffa

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For 58-year-old artist, Massalwa Jaffar or also known as Maba Jaffar, after quitting her day job in 2004, she had found serenity in painting Malaysia’s landscapes and wildlife.

Massalwa who has a deep love for Malaysia’s nature reserves often depicts them in her artworks and for her, it is a way of sharing its beauty and significance.

For this year's exhibition, Massalwa has decided to feature one of her artworks titled ‘Contemplate with Me 02’, a depiction of the Kenong Rimba Park River in Pahang and the importance of appreciating the local rainforest.

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“I am deeply touched by a few pockets of forest still left around the country.”

“I am always inspired to treasure them on canvas as detailed as my brushes can allow, before they are sadly ruined by the hands of men.”

“Hence, here is ‘Contemplate with Me 02’, a narrow snapshot of the Kenong Rimba Park in Pahang,” she said adding that the painting never fails to give her a piece of mind after a stressful day.

Local artist, Professor Abdul Hamid Mohamed and his abstract painting of a virgin forest called 'Preserve'.
Local artist, Professor Abdul Hamid Mohamed and his abstract painting of a virgin forest called 'Preserve'.

Professor Abdul Hamid Mohamed

Carrying almost the same message as Massalwa is 72-year-old artist, Professor Abdul Hamid Mohamed with his abstract painting titled ‘Preserve’.

Hamid is a part time lecturer at the International Business School in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and started to take painting seriously in the last couple of months because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Just like Massalwa, Hamid’s works are motivated by nature and it is important to him that the local rainforest should be preserved.

Having three of his artworks to be exhibited at the Merdeka Art Exhibition, Hamid has chosen Preserve, an abstract painting of a forest as his feature painting.

Preserve is a virgin forest that is very thick, you can’t walk through it.”

“To me, this is my forest that needs to be preserved, it has a lot of colours, a lot of vibrancies and it has a lot of life in it, so we must not destroy it,” Hamid said.

Hamid also sees art as a way of conserving the Malaysia heritage.

Part time Artist, Hsiao Pei Quek with some of her artworks that will be exhibited at the Merdeka Art Exhibition.
Part time Artist, Hsiao Pei Quek with some of her artworks that will be exhibited at the Merdeka Art Exhibition.

Hsiao Pei Quek

For 36-year-old chemist and part time artist, Hsiao Pei Quek, she had initially decided to focus more on her science career as she felt that art couldn’t provide her with a stable life.

As stress from her workplace piled up, she decided to start painting as a stress-reliever and has been actively producing paintings and artworks since then.

She has been a part time artist for five years.

Among all of her works that are being exhibited, Quek has chosen to feature her Paddy Field painting which is from her memories of growing up in Melaka.

When she was younger, Quek lived in a terrace housing area and she admitted that she would occasionally cycle to the nearby village from her house where the paddy field was located.

“These childhood memories are something that I will always remember, the free and harmonious feeling, the feeling that it brings back to me when I look at this painting.”

“Where I can roam around freely and even though I’m Chinese, I do enjoy this kind of views, going around the ‘Kampung’ (village) areas, the paddy field which brings a lot of memories,” she said.

(From left) The '50 Shades of Sarawak Rainforest' painter Lalitha Pillay, middle the artist for 'The Common Thread' painting, Priya Yogi and right, the artist for 'The Tranquil Wau', Anussha.
(From left) The '50 Shades of Sarawak Rainforest' painter Lalitha Pillay, middle the artist for 'The Common Thread' painting, Priya Yogi and right, the artist for 'The Tranquil Wau', Anussha.

 Lalitha Pillay

She has chosen to feature her depiction of East Malaysia through her painting titled 50 Shades of Sarawak Rainforest.

The vivid painting shows Lalitha’s depiction of the Sarawak rainforest which is the home to one of the world’s richest and diverse ecosystems aside from highlighting the world famous “Rafflesia” flower and the Sarawak state bird, the rhinoceros hornbill.

 “It shows the serenity, the diversity and the tranquil atmosphere here and as for the hornbills, they’re having the time of their life and I relate that to how we are here, living peacefully in Malaysia,” she said.

Previously, Lalitha has had some of her artworks exhibited at a few exhibitions and the most recent is at The Catalyst event held at MerekaSpace in Publika.

'The Children of Malaysia' by Priya Logi at the Merdeka Art Exhibition at the Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur.
'The Children of Malaysia' by Priya Logi at the Merdeka Art Exhibition at the Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

Priya Yogi

The founder of Play and Paint Art Studio in Klang has chosen to put the spotlight on the culture of Malaysia by exhibiting her artworks called The Common Thread and The Children of Malaysia.

Both of her artworks presented similar values which is the rich multiracial culture of Malaysia with The Common Thread depicting the local traditional women attires and Children of Malaysia depicting the three main Malaysian communities.

“In The Common Thread, I want to show how rich our culture is in terms of our cultural attires.”

“As for my painting with the three children, I want to highlight the three main communities in Malaysia which is the Malay, Chinese and Indian which shows our culture, colours and ethnicity,” she said adding that she wanted to uplift the children because they are the future of Malaysia.

Anussha

Taking on another approach on the culture of Malaysia is 22-year-old, Anussha who started her journey in arts through henna drawings.

She was further exposed to her true potential by her Form Six art teacher, Anand.

For the Merdeka Art Exhibition, she has decided to feature her artwork called The Tranquil Wau which is a painting of the traditional Wau Bulan with a fusion of Mandala arts as the background.

According to Anussha, the reason she chose Wau Bulan as her main motive was to highlight the traditional game that has been part of the Malaysian culture.

“‘Wau Bulan’ is our traditional game originated from Kelantan and I’ve fused it with Mandala which usually are used in henna drawings.”

“We’re now living in the digital era and there are not many people who play traditional games anymore and I made this artwork as a reminder of our traditional games that were usually played in the Kampung area,” she said.

The Merdeka Art Exhibition by Art Market Malaysia Gallery is happening from August 15 until September 20 at the Quill City Mall and there will be another one taking place at Shoppes at Four Seasons Place in Kuala Lumpur from August 21 until August 31.

The exhibition will feature over 100 Merdeka-themed artworks by 35 local artists.