A COLLECTIVE of visual artists will be holding a month-long exhibition celebrating environmentalism at The Ledge Art Gallery in the 1 Utama shopping complex throughout February.
Organised by the Heart2Art Exhibitors, the event titled ‘Alam: An Artistic Journey into Malaysia’s Fauna, Flora & Forests’ has kicked off today (January 30) and will be running until February 26.
Heart2Art founder, Professor Abdul Hamid Mohamed, said Alam is tipped to showcase 136 pieces from several artists who were handpicked for the occasion.
Speaking on the concept of the exhibition, Hamid indicated that the theme was selected as it was close to the hearts of many nature-loving Malaysians.
"We want to create awareness for the love of our environment, and to protect and to love our wildlife," Hamid said when contacted recently.
Despite being a self-taught painter, Hamid's inclusion in Alam is not his first exhibition at The Ledge. In October 2021, Hamid and his other art collective called Gene8 marked a return to in-person art exhibitions with a debut showcase titled ‘A Journey of Expressions’.
His exhibition then showcased some 70 paintings and other crafts from several artists, with pieces worth a combined total of RM300,000.
But, this time, Hamid noted he was working with other collaborators to form Heart2Art. He and fellow artist Siva Nair created it to bring together the works of “amateur” and “upcoming” artists.
“Basically, we love art and it (the exhibition) comes from our hearts,” Hamid said.
Hamid added that he will be showcasing a total of nine pieces, and his abstracts are drawn from his theme ‘Hasil Bumi’ (Natural Resources), with the art pieces named ‘Emas’, ‘Tembaga’, ‘Timah’, ‘Rumpai’ and ‘Rumpai-rumpai’.
With TDM Berhad and Master Manufacturers Sdn Bhd as the exhibition’s main sponsors, Hamid said he hoped to contribute some proceeds from sold art pieces to the Malaysian Nature Society.
Colourful mix
Massalwar Jaffar, an artist who will be taking part in the upcoming exhibition, said revellers of Alam can expect to see her pieces that depicted wild birds and other wildlife.
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“Seeing the beauty of nature and being close to it gives tranquility, which is relaxing and peaceful to my mind, body, and soul,” said the artist who is also known as Maba.
Massalwar, who previously worked in the information technology industry, said her recently-made paintings will be on sale at the exhibition with a price range of RM6,000 to RM29,800 per painting.
Shazlin Jalil, a 45-year-old artist who is also a freelance content writer, said she will be showcasing a series called ‘Painted Garden’.
“The series consists of a colourful mix of tropical plants. Some very common and some quite exotic," Shazlin said.
"As a non-gardener, I can still or immerse myself in the beauty of our tropical plants and flowers without doing any planting.”
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Shazlin added that she was inspired by the time her late father taught her about various tropical flowers and plants during his work trips to palm oil plantations and fruit orchards.
Her set of eight paintings at the exhibition are all new, and range from RM900 to RM2,500 each.
Another participant, Kong Yink Heay, 39, said the exhibition was a way for her to display her hobby while working full-time at a market research company.
“I have been interested in art since I was young because my parents were art teachers,” she said.
“However, I only started pursuing oil painting when I started working. I was inspired to paint when I saw a Van Gogh painting and I looked for tutorials on YouTube.”
Kong, who is originally from Johor, said that her paintings will be available for purchase in a range of RM900 to RM1,500.
Siva Nair, 74, who is also the co-organiser of the exhibition, said he is a self-taught artist who painted as a hobby, but ceased doing so after joining an advertising agency in the 1970s.
“I only started painting again three years ago just before the MCO (movement control order), and after being inspired by one of my artist friends, who was holding an exhibition,” Nair said.
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“The MCO gave me the full opportunity to develop my skills and sharpen my craft.”
The former creative director, who makes art full-time in his studio, said that he was inspired by the lush greenery that surrounded him when he was growing up in Gopeng, Perak.
“I love nature and it really riles me to see how our rich natural heritage is sacrificed in the name of development,” Nair said.
“One of the reasons we are organising this event is to create awareness amongst the people about the rich natural heritage of our country and to encourage the younger generation to preserve this wonderful gift of nature our country is bestowed with.” – The Vibes, January 30, 2023
Additional reporting by Nimrita Joanne
