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READING JAMAL:
indulging in beautiful complexities By Zanita Anuar

This contemplation surely vibrates from the renewed enthusiasm in this generation's current space and time towards a more heightened realisation of how markings define us as processes determine us. Process trails or markings for some maybe temporal indulgences, they are sometimes dismissed and claimed as vestigial to attaining the One creation that the artist takes pride in, the masterpiece. Thus one should not be distracted by the 'err', or the artist gone astray, if one is really interested in the perfection of the art, the final creation of the artist. Drawings engage one to peruse art in search of the artist's most essential trace. Hence to neglect drawings is not so much an art historical oversight as it is a matter of the beholder's personal choice. TK Sabapathy, our beloved art historian, reminds us:
In part of the neglect of drawing (and for that matter, other aspects of the visual arts) arises from preferred or prejudicial approaches to evaluating art in which instances painting is installed in a position of dominance. In discussions devoted to art, the language used for discussing and

features other than the painterly are co-opted in to the domain of painting, thereby compromising even devaluing the distinctiveness and operation; or they are suppressed, bypassed and ignored so as to safeguard the constitution of a picture as homogenous, painterly construct.(1)

illustrating the trials and tribulation of his own family which he entitled Keluarga Dak Don. Energetic and brimming with ideas, he kept himself preoccupied with full length illustrated stories, comic strips announcing the silly intricacies of family life. He often created stories and illustrated them for his family members who saw him as the family artist, a role he relished as his idol was the cartoonist Mohamad Noor Khalid or Lat. The adoration and love showed towards his raw pictorial prowess pushed him further to excel. At the time he had practically no idea that he was about to embark upon a journey which was to transform and mould him through his aesthetic percept.

This exhibition of Hasnul Jamal Saidon's drawings dating as far back as the 1970s to 2008 entitled In Between the Lines, appears to mock the art historian and curator to place this artist 'in line' by ascertaining him through possible rhetoric, his lineage, claiming him as the progenitor of new media, expounding on how he is Malaysia's new art history artist, etc. Instead, what surfaced was the realisation that any attempt to synthesize a dominant aesthetic sensibility from such heterogeneity would be ill-serving and merely pass curatorial thinking. I am not alone here as Hasnul Jamal Saidon is co-curating this as he is the artist here which makes this contemplation challenging. He is 're-creating Jamal' (drawing + writing) as I am merely reading. The Adoration From age fifteen, and before any formal training, Hasnul Jamal Saidon (HJS) whose name in Arabic translates to 'the good and beautiful' bathed in the simple joy of cartooning, whilst his immediate audience (the family) and friends adored him. HJS enjoyed

The preoccupations with human character, and what roles the character held via their word bubbles began to assume differing shapes and positions. Exclamations began to re-assert itself as if the cartoons were animated characters and may be assuming screen roles, as the audience were watching television. Television is clearly the ubiquitous and influential mass media which had affected the artist during his formative years. One particular drawing to be found is a self-portrait of himself smiling with visible zeal, looking out at an audience as though he was the TV host as he exclaims Thanks for watching. This work is signed off as Al-Jamal in 1985.
1. Hashim, Rusli. Reflections on Yusof Ghani's drawings in Yusof Ghani : Drawings with an Introduction by TK Sabapathy, Kuala Lumpur, 1997.

Selected sketch from

analysing is without exception, disposed towards painting, whether this be aimed at cultivating conceptual and formal ideologies or hunting for the wellspring of creativity embedded in the subjective realms of the artist. In such discussion, elements or

1985 Studies & Sketches Pencil, pen, colour pencil, marker on papers
HJS-SKB-1989-002

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As he matures in his new found role as an illustrator, he became more astute in recognising the different complexity of attaining the picture perfect or the beautiful' in art. The function of drawing for him at the time is essential to understanding Man and Nature. In the late 80s, the attempts to engage in the problematic of aesthetics and art practice had become the staple during his pupilage at the Faculty of Art and Design of MARA Institute of Technology or ITM from 19841989. Drawings became a trained and integral method to aspire towards a particular end in picture making. Lines were taught to serve as the setting out of first intentions, first thoughts, reminders or registration of ideas to be embarked upon, either through the bidding of the course tutor or by his own initiative. The ITM Art School fostered a persona of the Malay artist which cultivated firstly an overarching sense of Malay Romanticism. Romanticism became a significant force in maintaining the upsurge of nationalism and Malay pride among the artists. Scenes, personas and objects from Malay myths, legends and folklores, took centre stage in his drawings. Inadvertently, ITM prepared him to become a profound visual linguist of the Malay identity.

How not to succumb to the wisdom of Ahmad Khalid, Ruzaika Omar Basaree, Joseph Tan, Tan Tuck Kan, Choong Kam Kow, Ponirin Amin, Ariffin Ismail, Zakaria Awang, Fauzan Omar, Amron Omar, Awang Damit and how to negotiate this with understanding the guru of semiotics a.k.a Pak Mail? For it was Ismail Zain who, when coaxing artists to look beyond the traditional concepts of historicism states:
I think if you skip the closed system of the myth of progress and desperately want to extricate yourself from the rarefied air of the so-called modernism, you are left with a situation which can only be described as spatial. It is a space that does not locate you in a particular timeframe.
(2)

The strains of interpreting what is natural as compared to what alludes to the real brought upon the 1987/1989 group of drawings entitled the Microscape series. By picturing the cell being the progenitor of Man and Nature, he revelled in the sketches and drawings of embryonic forms which had many fooled into thinking that he was venturing into the abstract expressionist or symbolist field. The drawings were reproduced 'naturalistically' from science books and had been practices in 'expanded realism' which were planned. He recalled the etching plate where handwritten side notes indicate tonguein-cheek references to Rembrandt, Durer and Pollock. It was an attempt of coming to terms with parallels of visual knowledge via science or specifically biology. These lines maybe the earliest prelude to the artist acknowledging

portrait depictions of his ASEAN friends, and the intriguing pull of the embryonic forms surfacing into paper-based renderings of the beautiful bewilderment faced by the Malay hero in a foreign land. Every uncertainty observed in the cross hatching or the jumping lines of the contours cajoles the viewer to analyse the line of beauty this artist has taken. The eyes search out for the artist's pentimenti, for some redrawing, the signs of struggle in form creation amidst the perfected tone and planes framed by confident contours. This acts as a kind of pedigree for the drawing and some viewers enjoy believing that a drawing is an authentic work by searching out irregularities and pentimenti. Part of the viewer's excitement when approaching the early 90s drawings, is to be witness of his quirks, his contradicting lines, seeing the moment when Jamal dares to analyse the call of beauty so as to find himself.

Without these gurus, he may have less capacity to search elaborately, deeply and critically about what he knows and knows not again.

science and later, technology, as he was destined to advance the state of electronic art for the country. By the final year, the young artist

Having mastered naturalism, realism and symbolism, he was then tasked with stretching the rhetoric of fine art beyond mainstream aesthetic appeal. It was all good and nice that he was skilled in the drawing of likeness in friends (see Friends from ASEAN Countries series, Page 69) and objects, but would that reduce him to being a mere replicator. Or would he rather be the progenitor?
2. Ismail Zain. Ismail Zain Retrospective Exhibition 19641991, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1995. pg 66

pages were brimming with a cacophony of studies, contemplations and images which would become the imprint to his renewed sense of identity. As stacks of drawings are being figured and as this exhibition became more expansive, the emotional range of the drawings approaching the 1990s began to overwhelm the viewer. From the monochrome linearity of family and AD ITM 85 heroics to the sedated

Picturing differing pole positions during his cross-cultural encounter in the United States of America, in the xerograph pieces entitled Kandang Kambing, Kandang Rimau, Jamal can be seen to initiate his method of including a 'portrait' of himself via handprint, further embedding himself and claiming his stance in coming to terms with the chasm between cultures. Hence the complex drawings like The Return of a Native, which he produced by utilising pencil, marker and

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liquid paper on board, in the early 90s is evidence to attaining a plateau where the artist was producing processual studies and story-board type inquiries towards the production of expansive performance type video art installations. Jamal had reached a level where he revels in surface defragmentation, transcends planar constraints and had become conversant now in reciting his visual interest beyond typical stylistic engagements. His markings became more discriminating and had to assume an ever probing role in his analysis of reaching truth and beauty. Painter, satirist and writer, William Hogarth expounded his own theories in The Analysis of Beauty (1753), combining practical advice on painting with criticism of the art connoisseur. He expressed his belief in the beauty of a composed intricacy of form, and advocated variety, regularity, simplicity, intricacy, quantity and greatness. Interestingly all six elements lead us to understanding Jamal. Hogarth believes most and presses upon 'intricacy'; this to be the habit which leads us to participate in the whirling game of pursuit, when bit by bit discovering the beauty of an object. Intricacy arises from the love of this pursuit. Every difficulty in understanding or grasping the object enhances the pleasure of overcoming it, in order to continue the pursuit.

That intricacy and simplicity exist profoundly in understanding the Creation of Man, really triggered Jamal to re-think his role as the artist and father. For in 1992 when his first born, Adeela was placed in his arms for him to recite the adzan (call for prayer) upon, Jamal knew he himself had been reborn.

moderation. His achievement as a thinker was to have reconciled the mystical nature of the Sufi calling with the sober demands of Islamic law. His concept of Sufism was that of a holy war or jihad waged against one's own will in order to conquer egotism and worldliness and to submit to God's will. The markings that matter most in

solo exhibition at the Creative Centre of The National Art Gallery, at the end of that same year, Jamal with fellow artist-colleague Niranjan Rajah pioneered the 1
st

Electronic

Art exposition in Malaysia, also at the National Art Gallery. Much has been written on this phase of Jamal's influence by Roopesh Sitharan.

To Proclaim Troy Samaritan Hospital labor ward attendees may have been witness to Jamal's significant crossing into a passage where he was intellectually unversed, yet destined to serve. The new born signified the very change, renewal and passing of being for Jamal himself being in constant flux. The entire corporeal world constantly renews itself. The matter of corporeal things has the power to become a new form at any moment by Allah's grace. And that realization of evanescence, coupled with his wonder in servitude, fuelled his intrigue in the burning Muslimfather/leader mission which pushed him to seek the wisdom of Siddhartha, Lao Tze, Nakula, Osman Bakar, Al-Ghazali, Qadir al-Jilani and Al-Arabi. Jamal refers most to the Hanbali theologian Abdul al-Qadir alJilani (10781166) from Baghdad.
(3)

Jamal's oeuvre can be found in the five sets of works entitled Proclaim, executed in 1994, which include markings, the written words in letters from his father. writings of his father are mediated reflections of his teachings and generated from the teachings of the Quran. Hence, to 'proclaim' or 'read aloud' is translated to Arabic as Iqra, and is one word that is associated with the first direct revelation to the prophet Muhammad. For Jamal, the circumstances, material, physical and spiritual in which he has been ordained to perform, as a visual artist, are circumstances within which he must deliver his artistic ideology, anchored upon the notion of a divine dynamic internalised. Proclamations abound further in a number of expositions foregrounding new media art positions and strategies. Analytical drawings and critical writings emerged to present new modes of art production and Jamal became extremely influential in proclaiming himself and the decree came to assume great forms. In 1997, not only did he declare The

The relationship of man and nature for Jamal is a point of continuous contention. The contention began to grow in poignancy as he professed his new knowledge of what was claimed as electronic art/new media art and created fresh discourses on contexts and creation. Gradually, through rejection and contention, new opportunities abound and ideas were to be forged, negotiated and sustained. By the year 2000, his assertions of his edict through his constructed metaphors were further heightened by more explorative use of multimedia technology. The topics of de-centering power relations, chasms between the equipped and the ill-equipped in the era of, what he terms as 'gobble'isation, kept his audiences bemused. Among the bemused witness was Dr. Mahathir Mohamad who had on the occasion of opening the Rupa exhibition at the National Art Gallery, had a full length explanation by Jamal of his installation Kdek,kdek Ong!, which has since become a National collection. Jamal is egotistic as much as he is altruistic. He appears to be antagonistic in thrusting himself upon others whilst he

Al-Jilani stresses

on philanthropy, humility, piety and


3. Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (2008) in Encyclopedia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

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himself in HYPErview, the much-referenced

performs a whole spectrum of self-critique, also playing the protagonist in parody of Man to advance schemes which re-question sociopolitical agendas. Hence Jamal provided the searching gaze, manifested in visually recorded inquiries (his artist books), his Prasembah 2000: Sebuah Antalogi La! poems, in parables often satirizing, probing into the complicit relation between art and its production, reception, evaluation and final destination. It is, rather, his innate desire to become more perfect, which directs this ceaseless self-renewal, self-origination, or self-emergence into a perpetual and irreversible flow upward in the scale of being. This upward movement towards the Truth is the Ibn al-Arabi in him. The Essence -UNSUR Ibn al-Arabi attempted to explain how Intelligence proceeds from the absolute One by inserting between them a primordial feminine principle, which is all things in potentiality but which also possesses the capacity, readiness and desire to manifest or generate them first as archetypes in Intelligence and then as actually existing things in the universe below. Ibn al-Arabi gave this principle numerous names, including prime matter or unsur and characterised it as the principle whose existence makes manifest the essences of the potential worlds.

The feminine principle in Jamal's upward journey is best appreciated in the portraiture of women, his wife and ultimately of his mother. The drawings of Bonda harken the viewer to recall the series of Rembrandt 1630s drawings and studies of his own mother and of his wife asleep that provided a vocabulary for works recording reclining and/or ailing women. These studies of the mother show Jamals portrayal of her character and inner strength via meticulous yet simple lines. He introduced shadows sparsely, imbued to add to the atmospheric mood of picturing the personal. More interested in the psychological aspects of portraiture, Jamal indulged in drawing with charcoal, the primordial medium that can readily follow every artistic impulse. The seizing of characteristic elements and an adequate plane rendition provides for less realistic detail. Mood elements, intellectual tension and personal engagement are typical features of these series of portrait drawings where the economy of lines delineates the pregnant space within which the forms emerge. Jamal has a striking capacity to replicate images and transform them into new traces. His reinscription of the national artist, Hoessein Enas's famous drawing Aida, may seem simple yet challenges us to recognise that our eye receives information processed by two artists assimilated in one form flooding our retina to become a signal re-encoded.

How many times have we laid eyes on a woman, but never really see her? This exhibition is indeed a comprehensive view of Jamal's journey of searching out the beautiful complexities in being an artist. It begins with the youthful exuberance derived within an imagined space to experiencing interdisciplinary thrusts in works produced in the intense journey transcending cultural, psychological and meta-physical spaces. Somewhere, they retain their character as documents, observations and historical artifacts. They were once fragmented, only to be assembled again thus making their current position in relation to one another, truly overwhelming. Here are documents of Jamal's propitious posturing, his description of new and conflicting temporalities, where in the last drawings he sheds the recurring double edged wit, ultimately in the consideration of his essence. It seems, therefore that it is exactly these drawings that locate Jamal. Perhaps for Jamal to continue the next phase of his journey (as this exhibition is presented on the eve of the Islamic new year) he must dislocate, de-construct, he must not hold sacred his ego himself depicted in these twenty-nine years of drawings. For he is but one dot in between the lines of the beautiful complexity of Allah's plan.

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MEMBACA JAMAL :
Menekuni kompleksiti yang indah

Sebahagaian dari pengabaian lukisan (dan juga lain-lain aspek dalam seni visual) timbul dari pilihan dan pendekatan menilai seni yang prejudis dalam mana catan dipersembahkan secara lebih

menyatukan daya estetik yang dominan dalam rencah kerencaman tidak akan berjaya dan hanya menampilkan pemikiran kuratorial yang sudah basi. Saya tidak keseorangan di sini, kerana Hasnul Jamal Saidon juga turut menjadi kurator-bersama, justeru menjadikan penulisan ini lebih mencabar. Beliau sedang 'menciptasemula Jamal' (menerusi lukisan dan penulisan) sementara saya pula sekadar membacanya. Kekaguman & Penghormatan Ketika berusia lima belas tahun, dan sebelum menerima sebarang pendidikan formal, Hasnul Jamal Saidon (HJS), yang namanya bermaksud 'yang baik dan cantik', tenggelam dalam keseronokan melukis kartun, membuatkan keluarga dan rakan-rakan mengagumi beliau. HJS terus menikmati kerja-kerja melukiskan pelbagai cabaran dan rintangan hidup yang didepani keluarga sendiri dalam Keluarga Dak Don. Bertenaga dan penuh dengan ide, beliau mengisi masa dengan cerita-cerita berilustrasi dan komik untuk merakamkan saat-saat lucu dalam kehidupan keluarga. Beliau sering mencipta cerita dan menggambarkannya untuk ahli-ahli keluarga, yang melihat beliau sebagai pelukis komik keluarga. Beliau agak cemerlang dalam hal ini dan membayangkan diri beliau sebagai Mohamad Noor Khalid atau Lat, ikon yang beliau kagumi. Kekaguman dan kasihsayang ahli-ahli keluarga dan rakan-rakan terhadap kebolehan Hasnul dalam melukis telah menggalakkan beliau untuk pergi lebih jauh. Pada waktu itu, beliau sendiri tidak terfikir pun bahawa beliau akan memulakan suatu

penjalanan yang akan menukar dan membentuk cerapan estetik beliau. Minat terhadap karektor manusia, dan peranan yang dimainkan menerusi belon dialog, mula terbentuk dalam pelbagai rupa dan posisi, dengan beberapa ekspresi diberikan penekanan agar kartun yang dipapar kelihatan hidup dan memainkan watak skrin, manakala penonton pula persis menontonnya di televisyen. Televisyen jelas sekali menjadi media massa yang berpengaruh serta berada di mana-mana, justeru meninggalkan kesan kepada beliau ketika zaman pertumbuhan awalnya. Satu lukisan yang boleh dikesan ialah potret diri yang tersenyum dengan penuh tenaga, melihat ke arah penonton seakan seorang pengacara tv sambil berkata Terima kasih kerana menonton. Lukisan ini ditanda-tangani dengan nama Al-Jamal pada tahun 1985. (lihat mukasurat 04) Setelah beliau menjadi lebih matang dalam mendepani peranan baru sebagai seorang ilustrator, beliau menjadi lebih cekap dalam mengenali pelbagai kompleksiti yang berbeza dalam mendapatkan gambaran yang sempurna atau 'keindahan' dalam seni. Fungsi lukisan pada beliau ketika itu adalah amat penting untuk memahami manusia dan alam semulajadi. Pada lewat 80an, percubaan untuk mendepani permasalahan estetik dan amalan kesenian menjadi tumpuan ketika beliau menuntut di Fakulti Senilukis dan Senireka di Institut Teknologi MARA atau ITM dari 19841988. Lukisan menjadi kaedah yang diajar dan

Oleh Zanita Anuar Penulisan ini tentunya digetarkan oleh semangat baru dan kesedaran tinggi dari ruangmasa generasi kini tentang bagaimana tandatanda visual mentakrifkan kita sepertimana juga proses-proses menentukan kita. Bagi segelintir dari kita, jejak-jejak proses dan tanda-tanda visual mungkin dianggap sebagai keasyikan yang sementara, kadangkala ditolak dan dianggap sebagai vestigial dalam mencapai Satu ciptaan yang dibanggai oleh seseorang karyawan, yakni karyanya yang agung. Oleh itu, kita tidak sewajarnya terganggu oleh 'kesilapan' atau hal karyawan hilang punca, jika kita benar-benar berminat dalam kesempurnaan seni atau ciptaan akhir sang pengkarya. Lukisan membuatkan seseorang mentelaah seni dalam usaha untuk mencari jejak utama sang pengkarya. Oleh yang demikian, untuk menidakkan lukisan bukanlah merupakan satu kelalaian dalam pensejarahan seni, tetapi lebih merupakan pilihan peribadi seseorang pemerhati. TK Sabapathy, ahli sejarah seni yang disayangi, mengingatkan kita:

menonjol. Dalam perbincangan khusus tentang seni, bahasa yang digunakan untuk membincangkan dan menganalisa, tanpa sebarang pengecualian, lebih terarah kepada catan, sama ada ianya bertujuan untuk membentuk ideologi formal dan konseptual atau untuk memburu hasil kreativiti yang tertanam dalam jiwa pengkarya. Dalam perbincangan sebegini, unsur-unsur atau ciri-ciri selain dari kecatanan telah diterap dalam ruang-lingkup catan, justeru mempertaruhkan, malah merendahkan keunikan tersendiri lukisan dan operasinya; atau menindasnya, memintas dan mengabaikannya dalam usaha untuk mempertahankan keutuhan sesebuah gambaran sebagai sesuatu konstruk atau binaan catan yang homogen.(1)

Seiring dengan ini, pameran lukisan Hasnul Jamal Saidon pasca 1970 hingga 2008 berjudul Antara Garisan, kelihatan seakan mempersenda usaha para ahli sejarah seni dan kurator untuk meletakkan Hasnul 'dalam garisan sejajar' menerusi beberapa retorik, juga susur aliran beliau, menyatakan bahawa beliau adalah pencetus amalan media baru, sambil melaungkan bahawa beliau adalah pengkarya sejarah seni yang baru untuk Malaysia dan sebagainya. Sebaliknya, apa yang timbul adalah kesedaran bahawa sebarang percubaan untuk

1. Hashim, Rusli. Reflections on Yusof Ghani's drawings dalam Yusof Ghani : Drawings Pengenalan oleh TK Sabapathy, Kuala Lumpur, 1997.

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penting dalam usaha untuk mencapai hasil penghasilan seni tertentu. Garisan diajar sebagai sesuatu yang berfungsi sebagai punca niat dan fikir, peringatan atau penandaan ideide yang bakal ditekuni, sama ada menerusi perundingan dengan pensyarah atau diri sendiri. Sekolah seni di ITM membentuk persona seorang pelukis Melayu yang seterusnya menanam daya Romantika Melayu yang menggunung. Romantika menjadi suatu tenaga penting untuk mengekalkan peningkatan nasionalisma dan kebanggaan Melayu dikalangan para pengkarya. Adegan, persona dan objek dari mitos, lagenda dan cerita-cerita rakyat Melayu mula menjadi tumpuan dalam lukisan-lukisan beliau. ITM mempersiapkan beliau untuk menjadi seorang perunding bahasa visual yang cekap untuk identiti Melayu. Bagaimana untuk tidak terpengaruh kepada kepakaran Ahmad Khalid, Ruzaika Omar Basaree, Joseph Tan, Tan Tuck Kan, Choong Kam Kow, Ponirin Amin, Ariffin Ismail, Zakaria Awang, Fauzan Omar, Amron Omar, Awang Damit dan bagaimana hendak mengimbanginya dengan usaha memahami guru semiotik a.k.a Pak Mail? Kerana Ismail Zain, dalam usaha untuk menyakinkan para pengkarya untuk menjangkau persepsi mereka melepasi batasan konsep-konsep pensejarahan yang tradisional, ada menyatakan:
Saya fikir, sekiranya kita meninggalkan

ketepuan modenisma, kita akan sampai pada satu situasi yang hanya boleh digambarkan sebagai keruangan. Ia adalah ruang yang tidak meletakkan kita dalam sesuatu bingkai ruang-masa yang tertentu.
(2)

Lukisan-lukisan ini disalin-semula secara natural dari buku-buku sains dan merupakan amalan 'realisma lanjutan' yang sebenarnya terancang, seperti yang beliau maklumi, untuk dijadikan plat gurisan (notasi tulisan tangan mencadangkan secara selamba, rujukan terhadap Rembrandt, Durer dan Pollock). Ia merupakan percubaan untuk berdepan dengan beberapa keselarian bahasa visual menerusi sains, khususnya biologi. Garisan-garisan ini mungkin merupakan prelud awal beliau dalam memperakui peranan sains, seterusnya teknologi, kerana beliau kemudiannya ditakdirkan untuk memajukan seni elektronik untuk Negara ini. Ketika di tahun akhir, mukasuratmukasurat pengkarya muda ini dipenuhi oleh timbunan kajian, renungan dan imejan yang kemudiannya menjadi penanda kepada identiti baru beliau. Sementara timbunan lukisan mula dipaparkan dan pameran ini menjadi lebih melebar, lapangan emosi yang terbit dari lukisan-lukisan yang terhasil ketika menghampiri 1990an mula melemaskan kita sebagai pemerhati. Dari kesejajaran monokromatik lukisan keluarga dan kenakalan AD ITM 85 hingga ke gambaran potret rakan-rakan ASEAN yang terkawal, dan tarikan yang penuh persoalan pada bentuk-bentuk embrio hinggalah timbulnya pula paparan kekeliruan yang dihadapi oleh seorang hero Melayu di negara asing.

Setiap ketidakpastian yang dapat dilihat menerusi garisan-garisan yang saling bertingkah dan garisan kontour yang melompatlompat seakan memujuk pemerhati untuk menekuni garis-garis keindahan yang telah dilalui pengkarya ini. Mata kita mula mencari kesilapan pengkarya, yang terdapat pada beberapa lukisan yang telah dilukis-semula, untuk menunjukkan tanda-tanda pergelutan dalam menghasilkan bentuk, pergelutan yang tersembunyi dalam tona-tona dan satah-satah sempurna yang dibingkai oleh garis kontour yang yakin. Ia berfungsi sebagai benih untuk lukisan dan segelintir pemerhati suka untuk mempercayai bahawa lukisan adalah kerja-kerja asli apabila dapat mencari ketidak-seragaman dan kesilapan-kesilapan dalam lukisan. Sebahagian dari nikmat pemerhati apabila menyaksikan lukisan-lukisan pada tahun-tahun 90an adalah garisan-garisan Jamal yang pelik dan bertingkah, atau melihat saat-saat apabila beliau mencabar diri untuk menganalisa maksud keindahan atau kecantikan dalam usaha untuk menemui dirinya. Menggambarkan sauh kedudukan yang berbeza ketika berdepan dengan suasana rentas budaya di Amerika Syarikat, dapat dilihat bahawa Jamal mula memasukkan potret dirinya sendiri menerusi cetakan tangan dalam karya Kandang Kambing, Kandang Rimau (Goats Cage, Tigers Cage). Ini mengizinkan beliau meletakkan diri dalam persoalan karya dan memacakkan pegangan beliau dalam mengharungi cabaran perbezaan antara budaya. Ia juga melahirkan lukisan-lukisan yang kompleks

Tanpa guru-guru ini, Hasnul mungkin tidak memiliki kemampuan untuk mencari dengan rinci, mendalam dan kritikal dalam usaha untuk memahami apa yang diketahui dan apa yang tidak diketahuinya. Setelah mencapai kemahiran dalam menguasai naturalisma, realisma dan simbolisma, beliau kemudiannya memulakan usaha untuk melebarkan retorika seni halus yang melepasi tarikan estetik semata-mata. Memanglah bagus dan baik untuk memiliki kemahiran dalam melukis dengan tepat wajah rakan-rakan (lihat siri Friends from ASEAN Countries, mukasurat 69) dan objek, namun mungkin jugakah ini hanya akan menjadikan beliau sekadar penyalin sahaja. Atau mungkinkah beliau mahu menjadi pencetus? Cabaran dalam mentafsirkan apa yang natural dibandingkan dengan apa yang nyata telah membawa kepada lukisan-lukisan sekitar 1987/1989 berjudul siri Microscape. Dengan menggambarkan sel-sel sebagai pencetus Manusia dan Alam, beliau tenggelam dalam lakaranlakaran dan lukisan-lukisan bentuk embrio yang membuatkan ramai tertipu kerana menyangkakan bahawa beliau telah beralih ke aliran ekpresionisma abstrak dan lapangan simbolisma.
2. Ismail Zain. Ismail Zain Retrospective Exhibition 19641991, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1995. ms 66

sistem tertutup yang terdapat pada mitos pembangunan dan berkeinginan tinggi untuk membebaskan diri dari

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seperti The Return of A Native yang dihasilkan dengan penggunaan pensil, pen penanda, liquid paper di atas bod pada awal 90an. Lukisan-lukisan ini menjadi bukti kepada usaha mencapai tahap yang lebih tinggi. Beliau menghasilkan kajian-kajian proses dan renungan berasaskan papan-cerita dalam menerbitkan karya-karya seni pemasangan dan persembahan video. Jamal telah mencapai tahap dimana beliau menjadi cekap dalam memecahkan permukaan lukisan dan membebaskan diri dari kekangan satah-satah lukisan. Beliau kini menjadi petah dalam menuturkan kecenderungan visual melangkaui penggunaan stail-stail yang sudah terlalu lazim. Kaedah penandaan beliau menjadi lebih rinci dan mula mengambil peranan sebagai penyiasat yang tekun dalam menganalisis usaha ke arah kebenaran dan keindahan. Pelukis, ahli satira dan penulis, William Hogarth memperjuangkan teori beliau sendiri dalam The Analysis of Beauty (1753), dengan menggabungkan nasihat yang berguna tentang catan menerusi kritikan tentang amalan mengumpul dan menjual seni. Beliau meluahkan kepercayaan beliau terhadap keindahan bentuk rumit yang telah digubah, dan mengalakkan kepelbagaian, penerusan, ringkas, perincian, kuantiti dan kehebatan. Kesemua enam elemen ini boleh membantu kita memahami Jamal. Hogart percaya pada kesemua elemen di atas dan menekankan pada 'perincian; ini merupakan sikap yang mendorong kita untuk melibatkan diri dalam satu permainan yang bersimpang-siur, apabila sedikit demi sedikit

kita dapat mencapai keindahan sesuatu objek. Perincian timbul dari rasa kasih terhadap suatu usaha untuk mencapai keindahan. Setiap kesulitan dalam memahami atau merungkai sesuatu objek akan meningkatkan lagi keseronokan dalam mengatasinya, dalam usaha untuk meneruskan usaha mencapai keindahan. Perincian ini dan sifat ringkas wujud secara jelas dalam usaha memahami kejadian manusia. Ia mencetuskan pemikiran-semula dalam diri Jamal tentang peranan beliau sebagai seorang bapa dan pengkarya. Pada tahun 1992 apabila puteri pertamanya, Adeela diletakkan dalam pangkuannya untuk diazankan, Jamal memahami ketika itu bahawa diri beliau sendirilah yang telah dilahirkan-semula. Untuk Diumumkan Warga wad bersalin Hospital Troy Samaritan mungkin telah menjadi saksi kepada usaha Jamal menyeberang ke suatu lapangan dimana beliau telah digugah secara intelek, dan ditakdirkan untuk mula memberi. Kelahiran ini menandai perubahan, penyegaran-semula dan pengakhiran menjadi Jamal bahawa beliau sendiri sentiasa berubah. Malah, seluruh dunia nyata atau fizikal itu sendiri terus-menerus diperbaharui. Benda-benda fizikal yang berjisim, mampu untuk berubah menjadi bentuk baru pada setiap masa dengan izin Allah. Kesedaran terhadap tenaga ghaib ini, diiringi pula oleh keinginan untuk berkhidmat, membakar keinginan beliau sebagai seorang bapa/pemimpin Muslim yang bervisi, untuk mencari hikmah dari pesanan-pesanan Siddhartha, Lao Tze, Nakula,

Osman Bakar, Al-Ghazali, Qadir al-Jilani dan Al-Arabi. Jamal merujuk kepada seorang ahli teologi Hanbali dari Baghdad, yakni Abdul alQadir alJilani (10781166).
(3)

Beberapa 'pengumuman' dilanjutkan dalam beberapa eksposisi yang membayangi kedudukan dan strategi seni media baru. Lukisan-lukisan analitikal dan penulisan kritikal mula muncul untuk membentangkan cara baru dalam produksi seni dan Jamal menjadi agak berpengaruh dalam mengumumkan peranannya dalam konteks ini, yang kemudiannya diterjemahkan dalam beberapa projek penting. Pada tahun 1997, bukan saja beliau telah mendeklarasi ide-ide media baru beliau dalam HYPErview, yang merupakan pameran solo yang sering dirujuk, tetapi juga pada tahun yang sama, Jamal bersama dengan rakan pengkarya Niranjan Rajah telah merintis eksposisi seni elektronik yang pertama di Malaysia, juga bertempat di Balai Seni Lukis Negara. Banyak telah ditulis tentang pengaruh Jamal dalam fasa ini oleh Roopesh Sitharan. Hubungan antara manusia dan alam bagi Jamal adalah satu persoalan yang berterusan. Persoalan ini mula berkembang menjadi sesuatu yang amat menyentuh apabila beliau memperakui pengetahuan baru tentang apa yang dipanggil seni elektronik/media baru dan mencipta wacana-wacana yang lebih segar tentang konteks dan penciptaan. Secara beransur-ansur, menerusi penolakan dan penerimaan, peluangpeluang baru bercambah dan ide-ide mula dijana, dirunding dan dikekalkan. Pada tahun 2000, keyakinan terhadap pegangan baru beliau yang dibina menerusi beberapa metafora, telah ditingkatkan lagi dengan penerokaan teknologi multimedia. Topik-topik berkaitan dengan nyah3. Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (2008) in Encyclopedia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

Al-Jilani

menekankan sifat suka bersedekah, merendah diri, dekat dengan Allah dan kesederhanaan. Pencapaiannya sebagai pemikir bersatu dengan amanat-amanat Sufi yang disertai oleh tuntutan berpatutan dalam perundangan Islam. Konsep Sufisma beliau menekankan jihad terhadap nafsu dalam usaha untuk menakluk ego atau pergantungan kepada kehendak keduniaan dan menyerah diri kepada kehendak Allah. Tanda-tanda visual yang penting dalam pengkaryaan Jamal dapat dilihat dalam lima set lukisan berjudul Proclaim atau 'Mengumumkan', dihasilkan pada tahun 1994, yang mengandungi kata-kata bertulis dari surat-surat ayahandanya. Penulisan ayahandanya membayangkan latarbelakang sebagai seorang ustaz dan dicetus dari pengajaran Quran. Oleh itu, untuk 'mengumumkan' atau 'menyatakan /membaca dengan jelas', terjemahan dan tafsiran dari bahasa Arab Iqra, adalah satu perkataan yang dikaitkan dengan wahyu yang pertama diterima oleh Nabi Muhammad. Bagi Jamal, beberapa situasi, dari segi material, fizikal dan spiritual yang telah ditakdirkan untuk beliau hadapi sebagai seorang pengkarya seni visual, adalah situasi yang membolehkan beliau menyampaikan ideologi artistik beliau, berakar-umbi pada penghayatan dan pemerkasaan rohani.

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pusat hubungan kuasa, jurang antara yang bersedia dengan yang belum bersedia menerima perubahan dalam era yang beliau ungkap sebagai 'gobblelisation', telah menangkap perhatian audien beliau. Antara yang terpegun adalah Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, ketika beliau merasmikan pameran Rupa di Balai Seni Lukis Negara, yang telah diberikan penerangan panjang-lebar oleh Jamal tentang karya instalasi beliau Kdek,kdek Ong!, yang kini berada dalam Koleksi Balai Seni Lukis Negara. Jamal ialah seorang yang egoistik sepertimana juga beliau seorang yang tidak mementingkan diri sendiri. Beliau sering kelihatan seperti seorang antagonis dalam mendesak pandangan beliau terhadap orang lain, sambil beliau melakarkan suatu spektrum kritikan diri, dan juga memainkan peranan protagonis untuk membuat sindiran terhadap sikap manusia, dalam usaha beliau menyoal agenda-agenda sosio-politik. Dengan ini, Jamal telah membekalkan renungan yang sentiasa mencari, yang diterjemahkan menerusi rekod kajian-kajian visual (buku-buku lakaran), sajak-sajak Prasembah 2000: Sebuah Antalogi La! beliau, dalam ungkapan bahasa yang sering menyindir, menyoal hubungan antara seni dengan produksi, penerimaan, penilaian dan destinasi akhir. Ini merupakan kehendak dalaman beliau untuk menjadi lebih sempurna, yang memacu dengan tanpa-henti usaha untuk memperbaharui diri, mencari diri dan membuka diri dalam satu alur perjalanan ke tahap keberadaan yang lebih tinggi. Perjalanan naik ke arah kebenaran ini menempiaskan pengaruh al-Arabi dalam dirinya.

Hakikat UNSUR Ibn al-Arabi telah cuba menerangkan bagaimana Akal berpunca dari Satu hakikat mutlak dengan menerapkan antaranya prinsip feminin yang dasar, dalam mana segala benda berada dalam keadaan serba berkemungkinan dan juga memiliki kemampuan, kesediaan dan kehendak untuk dimanifestasikan sebagai arkitaip akal dan kemudiannya sebagai benda-benda fizikal dalam alam kasar di bawah. Ibn al-Arabi juga telah memberi pelbagai nama kepada prinsip ini, termasuk mewatakkannya sebagai suatu prinsip yang kewujudannya dimanifestasikan dalam dunia-dunia yang serba berkemungkinan. Prinsip feminin dalam perjalanan naik Jamal boleh dihayati menerusi potret wanita, isteri beliau dan tentunya, bonda beliau. Lukisan-lukisan Bonda mengingatkan pemerhati kepada siri lukisan dan kajian tentang ibu dan isteri yang sedang beradu oleh Rembrandt sekitar 1630an, yang membekalkan tatabahasa untuk merakamkan wanita yang sedang berehat atau gering. Kajian-kajian bonda ini menampilkan karektor dan kekuatan dalaman bonda Jamal menerusi garisan-garisan yang teliti tetapi ringkas. Beliau tidak banyak menggunakan bayang-bayang, yang disarankan secara ringkas untuk menimbulkan suasana yang sesuai dalam menggambarkan keperibadian seseorang.

Lebih berminat terhadap aspek psikologi dalam potret, Jamal menekuni lukisan menerusi bahan arang, bahan asli yang dapat menjejak setiap denyutan artistik beliau. Perincian yang realistik dibekalkan oleh kemampuan beliau membekukan elemen watak dan menguasai satah-satah dengan cekap. Unsur suasana, tegangan intelektual dan penglibatan peribadi adalah antara ciri-ciri lazim dalam lukisan-lukisan potret ini dalam mana garisan-garisan ringkas memperjelaskan ruang untuk memunculkan bentuk-bentuk tiga dimensi. Jamal memiliki kemampuan yang sangat menonjol untuk menyalin imejan dan merubahnya kepada jejak-jejak baru. Sebagai contoh, pernyataan-semula karya Aida oleh karyawan kebangsaan Hoessien Enas, mungkin kelihatan ringkas, namun mencabar kita untuk menyedari bahawa mata kita sedang menerima maklumat yang telah diproses oleh dua pengkarya - digabung dalam satu bentuk yang membanjiri retina kita untuk menjadi satu penanda yang telah diberikan kod pembacaan yang baru. Berapa kalikah kita melihat wanita, namun tidak sebenar-benar melihat mereka? Pameran ini memaparkan pandangan komprehensif tentang perjalanan Jamal mencari kompleksiti keindahan dalam menjadi seorang pengkarya. Ia bermula dengan tenaga muda yang berpunca dari ruang imaginasi kepada lonjakan antara-disiplin dalam hasil karya yang

diterbitkan sepanjang cabaran perjalanan merentas ruang budaya, psikologi dan meta-fizikal. Dalam rencah ini, kesemua lukisan mengekalkan sifatnya sebagai dokumentasi, pemerhatian dan artifak sejarah. Suatu ketika, kesemua lukisan agak terpecah-pecah tetapi kemudiannya digabung semula, untuk membina makna berdasarkan hubungannya antara satu sama lain, menjadi sesuatu yang amat meninggalkan kesan. Ia adalah dokumentasi pegangan Jamal yang serba berpotensi, huraian beliau tentang kesementaraan yang sentiasa berkonflik dan bersifat baru, dalam mana lukisan-lukisan beliau yang mutakhir mengupas kepintaran bermain dengan makna yang berlapis, atas pertimbangan untuk mencari hakikat diri. Justeru, mungkin juga lukisan-lukisan inilah yang membolehkan kita menjejak Jamal. Mungkin juga, untuk meneruskan perjalanannya hingga ke fasa seterusnya (mengambil-kira pameran ini diadakan pada masa kita menyambut kedatangan tahun baru Islam), beliau perlu menyah-bina, memindahkan dan menolak egonya dirinya yang digambarkan menerusi pengalaman melukis sepanjang 29 tahun lepas. Dia hanyalah sekadar satu titik antara garisan-garisan dalam keindahan perancangan Allah yang kompleks.

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:
In Between The Lines and this accompanying book present a repertoire of my drawings. They record not only the reflections of my mind, but also my soul. The exhibition features: 1.1 Portrait and figurative drawings (mostly live drawings). 1.2 Personal notes, mind-maps, studies, sketches, storyboards, concept drawings for paintings, prints, installations, time-based projects such as film, video, theatre, musical concert and experimental performance. 1.3 Cartoons and comics. 1.4 Sketches for graphic works. 1.5 Artist's books. 1.6 Finished drawings.

The drawings cover a time-span of 29 years from 1979 until 2008. I have kept most of them as my own personal collection, memories, markings, index and most valuable treasures. I have been keeping my them with love and honor, mostly for my 'heirs': beloved children and my students or successors who
2003 Kocak di Fukuoka Pencil on recycled papers (Ripples in Fukuoka)

love drawings.

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Most of the exhibited drawings are my personal works that are very intimate and close to me. Many artists share similar sentiment towards the act of drawing. Artist Victor Chin for example, sees drawing as something that is more intimate, transparent, open and free. (1) Mohd Nasir Baharuddin for example, invites his readers to contemplate the fact that the act of drawing has already been a part of many forms of traditional art in the Malay Archipelago. Amongst them include batik janting, drawings on old manuscripts and labu sayong (local traditional ceramic water container). In Freedom has also been mentioned by J. Anu who wrote that in many ways, for a visual artist generally or a painter specifically, the act of drawing may free us. It is an important step in the making of art in which the practice allows artists to express themselves without being bothered by finishing value as in painting. (2) In other words, drawing is a direct and untained reflection of an artists mind and soul, compared to other forms of finished art. His view is in tandem with Prof. Siti Zainon Ismail's reiteration that the act of creating lines has already been practiced in many forms of Malay traditional carving. The act of carving is taken as synonymous to drawing and seen as carving a Malay sensibility.(4) From a linguistic point of view, drawing or lukisan (in Malay language) is defined by the Kamus Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka as
Notes: 3. Zanita Anuar and Jalaini Hassan. Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. pg 36 4. Refer to Siti Zainon Ismail. Mengukir Budi Melayu, Siri Gebang Seni, Yayasan Kesenian Perak, Ipoh, 2003. 5. Kamus Besar Bahasa Melayu Utusan, Utusan Publication and Distributor, 1995. Compiled by Hj. Zainal Abidin Safarwan.

fact, according to him, reading the markings of 'drawing' made by a sirih spit as practiced by traditional healers, can also be used as an example on how marks or signs on a particular surface can be read.(3)

to picture, to write, to scribble, to form, to trace, to scratch, to underline, to note, to tell, to narrate, to present, to sketch, to describe, to show, to reveal, to symbolize, to shape, to plan. (5) definition is wide. The scope of such

Other than 'peeking into', drawing also allows us to look back. Drawings on the Niah Cave, known as Neolithic Pertroglyphs have proven to us that the tradition of making marks has a deep historical root in the Malay Archipelago. The interpretation of drawing as a system of sign and meaning has allowed us to read drawing in a larger context, without being confined by Western modernist and narrow academic interpretations.

1. Zanita Anuar and Jalaini Hassan. Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. pg37. Refer also to The art of lines and drawings, New Straits Times, 27 Ogos, 1997, newspaper review by Ooi Kok Chuen. 2. Jolly Koh. Pengajaran Lukisan, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 2001. pg 7

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In Malaysia, the debates on drawing can be referred to two exhibitions, namely Malaysian Drawings (1997) and Drawing Lessons (2002). The exhibition Malaysian Drawings can be taken as a significant general survey of the role and importance of drawing in the practice of visual art amongst Malaysian artists. The exhibition, curated by Zanita Anuar and Jalaini Abu Hassan, surveys a variety of approaches, attitudes and functions of drawing in forming the artistic dispositions of many important Malaysian artists. In comparison, the exhibition Drawing Lessons is more directed towards the teaching and learning lessons of the exhibition's curator, who is also a prominent artist, Jolly Koh. Jolly employed the drawings of his students as samples for his seven teaching and learning approaches that were used in his drawing class.(6)
6. Refer to Jolly Koh. Pengajaran Lukisan, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 2001, and Zanita Anuar and Jalaini Hassan. Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997

Drawing in general can be read formalistically. Such reading is more directed towards observation and physical analysis as the basis of interpretation, instead of the mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions. Barnice Rose for example, defines drawing as marking on a surface with anything, in order to create images.(7) David Brett on the other hand, defines drawing as the use of dry materials in the formation of lines.(8) A line can be read as a path between two points. Physical observation encompasses a combination of vertical, horizontal, diagonal and curving lines. Through formalistic and academic reading, drawing normally features three basic criteria: i. ii. iii. Linear element, Lighting, and Tonal values(9)

The above-mentioned criteria are further complimented by three methodologies, as proposed by D.K Ching, namely seeing, visualizing and expressing. (10)

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Despite the relative familiarity in approaching drawing formalistically, it should also be read from both the mental and emotional planes, especially in regards to aesthetic taste and discourse of idea. Therefore, drawing should not be confined to mere observation, mimetic act and its usability or applied value, but should also be read as textual signs and visual markings that can stand on their own, aesthetically. The debate on many ideological differences in drawing has been touched by Jolly Koh in his Drawing Lesson catalogue. Nevertheless, Jolly is more interested in the use of drawing as aesthetic and formalistic means. Other than formalistic and aesthetic readings, drawing can also be read in a semiotic term. Robert Kaupelis for example, reads drawing as making marks that have meanings.(11) This reading suggests that drawing is a part of a process of forming meanings and signifying an experience. In exploring this reading further, drawing can be used as a means of exploring a complex relationship between sign and signified in the whole system of meaning formation. Drawing method as taught by the late Ismail Zain was directed towards this approach.

emotional motivation, spiritual ambiance and his intellectual understanding.(12) His interpretation implies that the process of drawing involves both the left and right brain, and combines the psychomotor, cognitive and affective domains. If drawing was to be read as a balanced symbiosis between mind, body and soul, the act of drawing itself is not always practiced with proportionately balanced emphasis. I perceive three different tendencies being practiced in various emphasis by artists : i. Formalism -directed towards external matters such as materials, medium, technique, observation and copying of external reality, style and hand skill. ii. Expressionism -focusing on expressive quality, aesthetic, emotional reflection and subjective inner reality. iii. Conceptualism -emphasising thinking process and forwarding

National Artist, Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal defines drawing as not only a fisiomechanical process of linear imaging, but also the intention of an artist, his/her

complex ideas.

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For examples, Two Sisters (1963) by Mohd Hoessein Enas and Yati (1963) by Mazeli Mat Som represent the first emphasis.(13) Dzulkifli Buyong on the other hand, combined the first approach with a touch of child expressiveness. Artist Fauzan Omar may not be known through his drawings. But for many of his exstudents, his formalist fluency has been passed through his drawing classes, with emphasis on detail formalistic reading on spatial relationship; flat space, deep space, shallow space and ambiguous space.
13. Refer to Zainol Abidin Ahmad Shariff. Menemui Modeniti 40 Tahun Angkatan Pelukis Se Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis N egara,Kuala Lumpur, 1988.

Pago-pago series (1964) by Latiff Mohidin, reflects expressionist tendency through refined inner vision and the ability to absorb energy vibes from a place and subject. Recording of a surreal and inner sentiment can also be traced in the drawings of Dzulkifli Dahlan. Riaz Ahmad Jamil, Hanafiah Waiman, Raja Shahriman, Thangarajoo and Shooshie Sulaiman. They echo similar inclination towards the inner emotional dimension and represent a small group of contemporary artists who draw within this expressionistic framework.

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Contemporary artist Jalaini Abu Hassan represents a group of artists who combines both the expressionist tendency with a highly sound formalistic fluency. For Jalaini, drawing is a means to enhance ones perceptual sense towards one's surrounding world. He underlines four major features; spontaneity, linear, tonal quality and colour value as the basis of drawing.(14) Jalaini's subjects include human figures, still life and natural objects that are close to his personal daily life. Other artists who possess a combination of exceptional skill with expressive tendency are Zheng Yuande, Bayu Utomo Radjikin and Ahmad Fuad Osman.(15) Other than figurative subject, artists such as Ibrahim Hussein, Ahmad Khalid, Syed Tajuddin and Thangarajoo represent an inclination towards abstract and semiabstraction.

Spontaneous quality and directness have also lead artist Wong Hoy Cheong to choose charcoal in creating his seminal drawing series. Nevertheless, he was perhaps more concerned with semiotic articulation in which a 'marginalised' media has been intentionally chosen to present his issues of concern. By choosing and centralising a marginalised media, Hoy Cheong indirectly implied his own personal tendency to put forward the normally (in the early 90s) sidelined issues of identity, marginalized history and politics.(16) He represents a small group of artists who are capable of combining intellectual reading with a high formalistic sensibility. Drawing in this context can be read in terms of its capacity to induce dialogue and socio-political discourse. an

If there is a need for an ideal example of artist who approaches drawing as an intellectual exercise and a process of encoding and decoding meanings, Ismail Zain would be the man. His drawing approach was more directed towards of signs. cognitive process that emphasises thinking, semiotic reading and the articulation

14. Refer to Jalaini Hassan in Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. 15. Refer to J. Anurendra. Aku : 99 Potret Diri, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, 1999. 16. Refer to solo exhibition catalogue, Wong Hoy Cheong Off Migrants and Rubber, Valentine Willie Fine Art, Pusat Kreatif, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997.

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In Malaysia, major exhibitions that feature drawing are rarely held. Amongst the major drawing exhibitions that have been organised include Original Sketches and Preliminary Works at Room At The Top Gallery in 1992, Malaysian Drawings at the National Art Gallery in 1997 and Drawing Lessons also at the National Art Gallery in 2000. Earlier drawing exhibition Sketches & Watercolours was held in 1976, at the original venue of the National Art Gallery at Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Other exhibitions that did feature important drawing works include Figurative Approaches in Modern Malaysian Art and Aku:99 Potret Diri both held at the Petronas Gallery and curated by J. Anu. Drawing is usually marginalised in the practice of mainstream exhibition in Malaysia. If there was an inclusion of drawing, it was more of a supporting role. Solo exhibition that specifically features drawing is also rare. Other than Of Migrants & Rubbers by Wong Hoy Cheong (combined with other forms of work such as installation), Drawing from Mind's Eyes by Jalaini Abu Hassan and Visual Invocation by Daud Abdul Rahim (2004), drawing is rarely featured and discussed in detail as a significant part of an artist's body of work. In other words, the visual art audience is rarely exposed to the 'behind-the-scene' process that is critical in the development of an artist's idea and sensibility.

For serve 'cure' The

me, as for

drawing an many and book

can inner this will

beautiful and good to the ugliest and bad. For and this and exhibition I have compiled

affective

'illnesses' and 'wounds'. exhibition accompanying

this

book,

collected

hopefully be a similar cure for those who are willing to journey into them. The k drawing provided t nowledge is hat o ne o f is

the good ones. The bad and evil ones are too cheap and are already abundant in the media. Through drawing, I

beautiful,

have become more aware of the fact that whatever it is 'out there' (including 'others' and 'nature') is also 'inside' me. Similar to a single line of a is drawing, everything

passionate enough to know, to love, to understand, to appreciate and to enliven it. The k nowledge of

inter-connected; nothing can snobbishly claim that it can stand on its own. The play of lines on a drawing is actually a reflection of an interconnected artistic vibes. An artist who has managed to bypass the with technique, joy of playing tools, media, skill

drawing has allowed me to explore and journey within myself. It has invited me to confront and engage with the jungle of my mind and the ebb and flow of human emotion. Through lines on drawing, I have been given the opportunity to encounter many apparitions of my own self, from the most

and compositional style, understands such vibes.

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The whole journey has necessitated a union of body, mind and soul. Knowing my body, knowing my mind and knowing Me - a road map to peek into the mystery of creation. Who knows, one may discover the true meaning of humanity. With Guidance and Blessing, one may be able to unveil the veil of Divinity. I hope I will be able to discover it. I dont know... HASNUL JAMAL SAIDON January 2004. (re-written November 2008) Universiti Sains Malaysia

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Pameran Antara Garisan dan buku yang mengiringinya ini mengumpulkan himpunan karya-karya lukisan saya. Ia merakamkan bukan saja bayangan minda, tetapi juga jiwa saya. mengandungi : Pameran ini

1.1

Lukisan potret dan figuratif (dilukis secara langsung atau 'live').

1.2

Nota peribadi, peta minda, kajian, lakaran, lukisan papan cerita, lukisan konsep untuk : karya catan, cetakan dan pemasangan, karya-karya berasaskan masa seperti filem dan video, produksi teater, konsert muzik, dan persembahan eksperimental.

1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6

Lukisan kartun dan komik. Lakaran untuk kerja-kerja grafik. Buku karyawan. Karya akhir berbentuk lukisan.

Kesemua bahan merupakan antara kerja-kerja yang dihasilkan sepanjang 29 tahun yang lepas dari 1979 hinggalah 2008. Himpunan yang ada dalam simpanan peribadi ini saya tatang sebagai 'khazanah' atau 'warisan' yang disimpan dengan penuh rasa kasih dan hormat untuk tatapan dan renungan pewaris saya: anak-anak mahupun anak-anak murid yang mencintai ilmu melukis.

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Majoriti lukisan yang dipamerkan dalam pameran ini adalah kerja-kerja peribadi yang sangat dekat dengan saya. Ramai pelukis yang berkongsi sentimen yang sama terhadap kerja melukis. Pelukis Victor Chin umpamanya, melihat lukisan sebagai sesuatu yang lebih intim, telus, terbuka dan bebas.(1)

Mohd Nasir Baharuddin pernah mengajak khalayak merenung bahawa kerja-kerja melukis sudah merupakan sebahagian dari penghasilan banyak bentuk seni tradisi yang telah lama bertapak di Nusantara. Antaranya adalah seperti kerja menjanting batik, lukisan pada manuskrip lama dan melarik labu sayong. Malah menurut beliau, membaca kesan-kesan 'lukisan' yang terpapar dari semburan kunyahan sirih seperti yang diamalkan dalam perbomohan juga boleh dijadikan contoh bagaimana tanda-tanda pada sesuatu permukaan boleh dibaca dalam tradisi Nusantara.(3) Pandangan beliau senada dengan penegasan Prof. Siti Zainon Ismail bahawa kerja-kerja 'menggaris' sememangnya telah lama wujud dalam amalan pelbagai bentuk seni ukir Melayu. Mengukir persis melukis dan dilihat sebagai meng'ukir' budi Melayu.(4) Dari segi bahasa, lukisan ditakrifkan oleh Kamus Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka sebagai menggambar, menulis, menconteng, membentuk, menyungging, menyurih, menggores, menggaris, mencatit, mencatat, menceritakan (keadaan/hal sesuatu), mengisahkan, membentangkan, melakarkan, menghuraikan, memerikan, mengukirkan, menunjukkan, menampakkan, melambangkan, merupakan, memelankan.(5) Skop takrifan sebegini adalah luas.
1. Zanita Anuar dan Jalaini Hassan. Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. Ms 37. Rujuk juga The art of lines and drawings, New Straits Times, 1997, ulasan akhbar oleh Ooi Kok Chuen. 2. Jolly Koh. Pengajaran Lukisan, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 2001. Ms 7 3. Zanita Anuar dan Jalaini Hassan. Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. Ms 36 4. Rujuk Siti Zainon Ismail. Mengukir Budi Melayu, Siri Gebang Seni, Yayasan Kesenian Perak, Ipoh, 2003.

Perihal bebas ini juga disebut oleh J. Anu yang menyatakan bahawa dalam banyak cara, untuk seorang karyawan seni rupa secara am dan pelukis secara khusus, tindakan melukis dapat membebaskan kita. Ia adalah langkah yang penting dalam proses penghasilan seni dalam mana amalannya mengizinkan pelukis-pelukis untuk meluahkan diri tanpa digugah oleh nilai kemasan atau 'penyudah' seperti yang terdapat pada catan.(2)

Dalam kata yang lain, lukisan adalah bayangan minda dan jiwa yang paling langsung dan kurang ditapis sekiranya dibandingkan dengan bentuk-bentuk seni rupa yang lain.

Lukisan

'dalam.'

Selain mengintai ke dalam, lukisan juga membolehkan kita menoleh jauh ke belakang. Lukisan Gua Niah yang dikenali sebagai Neolithic Pertroglyphs membuktikan bahawa tradisi melukis dan membuat tanda sudah lama bertapak di Nusantara. Pentafsiran lukisan sebagai sebahagian dari sistem tanda dan makna membolehkan ia dibaca secara lebih meluas tanpa dibatasi oleh takrifan-takrifan akademik dan seni moden Barat yang tirus.

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5. Kamus Besar Bahasa Melayu Utusan, Utusan Publication and Distributor, 1995. Susunan Hj. Zainal Abidin Safarwan.

Di Malaysia, perbahasan berkenaan lukisan boleh dirujuk di dalam dua pameran khusus yakni Lukisan Malaysia (1997) dan Pengajaran Lukisan (2002).

Lukisan secara amnya sering dibaca secara formal. Pembacaan sebegini lebih menjurus kepada pemerhatian dan penelitian aspek-aspek fizikal sebagai asas pentakrifan, bukannya aspek mental, emosi dan spiritual. Barnice Rose umpamanya mentakrifkan lukisan sebagai penandaan atas sesuatu permukaan dengan apa jua cara untuk menghasilkan imajan.(7) David Brett pula mentakrifkan lukisan sebagai penggunaan media kering dalam kaedah penghasilan garisan.(8) Garisan boleh dibaca sebagai pergerakan (atau 'talian') antara satu titik ke titik yang lain. Segala

Pameran Lukisan Malaysia boleh dianggap sebagai suatu tinjauan umum yang penting terhadap peranan dan kepentingan lukisan dalam amalan pengkaryaan para pelukis Malaysia. Pameran yang dikuratorkan bersama oleh Zanita Anuar dan Jalaini Hassan ini meninjau kepelbagaian pendekatan, sikap dan fungsi lukisan dalam proses pembentukan sahsiah kesenimanan ramai pengkarya penting di Malaysia.

Pameran Pengajaran Lukisan lebih menjurus kepada paparan hasil suatu sistem pengajaran dan pembelajaran lukisan yang diusulkan oleh kuratornya yang juga seorang pelukis tersohor, Jolly Koh. Jolly menggunakan hasilhasil kerja lukisan para pelajarnya sebagai sampel tujuh pendekatan pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang digunakan dalam kelas bimbingan lukisan beliau.(6)
6. Rujuk Jolly Koh. Pengajaran Lukisan, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 2001, dan Zanita Anuar dan Jalaini Hassan. Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997.

bentuk pemerhatian fizikal boleh dibaca sebagai gabungan garisan menegak, melintang, condong dan melengkung.

Menerusi pembacaan formal dan akademik, ciri lukisan dilihat melibatkan tiga kriteria asas : i. ii. iii. Elemen sejajar atau linear Kesan cahaya, dan Nilai warna.(9)

Ciri di atas boleh dilengkapi oleh tiga metodologi utama lukisan sepertimana yang disusulkan oleh D.K Ching yakni melihat, proses visual dan ekspresi.(10)
7. Rujuk Drawing Now, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1976. 8. Pipes, Alan. Drawing for 3 Dimensional Design, Thames & Hudson, London, 1990. 9. Rujuk Jalaini Hassan dalam Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. 10. D.K.Ching, Drawing A Creative Process, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1990.

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Walaupun lebih mudah didepani dari segi formal, lukisan juga perlu dibaca dari sudut mental dan emosi termasuklah yang berkait dengan pertimbangan estetik dan juga wacana ide. Oleh itu, lukisan tidak seharusnya dibatasi kepada soal pemerhatian, peniruan dan kualiti gunaannya semata-mata, tetapi perlu juga dibaca sebagai tanda-tanda 'tekstual' yang boleh dianalisa dan juga kesan-kesan tampak yang boleh berdiri sendiri dari segi estetiknya. Perdebatan berkenaan dengan pelbagai ideologi lukisan telah disentuh oleh Jolly Koh dalam katalog Pengajaran Lukisan. Begitupun, Jolly lebih condong kepada pemakaian lukisan sebagai wahana formal dan estetik.

Seniman Negara, Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal pula mentafsir lukisan sebagai bukan saja proses fisio-mekanikal imajan sejajar (linear), tetapi juga niat seseorang pelukis, motivasi emosinya, suasana spiritualnya, proses pemahaman intelektualnya.(12) Tafsiran beliau mencadangkan bahawa proses melukis melibatkan kedua-dua fungsi otak sebelah kiri dan kanan serta menggabungkan ketiga-tiga aspek psikomotor, kognitif dan afektif.

Sekiranya lukisan mahu dibaca sebagai simbiosis yang berimbangan antara jasad, minda dan jiwa, kerja melukis pula tidak semestinya diamalkan dengan imbangan yang sama. Saya melihat 3 kecenderungan diamalkan dalam imbangan yang berbeza oleh para pelukis:

Selain dari pembacaan formal dan estetik, lukisan juga boleh ditakrifkan dalam kerangka semiotik. Robert Kaupelis contohnya,

i. Formalisma - menjurus kepada persoalan luaran seperti bahan, bahantara, teknik, pemerhatian dan peniruan realiti luaran,gaya dan kemahiran tangan. ii. Ekspresionisma - tertumpu kepada kualiti ekspresif, estetik, rakaman emosi dan realiti dalaman yang subjektif. iii. Konseptualisma - menekankan pernyataan ide atau proses pemikiran.

membaca lukisan sebagai penghasilan tanda yang mempunyai makna.(11) Pembacaan ini

menyarankan bahawa lukisan adalah sebahagian dari proses membentuk makna dan memaknakan pengalaman. Sekiranya pembacaan ini mahu dilanjutkan, lukisan boleh dijadikan wahana meneroka perhubungan kompleks antara tanda dan penanda dalam keseluruhan sistem pembinaan makna. Kaedah pengajaran lukisan yang dibawa

oleh Ismail Zain menjurus kepada pendekatan sebegini.


11. Korpelis, Robert. Experimental Drawing, Watson-Guptill, New York, 1992. 12. The art of lines and drawings, New Straits Times, 27 Ogos, 1997, ulasan akhbar oleh Ooi Kok Chuen.

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Sebagai contoh, lukisan Two Sisters (1963) oleh Mohd Hoessein Enas dan Yati (1963) oleh Mazeli Mat Som lebih cenderung kepada pendekatan pertama.(13) Dzulkifli Buyong pula mengabungkan pendekatan pertama dengan sentuhan ekspresif keanakan. Mungkin tidak ramai yang mengenali Fauzan Omar menerusi karya berbentuk lukisan. Begitupun, bagi bekas anak-anak murid beliau, kefasihan Fauzan lebih banyak ditempiaskan menerusi kaedah pengajaran lukisan beliau yang menekankan pembacaan formalistik yang sangat rinci tentang kesan ruang; ruang rata, ruang dalam, ruang cetek dan ruang kabur. Siri Pago-pago (1964) oleh Latiff Mohidin menempiaskan kecenderungan ekspresionisma yang dibuka oleh kehalusan pemerhatian dalaman dan kemampuan mencerap gelombang tenaga yang dibekalkan oleh sesuatu subjek dan tempat. Rakaman alam surreal dan sentimen dalaman sebegini juga dapat dikesan pada siri lukisan Dzulkifli Dahlan. Begitu juga dengan Riaz Ahmad Jamil, Hanafiah Waiman, Raja Shahriman, Thangarajoo dan Sooshie Sulaiman yang mewakili segelintir kecil pengkarya kontemporari yang melukis dalam kerangka ekspresionisma sebegini.

13. Rujuk Zainol Abidin Ahmad Shariff. Menemui Modeniti 40 Tahun Angkatan Pelukis Se Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1988.

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Pelukis kontemporari Kekuatan formalisma terutama sekali dari segi pemerhatian dan kemahiran juga dapat dilihat pada karya-karya lukisan Amron Omar dalam siri lukisan figura silatnya. Kekuatan Amron bukan saja terletak pada daya formal dan kefasihan teknik, tetapi juga nilai ekspresif yang terkandung dalam gerak badan atau bunga langkah yang dirakamkan. Jalaini Abu Hassan mewakili sekumpulan pengkarya yang menggabungkan imbangan kecenderungan ekspresionisma dengan kekuatan formalisma yang sangat tinggi. Bagi Jalaini, lukisan adalah wahana meningkatkan daya persepsi seseorang terhadap dunia sekitar. Beliau menggariskan empat

abstrak dan separa abstrak.

Ciri-ciri kespontanan dan 'langsung' ini jugalah yang memujuk Wong Hoy Cheong untuk memilih bahan arang dalam menghasilkan beberapa siri karya lukisannya. Begitupun,

pemilihan beliau lebih dipengaruhi oleh pertimbangan semiotik dalam mana suatu bahan yang 'terpinggir' sengaja digunakan dalam pengutaraan isu. Menggunakan medium lukisan yang sebelum ini dipinggirkan dan membawanya ke tengah sebagai tumpuan, secara tidak langsung membayangkan kecenderungan peribadi Hoy Cheong mengenengahkan isu-isu sosial, politik, sejarah dan identiti yang sering

ciri utama; kespontanan, kegarisanan, kualiti tonal dan nilai warna sebagai asas formal lukisan.(14) Subjek rujukan Jalaini meliputi figura manusia, alam benda dan objek-objek semulajadi yang dekat dengan kehidupan harian peribadi beliau.

Antara pelukis lain yang menampilkan gabungan kemahiran dengan ciri ekspresif yang sensitif dalam menterjemah figura manusia termasuklah Zheng Yuande, Bayu Utomo Radjikin dan Ahmad Fuad Osman.(15) Disamping subjek figura, pelukis seperti Ibrahim Hussein,
14. Rujuk tulisan Jalaini Hassan dalam Lukisan Malaysia, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. 15. Rujuk J. Anurendra, Aku: 99 Potret Diri, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, 1999. 16. Rujuk katalog Pameran Solo Wong Hoy Cheong, Off Migrants and Rubber, Valentine Willie Fine Art, Pusat Kreatif, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1997.

dipinggirkan.(16)

Hoy Cheong mewakili sebilangan kecil pelukis yang menggabungkan kekuatan pembacaan intelek terhadap sesuatu isu persoalan dengan kesempurnaan daya formalisma. Lukisan dalam konteks ini dibaca dari segi kemampuannya mencetus dialog dan wacana sosiopolitikal yang bertindih.

Ahmad Khalid, Syed Tajuddin dan Thangarajoo mewakili gabungan

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kekuatan di atas dalam pendekatan

Di Malaysia, pameran-pameran besar dari Malaysia yang tertumpu pada lukisan agak jarang diadakan. Antara yang pernah diadakan termasuklah pameran Original Sketches and Preliminary Works di Galeri Room At The Top pada tahun 1992, dan dua pameran yang telah dinyatakan sebelum ini - pameran Lukisan Malaysia di Balai Seni Lukis Negara pada tahun 1997 dan pameran Pengajaran Lukisan di Balai Seni Lukis Negara pada tahun 2000. Pameran awal yang tertumpu pada lukisan pernah diadakan di Balai Seni Lukis Jalan Ampang berjudul Sketches & Watercolours pada tahun 1976. Pameran-pameran lain yang ada menyelitkan karya lukisan yang penting adalah Pameran Figurative Approaches in Modern Malaysian Art dan Aku:99 Potret Diri kedua-duanya di Galeri Petronas dan dikuratorkan oleh J. Anu. Secara amnya, lukisan lebih terpinggir dari segi penampilannya dalam kegiatan berpameran di Malaysia. Jika ada sekalipun, lebih bersifat marginal dan sokongan. Pameran-pameran solo yang memaparkan lukisan secara khusus sebagai wahana pengkaryaan juga tidak banyak. Kecuali pameran Of Migrants & Rubbers oleh Wong Hoy Cheong (bercampur dengan karya-karya bentuk lain seperti instalasi), Drawing from Mind's Eyes oleh Jalaini Abu Hassan dan yang terbaru pameran Visual Invocation oleh Daud Abdul Rahim (2004), lukisan jarang ditampil dan dibincang secara terperinci sebagai wahana proses pembinaan sahsiah kesenimanan seseorang pengkarya.
indah, boleh

Bagi saya, lukisan menjadi ubat yang mujarab untuk banyak bentuk penyakit dan luka. Pameran dan buku ini diharap dapat menjadi penawar untuk mereka yang sudi meneroka ke dalamnya.

Untuk pameran dan buku ini, saya k umpulkan yang baik saja. Yang jahat sudah t erlalu m urah dan banyak d ipaparkan dalam media. Menerusi lukisan, saya semakin m engerti pada

Ilmu jika m mengenali,

melukis itu kita mahu encintai,

bahawa segala yang ada di luar (termasuk orang lain dan alam) ada di dalam diri s aya sendiri. S garisan p eperti ada juga lukisan,

memahami, menghayati dan menghidupkannya .

Ilmu

melukis

segalanya saling berkait; tiada suatu pun yang boleh sombong mengatakan dan ia angkuh mampu

mengizinkan saya meneroka dan mengembara ke dalam diri. Ia menjemput saya berdepan, bersemuka dan berdialog minda d ombak an dengan rimba turun-naik manusia

berdiri dengan sendiri . Permainan pada adalah bayangan g elukis garis kepada etar yang

perasaan

lukisan s ebenarnya

sejagat. Menerusi garis-garis pada lukisan, saya berpeluang bertembung dengan segala jenis jelmaan diri dari yang cantik dan baik paling hinggalah yang

pertindihan berkait. P telah

kesenimanan yang s aling berjaya melepasi

keseronokan bermain d engan bahan, peralatan, teknik, kemahiran dan gaya olahan, lebih memahaminya.

hodoh dan jahat.

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Pengembaraannya memerlukan kesatuan serta imbangan jasad, minda dan jiwa. Kenal jasad, kenal minda dan kenal jiwa, membolehkan kita mengintai rahsia alam. Jika ada rezeki, kita bertemu makna kemanusiaan sejagat. Jika ada rahmat dan hidayah, ia memudahkan kita menyingkap tabir keTuhanan. Saya berharap dapat menemuinya. Tak tahulah lagi

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HASNUL JAMAL SAIDON Januari 2004. (ditulis semula November 2008) Universiti Sains Malaysia

The synergy between my father and mother formed a stable complimentary pair - artistic and scientific, order and chaos, fierce and soft, logic and intuition and many more. My siblings also provided similar binary setting in a balanced mix - between tendencies towards the sciences and arts in a complimentary manner. My mother has always been my al-Hillal (The Moon), while my father as-Syam (the Sun); my mother supplied the software, while my father prepared the hardware. From primary school until secondary school, both my parents and my family members were my teachers, my life and my world. The world was not perfect and not all bed and roses. I signified them through my comics. Comic reality was more casual and natural where all tensions could be humoured.

1st wave
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Keluarga Dak Don (Family of Dak Don)

1979 x: 78cm y: 40cm Digital print from original work (pen, ink on paper)

HJS-ARB-1979-001

HJS-ARB-1979-002

Keluarga Dak Don #2 (Family of Dak Don #2)

1979 x: 78cm y: 40cm Digital print from original work (pen, marker, ink, watercolour on paper)

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Kartun Keluarga (Family Cartoons)

1980 x: 63cm y: 53cm Digital print from original work (pencil, pen, marker on paper)

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Saya juga dipengaruhi komentar sosial yang selamba dari Blues Gang, jeritan rock Ramli Sarip, balada Jamal Abdillah dan puisi Kumpulan Kembara. Kinestetik saya dipengaruhi oleh gerak Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, R. Arumugam, Shukor Salleh dan Santokh Singh. Saya boleh menghafal kesebelasan utama pasukan bola sepak Malaysia ketika itu. Saya juga sempat disampuk badi komuniti kutu dan sentimen sub-budaya lepak dilema Melayu. Star Wars George Lucas membawa saya terbang berfantasi; Lat, Mishar, Rejabhad, Jaafar Taib, Zainal Buang Hussein, Azman dan majalah Gila-Gila mengajar saya tentang bahasa seni rupa, seni bercerita, teknik dan gaya melukis dan keceriaan jenaka yang dapat membuka tabir minda dan hati.
Kutus 1981 x: 78cm y: 40cm Digital print from original work (pencil, pen, marker, watercolour on paper)

I was influenced by casual socialcommentaries of Blues Gang, the screaming rocks of Ramli Sarip, the ballads of Jamal Abdillah and the poetry of Kembara Group. My kinesthetic was influenced by Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, R.Arumugam, Shukor Salleh and Santokh Singh. I was able to memorise all the 11 members of the National soccer team then. I was also seduced by the sub-cultural elements of kutu (loiters) community and the complacency of Malay Dilemma. George Lucass Star Wars flew me into the world of fantasy; Lat, Mishar, Rejabhad, Jaafar Taib, Zainal Buang Hussein, Azman and the Gila-Gila magazine taught me about the language of art, the art of story-telling, techniques and styles of drawing and the joy of humour that was able to open the veil of mind and heart.

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ANIM-X

1982-1983

pencil, pen, colour pencil, marker, typewriter on paper

HJS-SKB-1983-001

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th Malay sentiment; by ITM wi d e h t a b d n syid dan penerusan I was nurtured a h Nik Ra a w r a vival of the pi and the sur bera Mal Rasyid han k ays i a N r e a t y ; a ; s para n a d r he l i h t t pribumi a h a M y s k b arado tures yu; p a "firery" lec ging l e s chan a M i s h g n d a an atan b hi r kedaul Mahat f o radox the pa
also found At ITM I . s e i t dep u future wife - Rozana Moha uch of my med the to

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2nd wave

Saya disapa gelombang romantis arwah Ahmad Khalid dengan ekspedisi Persatuan Pelukis Malaysia; asas senirupa mendiang Joseph Tan dan Ruzaika Omar Basaree; kuliah Dzulhaimi, Jahani, Muliyadi, Abu Talib dan Ali Rahman serta terjemahan Zakaria Ali; 3D Ariffin Ismail & Zakaria Awang; formalisma dan eksplorasi bahan Fauzan Omar, disiplin catan Choong Kam Kow; disiplin lukisan Tan Tuck Kan; teknik, kemahiran dan bunga tangan Amron Omar; ketertiban dan ketekunan Awang Damit; konseptualisma Ponirin Amin; strukturalisma dan semiotik kolaj digital arwah Ismail Zain. Saya juga menerima tempias seni komputer dari Kamarudzaman Mat Isa. Inilah guru-guru saya. I was touched by the romantic wave of Ahmad Khalid with his Malaysian Artists Associations expeditions; fundamentals of art from Joseph Tan and Ruzaika Omar Basaree; lectures from Dzulhaimi, Jahani, Muliyadi, Abu Talib and Ali Rahman as well as translation of Zakaria Ali; 3D of Ariffin Ismail and Zakaria Awang; formalism and media exploration of Fauzan Omar; painting discipline of Choong Kam Kow; drawing discipline of Tan Tuck Kan; techniques, skill and dexterity of Amron Omar; the persistence and patience of Awang Damit; conceptualism of Ponirin Amin; structuralism and digital collage semiotic of Ismail Zain. I also received fragments of computer art endeavour from Kamarudzaman Mat Isa. These were my teachers.

HJS-SKB-1985-002

1985 Studies & Sketches pencil, pen, colour pencil, marker on paper

AD ITM 85

1985 x: 61cm y: 49cm Digital print from original work (pen, marker on paper)

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Self portraits 86

1986

x: 49cm y: 107cm pencil, pen on paper

Coursemates

1986 #3

x: 49cm y: 84.5cm

pencil, pen, marker on paper

Self portraits

1986 #1

x: 49cm y: 107cm

pencil, pen, marker on paper

Self portraits

1986 #2

x: 49cm y: 107cm

pencil, pen, marker on paper

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Ket ika berpe lua

Belia ASEAN di Singapura, saya kel Seni ng mewakili Malaysia ke Beng

Friends from ASEAN countries

1987 #4

x: 109cm y: 60cm

pencil, colour pencil on paper

Friends from ASEAN countries

1987 #3

x: 109cm y: 60cm

pencil, colour pencil on paper

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Friends from ASEAN countries

1987 #1

x: 109cm y: 60cm

pencil, colour pencil on paper

Friends from ASEAN countries

1987 #2

x: 109cm y: 60cm

pencil, colour pencil on paper

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1987 Coursemates & Kelantan Indah x: 49cm y: 156cm Pencil, pen, oil pastel, watercolour, gouache on paper

used to the drawings of g reat maste though I was rs from Even the

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Studies, Sketches, Notes & Concept Drawings for Paintings, Prints & Installations

1987-1989

pencil, pen, colour pencil on paper

HJS-SKB-1989-001

Tahun akhir, segala yang teknikal, formal dan stailistik dipecah oleh Ismail Zain. Saya agak bingung sepanjang tahun akhir di ITM. Saya bernafas dalam gelombang modenisma versi 80an yang cuba ditunggang untuk memperkasakan Melayuisma, sambil dihiasi oleh nostalgia alunan kerawang dan arabesque Timur Tengah. Begitupun, saya tidak menghadam semuanya secara tuntas mahupun literal. Saya tingkah dan kembangkan ke arah sains merujuk dan mengintai ciri-ciri sepunya kemanusiaan ketika di alam rahim. During my final year, all that were technical, formal and stylistic were broken by Ismail Zain. I was rather nervous during my final year at ITM. I was breathing the wave of 1980's modernism that was then used to empower Malayism, whilst decorated by the nostalgic lullaby of Middle-Eastern arabesque. Nevertheless, I didnt absorb everything literally and wholly. I countered such modernism and expanded it towards the sciences-by refering and peeking into shared humanity planted and nurtured in a womans womb.

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Sketches for Microscape series #2

1989 x: 39cm y: 92cm Pen on paper

Sketches for Microscape series #1

1987 x: 150cm y: 49cm Pencil, pen, marker, ink on paper

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Sketches during my BFA reflects the following irony: embracing globalisation whilst retaining the songkok (Malay headgear) on my head; crossing boundaries whilst occasionally enjoying the comfort of hiding under my coconut shell.

3w

rd

av e

Hujan Batu, Hujan Emas (Rain of Stones, Rain of Gold) x: 95cm y: 70cm

1990

Xerography, pencil, colour pencil, marker, ink, paper, plastic sheet on compressed foam

HJS-PRN-1990-002

Kandang Kambing Kandang Rimau (Goat Cage Tiger Cage)

1990 x: 95cm y: 70cm Xerography, pencil, colour pencil, marker, ink, paper, plastic sheet on compressed foam

Hero x: 95cm y: 70cm

1990

Xerography, pencil, colour pencil, marker, ink, paper, plastic sheet on compressed foam

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81

HJS-PRN-1990-003

Ketika berenang merentas gelombang ini jugalah, segala keselesaan sentimen modenisma Melayu lama dikejut dan disentak oleh wacana multibudaya, pascakolonial, imperialisma teknologi media, kesan kuasa representasi dan kuasa ilmu, orang lain dunia ketiga, globalisasi dan ekonomi pasaran bebas, semiotik dan kecelaruan makna, teori chaos, teori kuantum, pasca kuantum dan sains baru, isu gender yang kelabu, feminisma dan gadis-gadis gerila (juga gorila), dekonstruksi, hal jenama dan pemasaran, konsumerisma melampau dan kritikan budaya komoditi dan tontonan. Segala pelampong yang dulunya selesa menjadi semakin reput dan hanyut. Banyak kali saya sesat dan hanyut dalam simpang-siur wacana di atas.

While I was swimming across this third wave, all the comforts of old Malay modernism and sentiment were shaken and strucked by the discourse of multiculturalism, post-colonialism, media and technological imperialism, the impact of the power of knowledge and representation, the others from the third world, globalisation and free market economy, semiotic and the confusion of meaning, chaos theory, quantum theory, post-quantum theory and the new science, gender issues, feminism and guerilla girls (perhaps gorila), deconstruction, branding and marketing, extreme consumerism and critics of commodity culture and society of spectacle. All my safe floats were decaying and became adrift. For many times, I was lost and sent adrift by such discourses.
Studies for Melayu #1 x: 64cm y: 42cm Pencil, colour pencil, pen, oil pastel on paper Studies for Melayu #2 x: 42cm y: 64cm Pen on paper 1990 1990

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83

Di Ame rika S yarika It was t juga in the lah sa United ya men States yambut that I kedatan r e ceived gan pew the aris su arrival lung sa of my f ya yang irst he pertama ir - Ad eela. T he land Adeela. B o f U .S.A umi U.S.A menjadi s aksi beni became th h cinta say e witness a for the s eed of my love to dengan Rozana . Kesannya te rsangat dalam. Rozana. The im Saya mula pact was deep . I started to look at melihat diri sebagai sebahagian dari kesel uruhan. myself as a part of the larger whole. Before this,
Concept drawings for Senja-installation & performance 1991 Pencil, pen on paper

x: 110cm y: 44cm

Concept drawings for Listen to the land-installation & performance

1992 Pencil, pen on paper

x: 110cm y: 44cm

ap ukis benih dan janin, bercak Sebelum ini saya hanya mel and g kin tal embryo, I was merely drawing human ni. bercampur se akal, sains h ja nd, hu mi n l ka gica mengguna the use of lo th dan berteori wi ng si ri theo maknawi, p secara a t a n e m dan lding, I'm upho mengazan , , w g o n n a t t a u ami t. B a men engal e and ar Kini say m c n e a i y c s a S la. ntial mixing n-semu substa i l e a r s o i m a ng d ty in ri ya . dalam humani ret di g t n eyes o i p v lang r i e m h s a b l o a a as ' and d d y g l n a n a e s i g e c , n cin a. f Ad ikkan perie announ deel t' o ngasy I am 'ex e A h m g i n . da mata e 'l trait ndah aya n th f-por h i gat i l a n e a c f s s l Ia cated myse repli ost a l h I g thou ng. way, risi e m s d me l an u f i eaut so b s i . It ' it g n i 'liv

84

85

HJS-PRN-1991-001a

HJS-PRN-1991-001b

HJS-PRN-1991-001c

HJS-PRN-1991-001d

HJS-PRN-1991-001e

Proclaim II #1-5

1991 x: 47cm y: 110cm Digital print, pencil, ink, photography on papers & canvas

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87

Proclaim

1993 x: 78cm y: 40cm Digital print from original work (Xerography, digital print, pencil, pen, marker, ink on papers)

Saya bersemuka dengan teknologi maklumat yang mulanya sangat saya benci kerana dianggap sebagai pembunuh kemanusiaan. Setelah kenal melalui ilmu, benci saya hilang. Saya mula mengenali perangai media dari Marchall MacLuhan dan Neil Postman, kemudian O.B Hardisson. Saya berkenalan dengan karangan Edward Said dan Naom Chomsky lalu mula berhati-hati dengan agenda manusia yang gila kuasa dan tamak harta. Saya menekuni John Naisbitt, N. Negroponte dan Alvin Tofler untuk meneropong masa depan. Saya juga dibawa sesat melarat dalam rimba pasca moden oleh Jean Baudrillard dan ramai lagi. Saya mula membaca kompleksiti soal budaya dan ekonomi dari sudut yang lebih global.

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89

I encountered information technology which I hated before, mostly because I had assumed that it was the destroyer of humanity. When I got to know it better through knowledge, the hatred disappeared. I started to learn about media behaviors from Marchall MacLuhan and Neil Postman and later from O.B.Hardisson. I got myself acquainted with the work of Edward Said and began to be more cautious of the selfish agendas of powercraze people. I studied John Naisbitt, N.Negroponte and Alvin Tofler to peek into the future. I got myself lost in the jungle of post-modern by Jean Baudrillard and many more. I began to read the complexity of economy and socio-cultural issues from a more global angle.

Studies, notes, sketches & concept drawings for The Return of a Native #1-3

1992/1993 x: 61cm y: 89cm

Pencil, colour pencil, pen, correction fluid on paper

90

91

Studies, notes, sketches & concept drawings for The Return of a Native #4

1992/1993

Studies, notes, sketches & concept drawings for The Return of a Native #5

1992/1993

Studies, notes, sketches & concept drawings for The Return of a Native #6 & #7

1992/1993

x: 61cm y: 52cm Pencil, colour pencil, pen, correction fluid on paper

x: 52cm y: 100cm Pencil, colour pencil, pen, correction fluid on paper

x: 61cm y: 52cm Pencil, colour pencil, pen, correction fluid on paper

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93

Tongkat Ali

1990/1994

x: 95cm y: 74cm Charcoal, pen, oil pastel, acrylic on watercolour paper

I looked at myself and the whole human race as increasingly drowned by the wave of post-modernism, caught off-guard by the surge of globalisation and the wave of information technology, made nervous by the possessive free market economy. I was concerned and wanted to avoid from being intoxicated by culture of spectacle and obsessive consumerism that could make ones heart blind.
HJS-DWG-1994-002

Saya melihat diri saya dan umat manusia semakin tercungap-cungap untuk bernafas dalam gelombang pasca-modernisma, dikejutkan oleh ombak globalisasi dan gelombang teknologi informasi, diresahkan oleh sampuk ekonomi pasaran bebas. Saya khuatir dan mahu mengelak dari mabuk tersedut candu budaya tontonan dan konsumerisma melampau hingga buta serta hitam mata hati.

To flow

1989/1990/1994 Concept drawings for installation & public sculpture 1990/1994

x: 95cm y: 74cm Xerography, colour pencil, pen, ink, acrylic on watercolour paper

x: 95cm y: 74cm Pen, butter paper, acrylic on watercolour paper

94

95

HJS-SKB-1993-001

Studio Notebook U.S.A 1990-1993

1990-1993 Pencil, pen, colour pencil, correction fluid on paper

96

97

Studies, Sketches, Notes & Concept Drawings for Paintings, Prints & Installations (1990-1993)

1990-1993

pencil, pen, colour pencil on paper

98

99

Others were all wrong, only I was right!

100

101

Prasembah 2000: Sebuah Antologi La!

2000

x: 61cm y: 49cm Digital print from website (html)

102

103

104

105

HJS-PRN-1995-002

Visual Notes for Something Fishy II

1995 x: 77cm y: 54cm Xerography, pencil, pen, watercolour, acrylic, butter paper on watercolour paper
HJS-PRN-1995-001

Visual Notes for Something Fishy III

1995 x: 120cm y: 76cm Pen, charcoal, oil pastel, acrylic, marker on batik cloth

Saya marah dengan kemanusiaan yang dipolitikkan oleh kotak perkauman yang sempit. Saya marah dengan kekangan, halangan dan hambatan nostalgia asabiah jumud dan lapuk (tidak kira apa pun kumpulan etnik). Saya benci dengan feudalisma bodek hikmah. yang menghapuskan kebijaksanaan dan Saya meluat dengan budaya 'aku lebih Saya yang

I was angry at humanity that was politicised by narrow ethnic chauvinism. I was angry at the constraints, hurdles and obstacles of defunct and archaic chauvinistic nostalgia (regardless at whatever feudalism ethnic that group). could I hated insincere and threaten wisdom

Akal saya tajamkan untuk memotong dan melukakan apa saja yang saya tidak suka. Akal memang mudah ditajamkan jika mahu. Gaya wacana boleh digilap persis mesin yang berkilat (tapi tiada jiwa). Ia boleh menjadi senjata yang bahaya jika tidak dipandu oleh katak hikmah yang dan budi. Dengan api dan angin, saya mula membina kemahiran kejumudan. mempersendakan diri sendiri dan orang lain hingga sesekali terasa seperti seekor terlompat-lompat mahu melepaskan diri dari tempurung Sesekali terasa seperti seniman perasan yang bertanya pada cermin persis ibu tiri Snow White siapa yang paling cantik dan hebat?

intelligence. I loathed the culture of holier than you or Islamic than you and my songkok is more stiff or my head scap is more white or pure (or green). that I were also loathed and copycat loyally liberalism, spectacle culture and cosmopolitan consumerism ritual! ritually practiced with blind heart, more than religious

alim dan Islam' dan 'songkok aku lebih tegang' atau 'kopiah aku lebih putih (atau hijau).' tontonan dan konsumerisma kosmopolitan juga meluat dengan liberalisma 'salinan,' budaya dianuti dengan taat setia membuta tuli atau khinzir buta persis ritual agama!

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107

I sharpened my mind to cut and injure whatever I disliked. Ones mind was easy to be sharpened if one wanted to. Styles of discourse can be polished like a shiny machine (without a soul!). It may turn into a lethal weapon if it was not steered by wisdom and kindness. With fire and wind, I began to develop a skill in mockering myself and others until I felt like a constantly leaping frog who tirelessly tried to escape its own closemindedness. At times, I felt like a self-absorbed artist who was asking a mirror, much like Snow Whites stepmother, who is the prettiest and greatest of them all? I despised the pretence of formalism in art, as well as mannerism that were superficially acted to feed greed and narrow nepotism. Occasionally, contemporary art scene, be it local or international, made me feel nausea. Saya menyampah dengan kepura-puraan formalisma dalam seni, adab dan aturan yang dibuat-buat atas kepentingan wang dan kabel yang sempit. Sesekali, saya mual dengan seni rupa kontemporari baik lokal mahupun antarabangsa.

HJS-PRN-1996-001 1996 Sketch for Fashion Parade I x: 105cm y: 20cm Dye-sub print, acrylic on synthethic paper

Collection of Lena Bok (Joseph Tan)

HJS-PRN-1996-002 Sketch for Fashion Parade II

1996 x: 44cm y: 20cm Dye-sub print, acrylic on synthethic paper

Collection of Lena Bok (Joseph Tan)

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109

HJS-DWG-1997-002

1997 Blue Print x: 23cm y: 21cm Pencil on paper

Sketch for Vanishing Point

1997 x: 23cm y: 22cm Pencil on paper

HJS-DWG-1997-001

HJS-PRN-1997-001

The Flying Carpet

1997 x: 19cm y: 24cm Pencil, acrylic, laser print on simili paper

110

111

HJS-SKB-1999-001

Sketches & notes (1994 - 1999)

1994-1999 Pencil, pen on paper

112

113

Notes, Studies, Sketches & Concept Drawings for Cenfads Branding.


HJS-SKB-2000-001

2000 Pencil, pen, marker on papers

114

115

dr

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new media

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Islam

non-believ

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offline

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118

118

119

Alami

2002 x: 78cm y: 40cm Digital print from original work (Xerography, pen, marker on paper)

Portrait of Shooshie Sulaiman

2002

x: 41cm y: 57cm Pencil on paper

Inilah gelombang kelima saya. Di hutan Kuala Selangor dan Gunung Kinabalu, banyak hijab terbuka. Ia prelud membuka hijab (ego) agar cahaya rohani (nur) dapat menyuluh diri, yang saya femininkan sebagai Nurbaya. Dalam hidup, perkenalan, persahabatan, kasih dan sayang yang dijodohkan adalah untuk menguji dan membuka tabir hijab (ego) kita. Ia memusnahkan segala talian kesementaraan yang dahulunya saya sangka boleh dipegang selamanya. Rupa-rupanya, talian yang saya pegang dahulu adalah bayang atau kesan kasar. Senang kena tipu. Cahayanya yang halus saya tidak jumpa kerana tidak kenal dengan musuh (diri sendiri) dan terlalu seronok bermesra dan bercinta dengan riak-riak 'bayang.

Portrait of Bibi Chew

2002

x: 40 cm y: 56 cm Pencil on paper

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121

Portrait of Syed 2003

pencil on paper x: 29cm y: 33cm

This is my fifth wave. In the forest of Kuala Selangor and in Kinabalu Mountain, many veils were opened. They were preludes for the opening of my veil (ego) that had allowed the spiritual light to enlighten my soul. I named the light Nurbaya. In life, encounters, friendship and fated love were meant to test and unveil the cloak of our ego. In my case, they were meant to undo my line of attachment to things that I thought were meant to be possessed or owned forever. I realized that such line was merely a shadow or illusion. I was easily duped. I could not attain the higher light because I did not recognise my own worst enemy (myself) and was too busy playing with shadows and ripples.

Concept drawing for installation: Beras sudah terbakar, kita jual akar.

2000 x: 20cm y: 29cm Pen on paper (Rice has been burnt, we sell our roots)

122

123

Sketches For Interfaces

2003/2004 Pencil on paper

HJS-SKB-2003-001

Tempias gelombang ini ada pada kerjakerja lukisan mutakhir, untuk siri terutama 'Bonda,' lakaran-lakaran 'Alami

The impact of this wave can be traced in my recent works, especially sketches for Mother, The One Called Wife and Ripples in Fukuoka. Veil of Nurbaya is the most testing. My male ego was challenged overbearing and melted due on to my dependency physical

'Yang Bernama Isteri,' 'Hijab Nurbaya', Sains Ilham Seni' dan 'Kocak di 'Hijab Nurbaya' pada jauh paling bentuk merantau Fukuoka.' kerana fizikal. jika

menguji. Ego jantan saya pecah dan cair terlalu berpaut terlalu Pepatah zen pernah mengatakan

forms. Zen saying used to remind that if one had journeyed too far to the west, one will only return to the east (its opposite).

seseorang

sesat ke barat, ia hanya akan sampai semula ke timur (lawannya).

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125

x: 52cm

y: 56cm

Collection of Pakhruddin & Fatimah Sulaiman

Setelah terlalu jauh merantau dalam gelora 'Yang' saya sampai semula kepada 'Ying' untuk mengenal fitrah pasangan 'Ying-Yang.' Ibu, isteri, anak-anak dan segala hati yang singgah untuk menyentuh terus jiwa saya, mereka mendekatkan saya kepada fitrah, mungkin bayangan misteri 'pertiwi' yang selama ini disunyikan oleh kesombongan, keangkuhan dan kebisingan gelora 'jantan' yang saya layani separuh mati. Saya kembali lagi kepada fitrah. Semasa di Fukuoka & Kyoto (2003) dan Tokyo & Osaka(2008), kesan ini sangat membekam. Sesekali yang pantas, 'Hasnul' hilang dan terasa saya hanyalah 'ada.

After journeying too far into the storm of my own Yang, I returned to my own Ying to understand the complimentary nature of Ying-Yang. My mother, wife, daughters and all the hearts that have touched mine - they have brought me closer to my true nature, perhaps the mystery of mother-earth that I used to obscure by my own arrogance, as well as the noises of my male stomping that I used to engage whole heartedly. I returned to my true nature. When I was in Fukuoka & Kyoto (2003) and Tokyo & Osaka (2008), the impact was very intense. During some flickering moments, my Hasnul simply dissolved and I just experienced being.

x: 44cm

y: 51cm

Collection of Pakhruddin & Fatimah Sulaiman x: 52cm y: 56cm Collection of Pakhruddin & Fatimah Sulaiman

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127

Prelude to Hijab Nurbaya #2 x: 37.5cm y: 55cm

2003

Prelude to Hijab Nurbaya #3

2003

x: 37.5cm y: 55cm Pencil, charcoal, coffee stain on paper

x: 37.5cm y: 55cm Charcoal on paper

Collection of Aliya & Farouk Khan

HJS-DWG-2003-021

HJS-DWG-2003-022

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129

Bonda series - Subuh #1 (Mother series - Dawn #1)

2003 x: 39cm y: 49cm Charcoal on paper

Bonda series - Subuh #2 (Mother series - Dawn #2)

2003 x: 39cm y: 49cm Charcoal on paper

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131

Bonda series - Sleeping & Watching TV (Mother series)

2003 x: 59cm y: 82cm Charcoal on paper

Bonda series - Contemplating #2 (Mother series)

2003

x: 59cm y: 82cm Charcoal on paper

Bonda series - Relaxing & reciting (Mother series)

2003 x: 59cm y: 82cm Charcoal on paper

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133

Bonda series - Subuh #3 (Mother series - Dawn #3)

2003 x: 48cm y: 82cm Charcoal on paper

Bonda series - Reciting (Mother series)

2003 x: 60cm y: 108cm Charcoal on paper

Bonda series - Selepas Subuh (Mother series - After Dawn)

2003 x: 60cm y: 110cm Charcoal on paper

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135

Bonda series - Contemplating #1 (Mother series)

2003 x: 48cm y: 110cm Charcoal on paper

Bonda series - Resting (Mother series)

2003 x: 48cm y: 110cm Charcoal on paper

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137

x: 59cm y: 82cm

x: 59cm y: 82cm

x: 59cm y: 82cm

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139

Nana

2003 x: 49cm y: 49cm Pencil on paper

Nana - watching tv

2003 x: 47cm y: 60cm

Charcoal on paper

140

141

HJS-DWG-2003-010 x: 59cm y: 82cm Charcoal on brown paper

Signs

2003

Why dont we ponder upon the waves of our own life. Why dont we return to our true nature. The true nature of our heart, of humanity...in dire need for unconditional love. We need to acquire the wisdom to search for the right frequency. Can we?

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Studies for Hijab Nurbaya #1

2003 x: 120cm y: 49cm Pencil on paper

Studies for Hijab Nurbaya #2

2003 x: 84cm y: 49cm Charcoal & Pencil on paper

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145

Balada buat Peta (Ballads of Map Making)

2006/2007

x: 78cm y: 40cm Digital print from original work (pen, marker on paper) Wasiat (The Will) 2005 x: 61cm y: 49cm Digital print from original work (pencil, pen, marker on paper)

146

147

Higher Self

2006 x: 61cm y: 43cm Digital print from original work (pen on paper)

148148

149

149

x: 78cm y: 40cm

150150

151

151

veils of Nurbaya - Korporat (Corporate)

2006 x: 74cm y: 122cm Digital print on canvas

x: 74cm y: 122cm

152152

153

x: 74cm

y: 122cm

x: 74cm

y: 122cm

154

155

Cerita tauladan #2 (Moral of the story #2)

1994/2008 x: 155cm y: 67cm Colour pencil, oil pastel, water colour, sticker on paper

Cerita tauladan #1 (Moral of the story #1)

1994/2008 x: 155cm y: 67cm Colour pencil, oil pastel, water colour, sticker on paper

156

157

157

Concept Drawings, sketches, storyboard & notes for performance, theatre,video & multimedia productions pencil, ink on paper

1984-2008

158 158

159

teri, abanga is aba arg ng lu ip Ke ar ,

pelajar Bekas say a

di

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My UiTM brothers s & sister

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My Extended family

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tional
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My 'guides'

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DANSEMUA SEMUAHATI HATIYANG YANGTELAH TELAH MENYENTUH MENYENTUH DAN DAN MENJADI MENJADI SEBAHAGIAN SEBAHAGIAN DARI DARI GELOMBANG GELOMBANG JIWA SAYA. DOA DAN DOA SAYA SAYA UNTUK UNTUK KALIAN KALIAN SEMUA. SEMUA. 27 27 DISEMBER DISEMBER (HA (HARI PERASMIAN PAMERAN INI) ADALAH HARI ULANGTAHUN PERKAHWINAN SAYA DENGAN ROZANA MOHAMED. ANDALL ALLTHE THEHEARTS HEARTSTHAT THAT HAVE HAVE TOUCHED TOUCHED ME ME AND AND BECAME BECAME A A PART PART OF OF MY MY VIBRATION. VIBRATION. MY PRAYER FOR AND FOR ALL. ALL. 27 27 DECEMBER DECEMBER (THE (THE OPENING OPENING RECEPTION) RECEPTION) IS THE ANNIVERSARY DATE FOR ROZANA AND I.

(Art Space) 12 Ga

ors

rcep 4 pe My rs he brot

tion

My (i col ns l ti ect tu o ti rs on s)

i en

le

ri

pe PROF. T.K. n SABAPATHY, PROF. DR. WAN ZAWAWI, PROF. DATO' SHAMSUL AMRI, DATO' MAZLAN OTHMAN, DATO' IBRAHIM KOMO, WAIRAH MARZUKI, U-WEI SHAARI, SABRI IDRUS, TENGKU AZHARI, KAMAL SABRAN, NASIR BAHARUDDIN, BADROLHISHAM, YAP SAU BIN, CHUA CHONG YONG, HASMI HASHIM, OOI KOK CHUEN, ZABBAS, J.ANU, LEE KHAI, CH'NG HUCK TENG, DATO' TAN CHEE KHUAN, BEVERLY YONG, RAFIZAH, MAJIDI AMIR, RAHMAT HARON, AMIR MUHAMMAD, NAGUIB RAZAK, HASNUL RAHMAT, ISAZALY, KATHY ROWLAND dan ramai lagi
l ah

tempat saya at be r

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Rakan-raka n k ur at o

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PROF TAN SRI DATO DZULKIFLI ABDUL RAZAK

DOAKAN KEBAHAGIAAN KAMI HINGGA AKHIR HAYAT.

mereka

akademik, penul is li ah &

te d

My

Bos

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My 'Senior' friends & heroes

, NADIAH BAMADHAJ

ya

(n

k serik ber tida ko ng ng ya s uh

My

cu

r ato

Kol ek to r Balai Seni Lukis Negara Malaysia, Sabah Art Gallery, Nanyang Art Academy Singapore, Southern Illinois University USA, IEAR Studios Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy USA

sa

ya

ga ba

a menjadi s iman eor a

ng

pe m

an g g u r u

ka PAKHRUDDIN & ry a FATIMAH SULAIMAN, FAROUK & ALIYA KHAN, SHOOSHIE SULAIMAN, ZANITA ANUAR, BIBI CHEW, NUR HANIM KHAIRUDDIN, LENA BOK (MENDIANG JOSEPH TAN) dan lain-lain kolektor yang sudi menjadikan karya-karya saya sebagai sebahagian dari koleksi mereka. Antaranya termasuklah, Tony Tan, U-wei Shaari, Dato' Zawawi Ismail, Tun Hanif Omar, Ismail Mostam, Dato Dr Lim Kok Wing, Datin Valarie Albakri, Redza Piyadasa, Wong Hoy Cheong, Kathy Rowland, Hamidi Abdul Hadi, Chuah Chong Yong, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Zanita Anuar, Sharifah Zuriah, Abdul Aziz Othman, Omar Othman, Taha Ismail, Zainal Abidin Saidon, Zaharul Lailiddin Saidon, Azni Zarina Taha, Jaafar Ismail

n pi im

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ka n

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me

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ALLAHYARHAM DATO' IBRAHIM HUSSEIN & ISTERI DATIN SIM, DATUK SYED AHMAD JAMAL, JOLLY KOH, LEE KIAN SENG, KHOO SUI HOE, YEOH JIN LENG, DATO' TANG HON YIN, YUSOF GHANI, dan ramai lagi

nra k

My brothers & sisters

es

an

e My clos pupils

PACHINGEY LANUS, FAIZAL ZULKIFLI, T.C. LIEW, SITI NAZURAH HASHIM, TAN SEI HON, TAN HUI KOON, ROOPESH SITHARAN, SABINA AROKIAM, SHARIFAH AMIRA, LING SIEW WOEI, ANUAR AYOB, HELENA SONG, SUZI SHUHAIMI, TENTERA GULANG, RAHAH HASAN

My

Keluarga

'wi

fe'

My

vi s

da

ac

kb

on

du yang sud i m indivi emi or nj ekt am ol

My Pare nts & Heroes

Tuanku Fauziah, ri Un le iv Ga er & si t um RADHIYAH ABU BAKAR, ZOLKURNIAN HASSAN, MOHD FIRDAUS KHAIRUDDIN, NOR LAILA ABDUL RAZAK, SAFINAWATI SAMSUDIN, NUR HAFIZAH ABDUL AZIZ, AIZUAN AZMI, SHAMSUL IKHMAL MANSORI, NOR MOHAMMAD ABD RAHIM, SALIM IBRAHIM, IZRUL ABD AZIZ, NOORDIN BAN, MOHAMAD YAZDI YAACOP, NOOR RASHID SABIDI, MUHAMMAD HUSNI ABD LATIFF, ROSLI HAMZAH, ROHAYAH SANAPI, FARIDAH HASHIM, SALMIAH MOHAMAD, RAVI VANSAMY, SHAMSUL BAHARI, DR. ASKANDAR UNGLEHRT

My friends in the media

zi

Mu

pelajar, saha ba

di

ba ny a JUHARI SAID, SYARMIZA ABU HASSAN, BIBI CHEW, SAYZRI IMRI & TAN, SHARIN HAMID, JUNAIDAH LOJONG, RAIME RAHIM, GOH CHIU KUAN, AZRI ABDULLAH, SARMAN MOHAMAD, JIMMY CHOONG, FITRIYAH YUNUS, MOHD HAIRUDDIN, NG SOON MANG, YAZIR, NURUL AIDA, WONG ENG LEONG, SUPERI, NURMIZA, AIDA SAZLIN, NORDALILAH, NG WEI LING, AWANG MAHADI, YAZID KAMAL BAHARIN, LIM KOK YONG, TAN CHEE LOK, FARIZA IDORA ALHABSHI, ADRIN TEO, TAN SIEW ENG, RAJA MOHD, HATTA, NURIMAN, SARAH JOAN, REVATHY, NUR HASMIZAI, SALAHUDDIN, NORUSLIANA, LUANNE TAN
n

ak an

k ana

'Sonneratia' y an g

, ar aj

Raka

My

So

di ja en

pensya r a h , rang ant seo ar an

ya

an Int n a k lu Int Teuk l Te

yang mewarnai hid up

sa ya

ts ds Ar en e ri iv f F ' ' r e My nt Ce

ALLAHYARHAM TUAN HJ. HASSAN

em ZULKIFLI CHE' HARRIS, IZADDIN, JOHAN MARJONID, HASNUL HADI, NUR HANIM KHAIRUDDIN, NOOR AZIZAN PAIMAN, AMERUDDIN, AMIN, ROSLI ZAKARIA, HAMDAN SHAARANI, NORIZAN MUSLIM, MANSOR, ZAIRI, SYARMIZA ABU HASAN, SUHAIMI TOHID, PACHINGEY LANUS, FAIZAL ZULKIFLI, FARID ZAINUDDIN, SYED ALWI, AZNAN, AZIMAH, HASHIMAH, HAMIDI HADI, DAUD RAHIM, LIZA, HELENA SONG, NABILA, FOO TSAN MEI, JOHN HII, ALOYSOUS YAP, ALIZAM HASSAN, SAFRIZAL SHAHIR, GODENG, DAHLIA, HANA, ALONE, GENG 'EAG', HAFIZ ALONG, LAI KHIN MING, ASHAARI, FAIRUZ, ABUSENIE, CORRINA HO, ZAIMIE, RACHEL NG, VERONICA S, SUZANA BUJAL dan ramai lagi yang saya tidak dapat ingat
M,
My gu

AS, IM UN

Cenfad dan USM,

ya ng

n ka at bu

ara mara & a saudaudara mara k &w aa k nw s a, a k n ar ra, awk a ud aa nwa sa aud n di s di u

syukur a ber say

d i t akd ir ka n
rus

k
me

a ja ng
rta menguj r se i s ay a

Sa

s in

Ma l
a yang ban aysi yak

g tidak sombo yan ng ia un ys tu la k Ma

me

uk mb
(eg ijab a h

nne

am f

liy

er

ti

me ng aj a

o) saya

-k

ar

ya

den ga n

sa

ya

s end fri ad My f Cen at

ke

engalaman, ter mas i p gs uk on la rk h be

dal

st In

ca ha

am

usi it

i mereka u n tuk koleks pam er an

i
n da

men

gk

yokong perja la

ar

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yan
rnah memban g pe tu

na n

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ti d

ak

on berk

gsi ilmu

Biodata
Hasnul is the youngest son of a religious teacher Saidon Pandak Noh and an entrepreneur Jamaliah Noordin from Teluk Intan, Perak. Born in 1965, he received his formal training in Fine Art, majoring in painting from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) from 1984 until 1988. At UiTM, he received early doses of artistic foundation from Joseph Tan and Ruzaika Omar Basaree, regimented training in painting from Fauzan Omar and Chong Kam Kaw, printmaking from Ponirin Amin and Awang Damit, sculpture from Zakaria Awang and Ariffin Ismail and drawing from Ismail Zain and Amron Omar. He joined Centerstage Performing Arts upon graduating from UiTM and worked intensively from 1988-89 as production assistant, stage designer, performer, singer and musician for various stage productions, while receiving guidance from theatre activist Normah Nordin, costume designer Najib Nor, dancer Zuraida Malik, musician Iryanda Mulya and actress Fauziah Nawi. He pursued his study in the United States from 1990 until 1993 which he earned his Bachelors in Fine Art from Southern Illinois University (SIU) and Masters of Fine Art in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). In the United States, he received exposure to electronic music from Neil Rolnick, Richard Povall, Barton and Priscilia McLean, computer art from Miroslav Rogala, activist video art from Branda Miller and collaborated with several electronic music composers such as Karl Korte. Since he came back to Malaysia in late 1993, Hasnul had served as a lecturer in drawing and painting at UiTM in 1993, lecturer in Electronic Arts and Integrated Media, Head of Fine Art Department and later Deputy Dean at the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) from 1994-2000, Head of Design and New Media at Center for Advanced Design (Cenfad) from 2000 until 2001. He joined Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2002 and had served as the Chairman of the Design Department before taking a post as the Deputy Dean (Arts and Cultural Development), School of the Arts, USM. Currently, he serves as the Director of Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah, USM. One of Hasnul's critical academic roles is to pioneer several new programmes that incorporate the use of new media technology, as well as several supporting academic activities such as exhibitions and artist's talks. As an academician, Hasnul's research and essays have been published in books, exhibition catalogues, magazines, newspapers, journals, websites and seminar or conference proceedings. As a researcher, Hasnul is interested in the application of new media, media theory and popular culture in the contemporary art practices. Amongst his major output are 1st Electronic Art Show National Art Gallery 1997, E-Art Asean Online National Art Gallery and UNIMAS 2000, Spirit of Iron: Retrospection of An Enigma Petronas Gallery 2001, In The Name of Time : Young Contemporaries National Art Gallery 2004, Takung National Art Gallery 2005 and Between Generations, UM, USM & Valentine Willie Fine Art 2007. In 2003, he received a research grant from the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum to study the use of media technology in the Japanese contemporary art practices. Other than researching and writings, Hasnul has also been invited to serve as exhibition curator, head of jury or judge for various art competitions, consultant and director for art camps, member of selection panel for art festivals, member of board of directors, member of advisory panel for academic programmes, as well as director/consultant for many design projects for exhibition, stage and film productions. Amongst his critical efforts is initiating an innovative integrated Youth Art Camp called Sonneratia. As a visual artist, Hasnul has been involved in numerous local and international exhibitions as well as video screenings. He has won several local and international visual arts awards which include Young Contemporary, Phillip Morris Awards, Malaysian Video Awards and Atlanta Film & Video Festival Awards USA. Hasnul works in cross-media which includes drawing, painting, digital print, animation, video, song composition and music and theatre production. His artworks have been shown and screened internationally in the 2nd & 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial, Brisbane, Australia and many other countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, China, United States of America, Canada, Rep. of Czech, Spain and Sweden. When the tending his garden home. Hasnul is a princesses Adeela, of a faithful wife world is more forgiving, he can be seen or doing domestic decoration in USM or at full-time father of three beautiful Amira and Ainina, and a full-time husband Rozana Mohamed. Teluk Intan, Perak. Dilahirkan pada 1965, beliau menerima

Biodata
Hasnul ialah anak bongsu kepada seorang guru agama, Saidon Pandak Noh dan usahawan wanita Jamaliah Noordin dari pendidikan formal dalam Seni Halus, pengkhususan dalam bidang catan di Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dari 1984 hingga 1988. Di UiTM, Hasnul memperolehi dedahan asas seni dari Joseph Tan dan Ruzaika Omar Basaree, seni catan dari Fauzan Omar dan Chong Kam Kaw, seni cetak dari Ponirin Amin dan Awang Damit, seni arca dari Zakaria Awang dan Ariffin Ismail dan lukisan dari Ismail Zain dan Amron Omar. Beliau menyertai 'Centerstage Performing Arts' setelah tamat di UiTM dan berkerja sebagai pembantu produksi, pereka pentas, penyanyi dan pemain muzik untuk pelbagai persembahan pentas dibawah tunjuk-ajar aktivis teater Normah Nordin, pereka kostum Najib Nor, penari Zuraida Malik, pemuzik Iryanda Mulya dan pelakon Fauziah Nawi. Hasnul melanjutkan pelajaran ke Amerika Syarikat dari 1990 hingga 1993 dan memperolehi Ijazah Sarjana Muda Seni Halus dari Southern Illinois University (SIU) dan Ijazah Sarjana Seni Halus dalam bidang Seni Elektronik dari Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Di Amerika Syarikat, beliau mendapat didikan seni muzik elektronik dari Neil Rolnick, Richard Povall, Barton dan Priscilia McLean, seni komputer dari Miroslav Rogala, seni video aktivis dari Branda Miller, serta berkolabrasi dengan beberapa orang pengkarya seni muzik elektronik terkemuka seperti Karl Korte. Setelah kembali ke Malaysia pada lewat 1993, beliau telah berkhidmat sebagai pensyarah lukisan dan catan di UiTM, pensyarah dalam bidang Seni Elektronik dan Media Paduan, Ketua Program dan kemudiannya Timbalan Dekan di Fakulti Seni Gunaan dan Kreatif, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) dari 1994 hingga 2000, Ketua Rekabentuk dan Media Baru di Center For Advanced Design (Cenfad) dari 2000 hingga 2001. Beliau menyertai Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) pada tahun 2002 dan telah berkhidmat sebagai Pengerusi Bahagian Rekabentuk sebelum dilantik ke jawatan Timbalan Dekan (Pembangungan Seni & Budaya), Pusat Pengajian Seni USM pada tahun 2004. Kini beliau bertugas sebagai Pengarah, Muzium dan Galeri Tuanku Fauziah, USM. Peranan akademik beliau yang utama termasuklah merintis program-program baru yang melibatkan penggunaan teknologi dan teori media baru, dan pemantapan program-program sokongan seperti aktiviti pameran serta seminar karyawan. Sebagai ahli akademik, penyelidikan dan penulisan Hasnul telah diterbitkan dalam pelbagai buku, katalog pameran, majalah, akhbar, jurnal, laman web, mahupun prosiding konferensi dan seminar. Sebagai seorang pengkaji, Hasnul berminat mengkaji aplikasi media baru, teori media dan budaya Antara hasil
st

popular dalam amalan seni tampak kontemporari. utama penulisan beliau adalah 1

Electronic Art Show, Balai

Seni Lukis 1997, E-Art Asean Online, Balai Seni Lukis Negara dan UNIMAS 2000, Semangat Besi: Retrospeksi Sebuah Enigma, Galeri Petronas 2001, Demi Masa : Bakat Muda Sezaman, Balai Seni Lukis Negara 2004, Takung Balai Seni Lukis Negara 2005 dan Antara Generasi UM, USM & Valentine Willie Fine Art 2007. Pada tahun 2003, beliau telah menerima geran penyelidikan dari Fukuoka Asian Art Museum untuk mengkaji pengunaan teknologi media dalam amalan seni tampak kontemporari Jepun. Selain dari penulisan dan penyelidikan, Hasnul juga telah dijemput sebagai kurator pameran, ketua hakim atau juri untuk pelbagai pertandingan seni, perunding dan pengarah kem seni, ahli panel pemilih untuk festival seni, ahli lembaga pengarah, ahli panel penasihat untuk beberapa program akademik universiti-universiti tempatan, juga pengarah dan perunding untuk beberapa projek rekabentuk produksi pameran, pentas dan filem. Antara projek penting yang telah dirintis oleh beliau adalah Kem Seni Remaja Sonneratia. Sebagai seorang pengkarya seni tampak, Hasnul telah terlibat dalam banyak pameran peringkat kebangsaan dan antarabangsa, termasuk tayangan video. Beliau telah memenangi beberapa anugerah seni tampak peringkat kebangsaan dan antarabangsa untuk karya-karya beliau termasuk Anugerah Bakat Muda Sezaman, Anugerah Phillip Morris, Anugerah Malaysian Video Awards dan Anugerah Atlanta Film & Video Festival di Amerika Syarikat. Hasnul berkarya dalam pelbagai disiplin seni meliputi catan, lukisan, video, cetakan digital, animasi, muzik, teater dan penggubahan lagu. luar Negara termasuk 2
nd

Karya-karya beliau telah

dipamer dan ditayangkan di pelbagai pameran antarabangsa di & 3


rd

Asia-Pacific Triennial, Brisbane,

Australia dan lain-lain negara termasuklah Singapura, Thailand, Indonesia, Filipina, China, Jepun, Amerika Syarikat, Republik Czech, Sepanyol dan Sweden. Apabila dunia lebih memaafkan, Hasnul boleh dilihat mengerjakan lamannya dan membuat kerja dekorasi dalaman di rumah dan USM. Hasnul ialah bapa sepenuh masa kepada tiga orang puteri yang cantik, Adeela, Amira dan Ainina; dan suami sepenuh masa kepada seorang isteri yang setia, Rozana Mohamed.

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12, was first opened to public on 9-012007 as contemporary art space. The organization is geared towards creating a platform for the development and experimentation of contemporary visual art and artists in Malaysia.

12 represents selected artists and their selected series of specific works. 12


provide professional support to these artists through exhibition, studio and rigorous documentation which warrant in depth research and concentration towards content and its process.

12s curatorial team is led by shooshie


sulaiman, and its archival team is led by fatina alfis zolkifli. They work in collaboration with a guest team, as per event direction and specifications.

12 Jalan Gombak, Off Jalan Pahang, Setapak 53000 Kuala Lumpur. T/F: 03 4023 4128 E: info@12as12.com www.12as12.com

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