Figure 1: Artist winning Grand Prize at 'Waste to Art Competition 2021'
Sharmiza Abu Hassan is a Malaysian contemporary artist currently base at Melaka. Sharmiza's artworks exemplifies her credibility as one of Malaysia's celebrated female sculptor professionally acknowledged through exhibitions and competitions, such as her recent achievement 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' artwork, winning Gold Prize at 'Waste to Art' Competition by SWCORP in conjunction with Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT).
'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' is a contemporary artwork with a conscious message of awareness, after more than 2 years of confronting with Covid-19 pandemics ideals and ideas.
Sharmiza's visual art contributions remains significant in national as well as international art scene.
Born in Taiping, Perak, her formative days developed in ITM (UiTM) as a fine art student learning from the Grand Masters of Malaysia's earliest Modern Art School.
Sharmiza's earlier recognition period started in 1995 when she was awarded 'Best Student Award' by ITM (UiTM) under department of Fine Arts. A year later in 1996, Sharmiza received a Minor award through the 'Young Contemporary Art Competition (BMS)' by Malaysian National Art Gallery, where in 2004 she received the Jurors award. Sharmiza entered the Oita Sculpture Competition in 1997 and 1999, where in both platform she was selected as finalist. In 1998 she received Honourable Mention, by Malaysian National Art Gallery through the 'Philip Morris Art Competition'.
By 2004 Sharmiza won 1st Prize in the sculpture category in the 'Johor Art Competition', and in 2005 she was appointed project manager for building UiTM Sculpture Park - 'Laman Arca MIM' at the Counsellor building of UiTM Shah Alam.
Since then Sharmiza's contemporary artworks has been selected and exhibited all around the globe at Germany, London, China, Sweden, Australia, Indonesia, besides her active participation in Malaysian visual art scene.
In 2013 Sharmiza was awarded with her Doctoral Philosophy (PhD) by practice based from RMIT University Australia. Hence as an art educator, artist, wife, and mother Sharmiza has been contributing her best as exemplified in her recent Gold Prize recognition, by her 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' artwork at the 2021 Waste to Art competition.
Figure 2: Artist development process for 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)'
The selection of such title 'Cabinet of Curiosity' itself depicts a contemporary approach by the artist. Contemporary art is keen to have an inclusive approach which invites viewers and audience to engaged or participate with the visual forms represented in an artwork.
Contemporary art does not merely have to portray reality within its ideal forms such as the classical themes of academic art, nor does it speaks of a higher (meta) reality such as the Avant-Garde modernist artist positioning their dimensions of exclusive reality, however contemporary art inclines towards a more inclusive reality, one which the artist acts as an interpretative agent who collects or re-collects entities, experiences, as well as shape identities and origins into suggestions of meanings in the context of Art.
Viewers can contemplate and engage through such interactive meaningful process of one's artwork such as 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)'. The idea of a cabinet suggest a reservation as well as daily confrontation towards the reality of uncertainties and curiosities of the Covid-19 pandemic situation represented towards each and everyone of us.
In analyzing the idea of placing and re-placing items on shelves of cabinets suggest our daily curiosities in taking part throughout the whole pandemic situation.
The initial concept of the artist was to depict a cabinet-museum as a reservation and reminder towards our role in such uncertain pandemic situation. The storage of 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' situated on top of its four (4) tier plated shelves are different juxtapose forms of representations which depicts skulls and respiratory organ parts such as the human lung, trachea, bronchi, as well as bronchioles.
The symmetrical structure of the cabinet altogether, its four (4) legs proportionately placed in supporting its whole structure. The whole structure suggests a strata of the human body, from bottom-top. The four (4) stands at the bottom, four (4) plated shelves at the middle, and on top of the whole structure, the lungs, altogether might suggest the four limbs of a human being with its identical assets of bodily organs juxtaposed between one another, highlighting a form of curiosity as derived from its title 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)'.
What attracts the attention of the viewers is how the artist puts the main respiratory parts of the human body which is the lungs and its systems on top of its structural orientation strata, confronting an alarming concept of awareness on the importance of protecting our respiratory system during the Covid-19 pandemic. Such concept is depicted indirectly rather than depiction forms of the Covid-19 protein structure which recently has been so generic upon representation.
Factors of respiratory leads to the first rule of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) when we engage in public, which is the 'Face Mask’.
Figure 3: Artist experimenting methods and technical approaches on material
If the respiratory system such as the lungs in ‘Cabinet if Curiosity (2021)’ suggested importance on self awareness within abiding SOPs during the pandemic situation we find ourselves, then what does the depictions of skulls within its confined area-space suggests?
The four (4) standing legs supporting the four (4) plated shelves of the artwork’s structure, if systematically analyzed in detail, three (3) of the bottom shelve with its meticulous forms are arranged in order, balance, and harmony, whereby such depictions from the artist suggests the systematic orientations of SOPs we confront ourselves, one such as social distancing, throughout its strict marking, positioning, steps as well as procedures.
The skulls suggest a deceiving reality more than what meets the ordinary eyes. The repetition of different skulls through its reserved placings and positions does not merely suggest death casualties by its horror forms and numbers, however it brings viewers towards a reality through existential entity as well as experience where we might find ourselves and the people around us confronting between the faces of life or death during chapters of this uncertain pandemic.
Figure 4: 'For The Love of God (2007)' - Damien Hirst
Skulls as subject matter is evident since the classical antiquities of art as seen in execution of artworks by 'Medieval' as well as 'Dutch Realism' artists, where to a certain extent there are celebrated genres in art called ‘Vanitas’, which depicts the ephemerality of life through its seduction as well as vulnerabilities.
The secular approach towards 'Vanitas' is 'Momento Meri' also suggesting a symbolic trope acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death, even celebrated contemporary artist such as Damien Hirst through skulls subject matter as his sculptural artwork in figure 4: 'For The Love of God (2007)', as well as other artworks around its theme of Momento Mori such as 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991)', and others.
These skull subjects suggest alarming reminders to be confronted and lived by. Through cautious measures, by not stepping backwards, and continuing to move forward in life towards possibilities and opportunities of the new normal realities. Hence, the depictions of skulls and representation forms in 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021) acts as a reminder to confront Covid-19 pandemic with all our might, rather than to celebrate its existence.
Figure 5: Exploration of process and materials by artist
By utilizing plastic materials as main subject materials for an artwork constitute towards questions such as can recycle materials become a work Art? Artist since the earlier classical eras have been utilizing different subjects, techniques, process, and approaches in art, what makes the demarcation in the cannons of art history is between wether one material or technique is ideal or not, which leads to its worthiness to be appreciated as a work of Art. However since the Avant-Garde Modernist era, more than a century before us, artist have been experimenting with various materials, techniques, and approaches worthy to be established and called as work of Art.
In blurring such demarcation of ideal worthiness, Pablo Picasso through modern art movements such as cubism along with Georges Braque has been charging exceptional approaches which challenges the ideal classics of traditional academic arts, which can be found in almost all their respective works, in terms of sculpture or assemblage, within the phase of Synthetic Cubism, Picasso created a radical sculpture one such as 'Guitar (1914)' from cardboard material to depict representational forma of a guitar.
The material Picasso used were against the ideal traditional sculpture material such as bronze, wood, and marble. However during those time of Avant-Garde heydays, plastic materials such as cooking oil bottles, mineral bottle, soft drink bottles as used by the artist in 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' was not democratized nor accessible to everyone.
'Plastic Injection Moulding' the process to produce goods or product materials such as bottles in different types and function as found in 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' was introduced as early as 1872, when the first moulding machine was invented and patterned, by inventors Isaiah and John Hyatt. Later on during the 1930s a difficult period of 'Great Depression', saw immense progression in thermoplastic materials.
After the post-war revolution plastic became cost-effective production on a large scale demand, it became an integral part of Modern economy. Turning as a solution towards economical problems since post war, now in the 21st century plastics has become an integral material contributing towards climate change through Land and Sea pollution.
United Nation (UN) organisations introduced initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with its components upon battling pollution materials to save our mother nature.
In the 'Waste to Art 2021' competition, the artwork 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' contributes towards the moral awareness of SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) as well as SDG12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) respectively.
The artist collects these recycle materials such as plastics and aluminium metals from her past work projects, and articulates them through the use of heat and soldering iron technique to transform these material into forms which depicts curiosity as well as uncertainty, through the tactile and texture formed as the after effect of such process. The plastic materials are inclusive items which can be found in our houses, everyone drinks water, especially bottled water, everyone cooks, especially using bottled cooking oils. The artwork communicates awareness messages from used materials that could be found around us within the context of art.
In a nutshell, 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' has been a clear message which invites viewers to experiences its re-collection of entities, at the same time pushes its audience's paradigm and perspective within the confrontation of the daily global pandemic issues we find ourselves. It depicts caution reminders, through the concept of reserving our vulnerabilities, and encapsulating them within such alarming cabinet container to be remembered, rather than to be celebrated.
The arrangement of such alarming object forms of skulls and organs, placed in balance, order, and proportion of curiosity calls us to unite together by abiding positive initiatives introduced within battling todays uncertain pandemic situation, through strict daily SOPs such as respiratory protections as well as social contact and distancing. 'Cabinet of Curiosity (2021)' has always been an appreciation gesture through Sharmiza Abu Hassan's existence as a professional female sculptor artist, within the arena of Malaysian Art Scene.
PACAQ is honoured to have Sharmiza Abu Hassan working hand by hand as permanent member in sharing experience, thoughts, as well as guidance in her related areas to Public Art in Malaysia's rapidly developing art scene.
'Keep on Charging!'
MUSADDIQ MOHAMAD KHALIL
Department of Liberal Studies
UiTM Alor Gajah
PACAQ- UITM RIG 2021
Comments
Post a Comment