The artists of Tangga.
KUCHING: The Tangga Art Exhibition at HAUS KCH this weekend is held to highlight the talents of young visual artists whom many may not have heard of.
According to the organisers ‘9Lives’, the collection is varied comprising 11 masks crafted by three artists based on their imaginations or nightmares, Sarawakian legends inspired by the distinctive style of Alphonse Mucha, portraits rendered in line art, and mandalas rendered in henna.
Upon entering, visitors are greeted by a tableau of handcrafted masks, each mounted on a backing board like trophies (heads) from a hunting trip.
Tangga curator Husni Zuhairin – or Didi – said he was staring at that wall about a week ago, trying to decide the future of some leftover wooden boards.
This rumination led to mounting masks – a pending project – on the board as a way of displaying them. Two other artists Muiz Pauzi and Ezat Rahman contributed masks to the project, crafting them out of papier mache, an old lamp shade, chicken wire, and literally any old junk lying around.
Together with a visiting artist Rajimin from Sabah and several local artists, ‘Tangga’ is both a reference to the stairs one as to climb to get to the 9Lives studio and the local lingo for ‘look’.
“I like to think that ‘tangga’ refers to us climbing up to the next level,” said Didi.
The others are mandala artist Yasmin Zaidi, calligraphy artist Mohd Amiruddin (Amin), and digital artist Yasmin Yusuf.
Amin holds a portrait of the late Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem – rendered partially in ‘khat’ that spells out his name.
For Amin, who specialises in ‘khat’ (Islamic calligraphy), the art begins with procuring the perfect writing tool, namely calligraphy pens that he whittles down himself from bamboo sourced from the jungle.
When asked on what the difference was that from store-bought pens, Amin said his self-made tool would enable him to customise it for the hand that would be wielding it.
“I have store-bought pens but you can see that they are shorter than the ones I make for myself. It doesn’t feel right when I use them,” he said, adding that everyone would know when they were writing with the ‘perfect pen’ – just like they would also know if the pen did not have the right balance or feel.
There are three workshops running today – ‘khat’, digital painting and water colour. Paper will be provided, but participants must bring their own brushes and painting materials. Participants of the digital workshop must bring their own tablet or laptop computers.
Tangga at HAUS KCH opens from 11am to 9pm. Their workshops commence at 2pm and each participant is charged RM15 per session. The exhibition ends today.