The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion |
| Posted: The National Visual Arts Gallery is rolling out special exhibitions tied to 55th anniversary celebration. The National Visual Arts Gallery turns 55 this year and the arts hub of Malaysia will be hosting various events and activities to commemorate its emerald anniversary. Director-general of the National Visual Arts Development Board, Haned Masjak said the celebration was important to honour the gallery's achievements over the years. It will also serve to remind the public and highlight the nation's progress in the field of arts. "The local art community keeps growing every year and we want to celebrate Malaysia's art journey. Apart from that, we would like to recognise the contribution of all local artists and visual art enthusiasts," said Haned in a recent press conference held at the national gallery. "At the same time, we're looking forward to popularise art among Malaysians from various background, especially among the younger crowd. There's a need to hone a community that is passionate about the arts."  National Visual Arts Gallery The festivity will feature an array of programmes that include art exhibitions and forums, interactive pop-up booths, talks, classes and the launch of the new National Portrait Gallery that will display portraits of prominent national figures. "The new gallery is part of our growing initiative to establish a special institution solely dedicated to portraits in the future," Haned revealed. The National Portrait Gallery – at the National Visual Arts Gallery – will be unveiled on Aug 27. The celebration will also see the national gallery rolling out Art Net, a three-day networking platform (Aug 23-25) between visual artists and the public through a two-way consultation concept. Haned said that the platform is an initiative that will allow Malaysians to have a more comprehensive understanding about the world of visual arts. In addition to that, a special exhibition entitled M50 – Selamat Hari Malaysia (Aug 26 to Oct 8) will also be held at the national gallery and MAP@Publika in Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with Merdeka Day. A total of 40 galleries across the nation will participate in the event, which pays homage to the country's development and modernisation as seen through the eyes of contemporary visual artists. Other notable programmes in the line-up at the National Visual Arts Gallery include a special tribute exhibit PG Lim Remembered in honour of the late Tan Sri Lim Phaik Gan (Aug 30), a series of video lectures by the late renowned arts figure Ismail Zain (Oct 16) and an absorbing exhibit entitled Siapa Pelukis Malaysia? (Sept 16). For more schedules and programme details, visit www.artgallery.gov.my. |
| Posted: A homegrown company merges tradition with vision. INTERWOVEN with threads of silver, a midnight blue panel shimmers softly on the wall. Beside it, crisp, angular lines are presented in contrast with circular motifs in bronze and pale gold. One is inspired by ancient mosaic art from the Roman Empire, while the other borrows from Japanese vintage kimono motifs and wood block prints. This is songket art from Senijari (www.senijari.com) at its contemporary best: an impressive fusion of traditional craftsmanship and cultural elements from far beyond our shores – an exploration of the familiar culminating in a new take on the traditional. "We are offering a modern, classy take on a traditional heritage craft. Each piece of Senijari fabric is handwoven using an intricate supplementary weft technique on the handloom, in the same way people did in the past," says Senijari founder and creative director Suryani Senja Alias of the songket products during a chat in Kuala Lumpur. Holding true to the spirit of tradition, threads are painstakingly hand-dyed, dried and woven on the loom to form the background of the cloth, with metallic gold threads inserted in between the silk or cotton threads to create a pattern. These rich and luxurious songket fabrics were traditionally brought out only for special occasions and signified the social structure of the elite. The craft might be old, but these handmade products from Senijari boasts modern design aesthetics. "They have a more universal appeal," says Suryani. Indeed this is something that not many traditional craft projects can hold to its name. She goes on to share that among the bestsellers are the jewellery pieces. With songket fabric handcrafted into flowers or twisted into ribbons, and paired with stones, charms, or chunky chains and the odd skull or two thrown into the picture, these are contemporary and edgy accessories that you can't miss on someone.  Senijari songket shawls are handwoven from fine filament silk and metallic threads. "Many of our designs have influences from other cultures. It's fresh, innovative and more relevant to today," says Suryani, who hails from Kelantan. She points out that many people, particularly those with a love for travelling or the arts, are exposed to different cultures and design aesthetics. An avid globetrotter herself, she draws inspiration from the sights and sounds from her travels and incorporates them into her designs. She comes up with all the design concepts and visuals, and then collaborates with a textile designer and a group of weavers in Sarawak to translate these designs into Senijari products. "It is very exciting for me to watch an idea take form, to see how rough images and visuals transform into reality, into a product," she says. The former chairperson of the Yayasan Tuanku Nur Zahirah, a non-profit foundation that aims to preserve, enhance and promote indigenous craft and heritage, is a lawyer by profession who has several years of living abroad under her belt.  Crescent Moons At The Louvre is inspired by an Islamic-influenced mosaic piece. "I have lived in many different countries and I travel very widely. I like going to markets, art galleries and bazaars. India, Morocco and Syria in particular are places I find totally mind-boggling, they have amazing handmade stuff," she says. The homegrown heritage-inspired lifestyle brand takes its name from the words seni (art in Malay) and jari (finger), a reference to the creation of handmade art. Artisans around the world face challenges in creating a sustainable livelihood; it is not different in Malaysia, and Senijari sets out to support Malaysia's traditional crafts by developing ways to ensure these crafts remain vibrant and economically viable. "We work a lot with weavers from underprivileged communities and help to preserve our heritage and improve the livelihoods of artisans, weavers and craftsman," explains Suryani. A portion of sales proceeds from Senijari products will be channelled back into offering partnerships and other opportunities to artisans and designers in developing heritage-based products. Launched earlier this year, the products are divided into three collections: fashion and accessories (shawls and jewellery), home and living (table runners and cushion covers) and textile art. "Traditional songket often have repetitive motifs and have loud, bold colours," says Suryani, adding that she opts for "a more subtle palette." "I try to limit myself to two or three shades in one piece to create a minimalist and modern effect." The current collection – which took over a year in the works – comes in lots of blue, cream and grey with gold or silver, with the occasional accent shawl in bright saffron yellow and fuchsia pink. "Senijari is an exclusive brand and I try hard to maintain the integrity of the design as well as its traditional aspects," Suryani relates. Looking to launch her second collection at the end of this year, she is toying with the idea of pairing a deep orange with a strong cobalt blue. Expect grey and burgundy thrown into the basic colour scheme of black and grey, gold and silver. "I intend to make use of antique Malaysian textiles in this collection. You might have a bag with bits of antique textiles, for example," she says, adding that although the social enterprise is still in its early stages, she dreams big. "My dream is to set up a Senijari concept shop, complete with a restaurant. It will be a whole different shopping experience, where you browse and imbibe culture at the same time. It will feel like you are at a gallery and on a shopping spree combined!" |
| Posted: A Japanese artist's humourous takes on Paris are displayed throughout the city's busy streets. Japanese illustrator Kanako, known for her elegant illustrations for Paris style and culture website My Little Paris, gently mocks Parisians in a series of 48 sketches exhibited until Aug 28 in the streets of Paris - on the Champs-Elysees, at Saint-Germain-des-Pres and in Barbes. Asking for lunch at a cafe terrace in 17 seconds tops, or complaining because you have to wait another two minutes for the next metro - this is how Parisians are portrayed by Japanese illustrator Kanako with a light touch and a dash of humour.The artist, who has been living in Paris since 2005 and running the My Little Paris site since 2008, exhibits her work for free in the streets of the French capital, from now to Aug 28. For the first time, a thousand city display panels have been put to use to show Kanako's 48 sketches, drawn with pencil and Japanese ink. The exhibition is outdoors, free, and on display in three areas in Paris: the Champs-Elysees, Saint-Germain-des-Pres and Barbes.Other examples of art that can be seen in the streets of Paris include a special installation at the Place des Abbesses in Montmartre, the "Mur des je t'aime" (The Wall of I Love Yous) by Fredric Baron and Claire Kito. On a surface of 40 sq m, 311 "je t'aime"s are written in 250 different languages. Meanwhile, in another exhibition, entitled Lost In Paris and running from Sept 10 to Jan 11, stylist Maurizio Galante and designer Tal Lancman will take possession of the Lieu du Design to present works that bring together the themes of design and tourism. The exhibition will include a mobile photo booth, made in collaboration with La Poste (France's postal service) as part of the Moment Souvenir project that will be going from street to street and offering tourists portrait-stamps which feature monuments in the background. — AFP Relaxnews |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Arts To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan