SEDEKAD

Artist Statement

Humans are divided into two categories, namely the intelligent and the ignorants. The ignorants are the ones who judge people based on their nationality and race.

Artist Statement

The artwork was created after I saw some photos on social media as I was inspired by the photos, which showed a group of middle-aged men cosplaying Sailor Soldiers of Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series about a group of teenage schoolgirls who can transform into Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar System from the evil force.

The protagonist in this painting was the appropriation of one of the men from the photos.

Ancient people depicted their stories on the walls while we, through social media applications, share and broadcast most of our daily stories, which not only can be accessed easily on our phone screens today but also recorded as digital archives. I was paying tribute to ancient paintings by subtly combining the style of ancient Egyptian murals with some emoji from social media network applications, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, which resemble the semantic symbols in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. The hues of blue colour resemble Egyptian Blue, which is the oldest known artificial pigment; different thicknesses of outlines and various colours were used for the images and hieroglyphs… Anyway, for people in the hundred thousand years in the future, we will be ancient people.

Through the given title, I hope to portray the complexities of the stories for the painting, yet at the same time, I also hope that the painting reflects the values of inclusiveness and plurality.”

Artist Statement

The Sheraton move, which took place on 29th February 2020 at the Sheraton hotel, depicted a series of dramas witnessed by the citizens of Malaysia. It was recorded as a scene of an unethical manoeuvre by the politicians who violated the mandate given by the citizens who voted in the 14th General Election. The victory gained by the coalition of parties forming Pakatan Harapan was astounding, but it lasted up to only 22 months. Sadly, as the artist is trying to portray in this artwork, many opportunists proved during the event that they were fervent with the desire to join forces with the government only for the sake of power.

It is reiterated with regret that this event has marked the darkest period in Malaysian political history!

Artist Statement

An essence that is important and overwhelming is frequently obscured in our daily lives. It is not an extraordinary experience for a person to uncover this truth forever; however, it is still a crucial sense that helps us in grasping the universal laws of nature, both from within the life experience of oneself or that of others. As one might say, ‘Some people cannot see the wood for the trees’, which means that some people usually do not comprehend a situation that is within their reach because they are too involved in it. The relation between a situation and its details can be understood by an individual through observation and realisation of overlapping changes in the timeline and every coincided matter.

The stillness of an atmosphere is as if everything is paused from any kind of relationship, which is similar to clock hands that are stopped, whereby the motions of brush strokes are immediately halted. The effortless flow of paint colours not only complements but also makes portraits and still-objects to be intriguing and implicate the signs of fixation and changes. Every element is chosen, drawn, and composed in symbolism. Meanwhile, contrasting abstract aspects, such as consistency and fluctuation, along with firmness and fragility, had been arranged harmoniously together. Hence, both the visual language and the process of painting are not much different from the truth of mundane life.

“Whenever you are in your stillness, your surrounding keeps shifting, while on the other hand, when you are moving, everything keeps standing still. These two contrary aspects are continuously switching and fluctuating.” By understanding this paradigm, we would be assisted to see the reality and the way things are, which include the journeys of your thought and soul; this proves every possibility that everything can be learned and harmonised by yourself.

“The progress of learning about life is also a procedure of arts.” My artworks are developed from my daily routine and my self-awareness of life’s fundamentals that connect everything. With this belief, I created this artwork that connects life and art forms, which continuously converse with its viewers and the elements in the surrounding. The elements include the stories, the moral of natural law, the relation between the smallest and the largest equivalence, and the perception we have about things in front of ourselves.

Artist Statement

An essence that is important and overwhelming is frequently obscured in our daily lives. It is not an extraordinary experience for a person to uncover this truth forever; however, it is still a crucial sense that helps us in grasping the universal laws of nature, both from within the life experience of oneself or that of others. As one might say, ‘Some people cannot see the wood for the trees’, which means that some people usually do not comprehend a situation that is within their reach because they are too involved in it. The relation between a situation and its details can be understood by an individual through observation and realisation of overlapping changes in the timeline and every coincided matter.

The stillness of an atmosphere is as if everything is paused from any kind of relationship, which is similar to clock hands that are stopped, whereby the motions of brush strokes are immediately halted. The effortless flow of paint colours not only complements but also makes portraits and still-objects to be intriguing and implicate the signs of fixation and changes. Every element is chosen, drawn, and composed in symbolism. Meanwhile, contrasting abstract aspects, such as consistency and fluctuation, along with firmness and fragility, had been arranged harmoniously together. Hence, both the visual language and the process of painting are not much different from the truth of mundane life.

“Whenever you are in your stillness, your surrounding keeps shifting, while on the other hand, when you are moving, everything keeps standing still. These two contrary aspects are continuously switching and fluctuating.” By understanding this paradigm, we would be assisted to see the reality and the way things are, which include the journeys of your thought and soul; this proves every possibility that everything can be learned and harmonised by yourself.

“The progress of learning about life is also a procedure of arts.” My artworks are developed from my daily routine and my self-awareness of life’s fundamentals that connect everything. With this belief, I created this artwork that connects life and art forms, which continuously converse with its viewers and the elements in the surrounding. The elements include the stories, the moral of natural law, the relation between the smallest and the largest equivalence, and the perception we have about things in front of ourselves.

Artist Statement

Quiescent means temporarily quiet and inactive, and this is a characteristic that the artist has learned to become since she became a mother as she has acquired the need to be soft-spoken when communicating with her child. Becoming a new parent is an overwhelming experience, and thus, to the artist, understanding the role of a parent, being an understanding and soulful person, and adapting oneself to be in a state of quiescence all at the same time is inevitably an achievement.

Artist Statement

This work is an expression of the artist’s sense of conflict, questions of deception and reality, manipulation, and so on, which is observed in this world. High expectations sometimes give unexpected results that are opposed to the anticipated ones. The use of the ballot box as a subject symbolises the selection of a candidate as a leader. The rabbit as a subject is very significant in magic shows, and thus, both subjects raise a question about the ‘game’ of the future through elections.

Artist Statement

Optimism/Release is an artwork as a result of Ben’s previous “Autism” series. Nonetheless, as opposed to the “Autism” series, Optimism has a positive element attached to it. The idea of “Optimism/Release” is derived from Ben’s previous artwork with the title “Self-harm”. “Self-harm” was the first piece of Ben’s “Autism” series, and it is inspired by his own son’s classmate, who wore a helmet in the classroom. The boy wore a helmet as protection from self-inflicted harm as he would bang his head against the wall whenever he felt frustrated or was clouded with negative emotions.

Over the years, Ben believes that by providing well treatment to anyone, especially autistic children, the behaviour of the person receiving good treatment will be improved. As such, Ben created the “Optimism/Release” series, in which artwork conveys a positive message than before. The artwork portrays a lady holding a pair of scissors and trying to cut the sling with the scissors. This is an action to release the pain, which has been a burden to the person for decades.

Artist Statement

In this new ‘Myths and Madness’ series, Nik incorporates the dark fairy tale or mythical painting style with a hint of modern American conspiracy disclosure, which in this context, a space race between two cold war rivals, America and Russia, in achieving the first place in Spaceflight capability, and in placing the first group of men on the moons to be regarded as the ‘One who dominates the World’. The monstrous Cerberus (three-headed hounds) who is fighting and attacking the skeletons symbolises the people from Asia who are fighting with every will, metaphorising the individuals or groups of people who are fighting with facts and do not easily be fooled or fed by American media.

Artist Statement

“Tukang Sebar” serves as a metaphor for the political landscape, where rumors and propaganda spread rapidly, especially during election campaigns. The chameleon, a creature known for changing its colors to blend into its surroundings, is an apt representation of this group’s questionable integrity and professionalism. Just as the chameleon shifts its appearance for survival, this group adapts and alters its narrative to suit the political climate, highlighting the fluid and often deceptive nature of their actions in pursuit of influence and power.

Artist Statement

These days, we are witnessing a global resurgence of authoritarianism and illiberal populism. These trends pose a threat to liberal democracy and democratic institutions and the values enriching them, namely rules of law, an independent judiciary, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and associations, transparency, and accountability, which are also the hallmarks of human rights. In short, liberal democracy is under assault, and therefore, all those who cherish it must come to its defense. The protection and promotion of democracy are exemplified in combating the resurging global authoritarianism and the cultures of criminality, corruption, and impunity that underpin them.

Artist Statement

These days, we are witnessing a global resurgence of authoritarianism and illiberal populism. These trends pose a threat to liberal democracy and democratic institutions and the values enriching them, namely rules of law, an independent judiciary, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and associations, transparency, and accountability, which are also the hallmarks of human rights. In short, liberal democracy is under assault, and therefore, all those who cherish it must come to its defense. The protection and promotion of democracy are exemplified in combating the resurging global authoritarianism and the cultures of criminality, corruption, and impunity that underpin them.