Monday, January 16, 2012
WHEN Dr Abdul Jalil Othman, associate professor at the
University of Malaya, held his first solo exhibit as a visual artist
last year, he chose to present a collection of 63 underwater paintings.The paintings, all done in abstract drawing on canvass and first showcased at the Muzium Seni Asia, depict life under the sea.
Called "Alam Samudera", the exhibit showcased paintings that he worked on over two years.
"I wanted everybody to understand nature because I love nature. I wanted to expose people and to show them that there's another life in another world, and people should think about that life I love to show the music of the colours," he said.
"I love the colour of the sea and the movement of the water, not to mention the fish. If you look at their movement, it symbolises harmony in another world they all move in the same direction," he added.
As an abstract painter, Jahlil uses his imagination when painting, and he said that he doesn't allow himself to be limited by things as they are seen. The sea, for instance, is represented by different colours in his paintings.
How he chose the colours of the sea for this collection, he said, depended on his mood when he was working on a particular piece.
"It doesn't mean that the sea must be blue. Sometimes it can turn into yellow, into red. This is just an abstract. It's not the real thing, but it depends on my mood also," he said.
It was during his first exhibit that Jahlil's paintings were priced by Malaysia's National Art Gallery at between RM2,000 (around $825) and RM18,000. "This was the price fixed by the art panel," he said.
He added that following that exhibit, he brought his Alam Samudera collection to the National Taiwan Sport University.
"The president of the university, Professor Kao, invited me to an exhibit, and I just came back two weeks ago," he said, adding that he has been getting a lot of support from UM.
Jahlil said that he is not able to sell his paintings outside of Malaysia.
"I can't sell during exhibitions overseas, because there are stringent customs requirements," he said.
Interested buyers, he added, can buy his art through Malaysia's National Art Gallery.
Having been painting since his school days, Jahlil decided to seriously pursue the art five years ago, while on a sabbatical in Japan.
"While I was in Tokyo, I showed them some of my paintings, and I saw so many people appreciate my paintings. It inspired me to be serious with my painting," he said.
He then started participating in group exhibits in other countries. "I travelled a lot to participate in them."
Jahlil says that he finds time to paint when he gets home from his day job at the university, where he is attached to the Faculty of Educations Department of Language and Literacy Education. While at home, he works for several hours, sometimes through the night.
"It's a form of escapism and to relieve my tension, and allows me to fulfill my interest and passion for drawing," he explained.
It takes him anywhere between a week to a month to do a painting, he said.
Asked if he felt an attachment to his paintings, Jahlil said that he didn't face any difficult selling them. "Sometimes, I even give it for free. (Selling the paintings) inspires me to produce more of them," he said.
Right now, Jahlil is gearing up for another exhibit, again to be housed at Muzium Seni Asia. This will be in April and it will be a different theme. This time, it's fireworks, he said.
The Brunei Times
Called "Alam Samudera", the exhibit showcased paintings that he worked on over two years.
"I wanted everybody to understand nature because I love nature. I wanted to expose people and to show them that there's another life in another world, and people should think about that life I love to show the music of the colours," he said.
"I love the colour of the sea and the movement of the water, not to mention the fish. If you look at their movement, it symbolises harmony in another world they all move in the same direction," he added.
As an abstract painter, Jahlil uses his imagination when painting, and he said that he doesn't allow himself to be limited by things as they are seen. The sea, for instance, is represented by different colours in his paintings.
How he chose the colours of the sea for this collection, he said, depended on his mood when he was working on a particular piece.
"It doesn't mean that the sea must be blue. Sometimes it can turn into yellow, into red. This is just an abstract. It's not the real thing, but it depends on my mood also," he said.
It was during his first exhibit that Jahlil's paintings were priced by Malaysia's National Art Gallery at between RM2,000 (around $825) and RM18,000. "This was the price fixed by the art panel," he said.
He added that following that exhibit, he brought his Alam Samudera collection to the National Taiwan Sport University.
"The president of the university, Professor Kao, invited me to an exhibit, and I just came back two weeks ago," he said, adding that he has been getting a lot of support from UM.
Jahlil said that he is not able to sell his paintings outside of Malaysia.
"I can't sell during exhibitions overseas, because there are stringent customs requirements," he said.
Interested buyers, he added, can buy his art through Malaysia's National Art Gallery.
Having been painting since his school days, Jahlil decided to seriously pursue the art five years ago, while on a sabbatical in Japan.
"While I was in Tokyo, I showed them some of my paintings, and I saw so many people appreciate my paintings. It inspired me to be serious with my painting," he said.
He then started participating in group exhibits in other countries. "I travelled a lot to participate in them."
Jahlil says that he finds time to paint when he gets home from his day job at the university, where he is attached to the Faculty of Educations Department of Language and Literacy Education. While at home, he works for several hours, sometimes through the night.
"It's a form of escapism and to relieve my tension, and allows me to fulfill my interest and passion for drawing," he explained.
It takes him anywhere between a week to a month to do a painting, he said.
Asked if he felt an attachment to his paintings, Jahlil said that he didn't face any difficult selling them. "Sometimes, I even give it for free. (Selling the paintings) inspires me to produce more of them," he said.
Right now, Jahlil is gearing up for another exhibit, again to be housed at Muzium Seni Asia. This will be in April and it will be a different theme. This time, it's fireworks, he said.
The Brunei Times
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