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13th Rimbun Dahan Residency Exhibition

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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 30, 2007

      13th RIMBUN DAHAN RESIDENCY EXHIBITION

      artists AHMAD FUAD OSMAN & GABRIELLE BATES

      dates 13th January – 27th January 2008

      venue RIMBUN DAHAN Km 27 Jalan Kuang 48050 Kuang Selangor 

Rimbun Dahan will open its annual exhibition showcasing works by Ahmad Fuad Osman (Malaysia) and Gabrielle Bates (Australia) this coming January 2008.  

Both artists were selected for the Malaysia-Australia Visual Arts Residency 2007 to live and work for 12 months at the family compound of architect Hijjas Kasturi in Kuang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  

A much anticipated event on Klang Valley’s arts calendar, the 13th Rimbun Dahan Residency Exhibition will showcase paintings and slides projection by Ahmad Fuad Osman and paintings, objects and video works by Gabrielle Bates.  

The artists have also collaborated on a video piece that will premiere on the opening night.

“This video collaboration is a first for Rimbun Dahan,” says arts manager, Noor Mahnun Mohamed. “It is exciting to see this residency produce an exchange of ideas that promotes cultural relations between Malaysia and Australia.” 

Each artist’s exhibition catalogue will be accompanied by an essay; Carmen Nge has written for Ahmad Fuad Osman; and Australian writer and southeast Asian correspondent, Gina Fairley has written for Gabrielle Bates.  

Ahmad Fuad Osman

As an artist, Ahmad Fuad Osman (b. 1969) is not limited by the restrictions of medium or mode of expressions which is evident in his drawings, paintings, digital prints, video, multimedia installations and performances. He graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the School of Fine Arts, Institut Teknologi MARA  Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia in 1991. He has had five solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows locally and internationally and recipient of numerous awards and grants. He lives and works in Kuala Lumpur and Melaka. 

Ahmad Fuad Osman’s new body of works of paintings and slide projection for residency exhibition titled ‘Recollections of Long Lost Memories’ was initially inspired by the 50th Merdeka celebration. Large oil on canvas paintings deal with the lack of historical awareness especially with the younger generation in their discounted version of Malaysia’s history, current and topical issues, as they all are too caught up with latest gadget or trend. By selecting certain important occasions or moments in the nation’s history and using old archival photos related to the event as reference, Ahmad Fuad painted them larger than life in black & white and inserted an anonymous but contemporary person into the composition, juxtaposing the past with the present, creating a dialogue.  

Gabrielle Bates

Australian-born Gabrielle Bates (b. 1967) is a multi-media artist. An honors graduate from the University of Sydney, New South Wales, she has exhibited professionally since 1993 and is the recipient of a number of awards, grants and residency placements.  

‘Mouth of flowers’ is Gabrielle’s new body of experimental paintings, objects and video work produced this year while in residence at Rimbun Dahan, Kuala Lumpur. The works combine Southeast Asian motifs, signage and local media with figuration to explore the political and poetic subtleties of life for artists in Malaysia and southeast Asia. Artists such as Saiful Razman, Noor Mahnun Mohamed, Husin Hourmain, Donna Miranda, Ahmad Fuad Osman, Shaffudin Mamat, Low Shee Hoe, Lau Mun Leng and Bilqis Hijjas have all posed for Bates during her residency. In turn, she has transformed them into players within a fictional narrative that circles the conflicts, anxieties, insights and advantages of (self) censorship.  

Her objects, collected from the ordinary kelompang jari (Sterculia foetida) pods, have been reconfigured with nylon thread and decorative elements such as sequins and velvet appliqué, morphing the pods into a collection of anthropomorphous objects. 

Rimbun Dahan Residency Programme

Rimbun Dahan has provided residencies for Australian and Malaysian artists since 1994 in the family compound of architect Hijjas Kasturi at Kuang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Each artist is provided with accommodation, working space and financial support for the year as well as the exhibition. No commissions are taken on the sale of works, but Rimbun Dahan selects two pieces from each artist for the permanent collection. The Residency programme is fully funded by architectural firm Hijjas Kasturi Associates Sdn. in appreciation for the opportunities that the Hijjas family has enjoyed in Malaysia and Australia. The residency program has since expanded since its inception by also providing short-term residency for south east Asian artists and choreographers. 

The 14 acres gardens with a herb/spice garden, orchard, forested and wetland areas, century old restored kampong house from Perak, and artists’ studios at Rimbun Dahan are open for visitors for the two weeks after the opening.
 

The 13th Rimbun Dahan Residency Exhibition showing artworks by Ahmad Fuad Osman and Gabrielle Bates will open to the public from 13th January - 27th January 2008 at Rimbun Dahan Gallery. Km. 27, Jalan Kuang, Kuang, Selangor, Malaysia. 

There will be an Artist Talk at 3 pm, Saturday, 19th January 2008 in the gallery. A good opportunity for the public to hear the artists talk about their work and career in the arts.

Opening hours are 10am - 6pm daily and admission is free. 

More details of the residency programme & a map to the venue can be downloaded from our website www.rimbundahan.org 

For more information regarding this exhibition please contact Rimbun Dahan

phone: +6013 224 2158

e-mail: rimbundahan@gmail.com 
 

Sponsored by

Hijjas Kasturi Associates Sdn.

www.hijjaskasturi.com

Last updated 31 Oct 2007.

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