PRIMITIVE—Ahmad Fuad Osman

“STR ANGE TIMES ARE THESE IN WHICH WE LIVE WHEN OLD AND YOUNG ARE TAUGHT FALSEHOODS IN SCHOOL AND THE PERSON THAT DARES TO TELL THE TRUTH IS CALLED AT ONCE A LUNATIC AND FOOL.”

SEMIT EGN A RTS“ HCIH W NI ESEHT E R A DLO NEH W E V IL E W E R A GNUOY DN A SDOOHESL AF THGUAT DN A LOOHCS NI TA HT NOS REP EHT EHT LLET OT SE R AD DELL A C SI HTURT CITANUL A ECNO TA ”. LOOF DN A

Quote on the cover page is from Plato (427 – 347BC)

PRIMITIVE

Ahmad Fuad Osman Solo Exhibition Curated by Syed Muhd Hafiz 8 February – 3 March 2018 at A+ WORKS of ART

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Primitive

Syed Muhammad Hafiz

About 10 years ago, I was asked along to visit an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. It was the first time that I would travel out of Singapore for the sole purpose of catching an exhibition—a significant investment for a financially-struggling student. Still in my second year of undergraduate studies at LASALLE College of the Arts, my interest in what is known as Southeast Asian art, was already emerging, mainly due to my restlessness at the curriculum in school back then.

As the topics mainly covered were ‘Western art history’ and the obligatory ‘Singapore art history’, I sought to read more beyond these two topics. A major contribution to my interest in studying Southeast Asia art history was also thanks to the major exhibition Telah Terbit (Out Now) held at the Singapore Art Museum in 2006. 1 That exhibition opened up my perspectives in looking at this particular geographical entity known as ‘Southeast Asia’. For a wide-eyed art student who was still grappling with theories and notions of art—often in the Euro-American contexts—Telah Terbit was like a rush of blood to the head as I was bombarded by works that spoke about the various art practices and socio-cultural contexts within the region, during the politically-tumultuous period of the 1960s – 1980s.

Primitive

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Fast forward to about a year later, I found myself on a bus to Kuala Lumpur to visit an exhibition with the title MATAHATI—For Your Pleasure. Billed as a retrospective of one of Malaysia’s most prominent art collectives, I felt that I could not miss visiting the exhibition, plus it helped that some of their promotional exhibition images had them looking like some mat rockers—an image that somehow seemed less intimidating to a fledgling art student.

Since that show, the various members of Matahati have gone on their separate ways, continuing their solo careers to varying degrees of success. For Fuad, it would probably be more accurate to say that he simply ‘retreated’ from the Malaysian art world, owing to the fact that his last solo show was in 2007, a year before Matahati’s retrospective exhibition! In the bustling Malaysian art world where some artists embark on solo shows annually or once every few years—not to mention the thriving gallery and auction markets—a decade is a notable absence. It was an absence that was even more glaring for the artist of iconic works like Syhhh….! Dok diam-diam, jangan bantah. Mulut hang hanya boleh guna untuk cakap yaaaa saja. Baghu hang boleh join depa… senang jadi kaya! and Recollections of Long Lost Memories.

Recollections of Long Lost Memories 2007/2008, Digital prints on matte Kodak paper (71 pieces), Dimension varieble

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Syed Muhammad Hafiz

“Syhhh…! Dok Diam-Diam, Jangan Bantah. Mulut Hang Hanya Boleh Guna Untuk Cakap Yaaaa saja, Baghu Hang Boleh Join Depa…Senang La Jadi Kaya.”

1999, Oil on canvas, 244 × 244 cm Puan Fatimah and Pakhruddin Sulaiman’s collection

Having said that, we are reminded of Fuad’s presence when his works appeared in some exhibitions both in Malaysia and internationally. Alongside these somewhat cryptic reminders of his existence, some of us would have also heard that he had set up a studio in Bali—yes of course, that still-enticing tropical island which attracted the likes of Walter Spies, Miguel Covarrubias and renowned anthropologists like Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson in the early part of the twentieth century.

Suddenly towards the end of 2016, we were treated to an almost-rude shock when Fuad made his re-entry into the regional art scene via the fifth edition of Primitive

18

the Singapore Biennale. Taking on a gallery located on the ground floor of the Asian Civilizations Museum, Fuad transformed the whole space into what was known as the Enrique de Malacca Memorial Project. Consisting of a single-channel video work, paintings, sculpture, works on paper and other found objects, the installation was conceived as a museological shrine to Enrique (sometimes known as Henry the Black or Panglima Awang), the slave that was enlisted

by Ferdinand Magellan on his quest to sail around the world. One of the co-curators of the Biennale, Nur Hanim Khairuddin wrote: “Some of these materials reveal contradictory facts and fictions surrounding Enrique. The superimposition of divergent colonial, postcolonial and nationalist representations and narratives of Enrique allows for a more nuanced interpretation of the possible identity and history of this elusive hero of the Nusantara.” 2 Enrique was a grand statement announcing Fuad’s re-entry back into our consciousness. From the confines of Malaysian socio-political narratives, Enrique could be read as Fuad tackling head-on, not only a work of grander scale

Enrique de Malacca Project 2016/2017, Single channel video projection, oil paintings on canvas, fiberglass and resin castings, Old parchments, Maps and prints, 16th century Portuguese coins, 16th century Portuguese canon and bullets, Ming ceramics, Old Malay daggers and spears, Carved whale and marlin’s bones, Wall text, Rosary beads and paternoster, iPads, Replica of 16th century Malay and Spanish sailor’s clothes and found objects, Dimension variable

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Syed Muhammad Hafiz

physically, but also adopting regional outlook. Where previously his works were born out of the ‘angst’ of the ‘new Malay bourgeoisie’ 3 or an introspection into episodes of Malaysian history and politics, Enrique seems to be a recalibrated Fuad spreading his wings traversing the vast Nusantara. It seems that time away from the Malaysian art scene had its effect on Fuad’s practice. However, if one were to think that he had forgotten about his own backyard, he or she could not be further away from the mark.

While the focus of his biennale work was on the contested identity of a ‘hero’ from the Nusantara, Fuad’s latest solo exhibition, PRIMITIVE, can be said to be dealing with the lack of one. What does the lack of a hero for society means? In his book, first written in 1979, Shaharuddin Maaruf dissected and analysed the problems concerning the Malaysian elites’ leadership in relation to their conception of a ‘hero’ in Malay society. He observed, “The Malay elites’ prevalent conception of a hero, is a combination of the feudal and materialistic types,” which according to him, led to the problem of an ‘underdeveloped elite’. 4 It is on this note that I start with a work which would greet visitors before they enter the gallery of the PRIMITIVE show: “Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods in school. And the person that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and fool.” (Plato 427 – 347 BC).

A laser cut acrylic letters quote by the Greek philosopher, Plato, ends with a portrait of the Greek philosopher himself. Subsequently, as he or she enters the gallery, the gaze will be directed towards a stone tablet of sorts in the corner.

Upon closer view, an inscription is discernible: “when you see that trading is done, not by consent but by compulsion; when you see that to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see money flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors; Primitive

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when you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work; and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you; when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice, you may know that your society is doomed.”

Titled Déjà Vu (2017) the tablet features an excerpt from Ayn Rand’s iconic novel ‘Atlas Shrugged’ and looks both monumental in size and derelict at the same time, as it is propped up againts the wall in the corner of the gallery.

When asked about the significance of these texts, Fuad first and foremost mentioned that these were texts that he received via WhatsApp between 2016 – 2017. Shared via social media by his contacts, the ‘viral’ nature of these texts led me to two questions. Firstly, I wonder about the kind of friends that would share these texts—I am sure quoting Ayn Rand takes a certain kind of investment, both intellectually and emotionally! Secondly, it does not require a leap of the imagination to guess that these texts were ‘responses’ towards socio-political events in Malaysia.

That Fuad’s works are allusions to socio-political events in Malaysia, is not surprising. His previous works, even in his pre-figurative days in the early nineties, have always referenced his ‘interest in issues of the day’. 5 It is the commitment towards this cause that deserves special praise, especially in how Fuad has worked with various media over the years, yet maintaining a certain doggedness in raising often-difficult questions through his works. However, unlike artists who adopt politics with a capital ‘P’ as their raison d’être, Fuad is more concerned about capturing the zeitgeist of the period akin to a ‘visual documentation of the period’ as he puts it.

Looking at works like Mak Bapak Borek, Anak-anak pun Rintik and See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil, they might be read as obvious symbolisms for the chronic problems that have besieged the Malaysian political establishment but perhaps the obvious-ness is not in the nature of the problems, but in the deafening silence within the corridors of power—how else could the condition 21

Syed Muhammad Hafiz

be allowed to prolong after repeated diagnoses? One of the words that kept appearing in our discussions leading up to this show was ‘recurrence’. Why are these problems surfacing time and again ie. corruption, abuse of power, etc.? And more importantly, why are they allowed to perpetuate?

Talking to Fuad leading up to this exhibition, I was struck by his frustrations when discussing about the various political problems that have been surfacing this past year or two. While Fuad has made several attempts to move beyond the nation’s maladies—the Enrique project being the latest example—the chronic problems seem to have infiltrated his subconscious, and it does not seem that the situation is going to change for the better anytime soon.

If we recall his earlier works The Blurring Echoes (1997) and Recollections of Long Lost Memories (2007), Déjà Vu is an apt continuation of his observations. Not only do these works are spaced 10 years apart, they act as ‘markers of the period’ as Fuad puts it. 20 years have passed but the problems are still the same which brings us back to the title of the exhibition: PRIMITIVE. The definition of the word is of course, intertwined with colonialism where theories on primitivism heavily informed the colonial enterprise. Cultures which were ‘new’ to the West were mapped in an unequal power dynamic where the ‘primitive’ or the ‘savage’ was invariably the dominated partner. However, the main narrative in Fuad’s current show seem to suggest that the tables have been turned now.

The Blurring Echoes 1997, Oil on canvas, 150cm × 298cm (diptych) Singapore Art Museum’s collection Image courtesy of Singapore National Heritage board

Primitive

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Fuad mentioned that despite the technological advancements and supposed economic progress, ‘…the animalistic nature of human beings is still underlying much of our lives today.’ With the Malaysian leadership seemingly not instilling confidence in their people, where else can the rakyat look towards, for leadership? Shaharuddin’s ‘hero’ is still elusive so the very least one could do is to call out the rot. Hence with the latest series of works, we have these visual reminders or ‘markers of the period’, perhaps serving as a wake-up call.

It is for this very reason that Fuad’s ‘re-entry’ into the Malaysian art world is much anticipated in the need to boost the dissenting voices that have been clamouring for a better and just leadership.

1.

Telah Terbit (Out Now) was presented as a special

Syed Muhammad Hafiz (b.1985)

exhibition as part of the inaugural Singapore

is currently pursuing his PhD at

Biennale in 2006.

the Malay Studies Department,

2. Nur Hanim Khairuddin, “Ahmad Fuad Osman:

National University of Singapore.

Enrique de Malacca Memorial Project” in

He has been curating and writing

Singapore Biennale 2016: An Atlas of Mirrors, ed.

about exhibitions since 2008.

Susie Lingham (Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 2016), 193.

3. Defined as the ‘urban young Malay underemployed working class as a result of ruralurban migration’ who emerged in Malaysia around the 1980s, by the writers of this essay: Adeline Ooi and Wong Hoy Cheong, “Locating Matahati” in MATAHATI – For Your Pleasure, (Kuala Lumpur: Petronas Gallery, 2008), 42.

4. Shaharuddin Maaruf, Concept of a Hero in Malay Society (Singapore: Eastern University Press, 1984), 17.

5. Carmen Nge, “Ahmad Fuad Osman: Evolution on His Own Terms” in MATAHATI – For Your Pleasure, (Kuala Lumpur: Petronas Gallery, 2008), 71.

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Syed Muhammad Hafiz

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Plato (427 – 347BC) 2017, Oil on canvas and acrylic letters 143 × 130 cm (painting), Dimensions variable (letters)

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Plato (427 – 347BC) 2017, Oil on canvas and acrylic letters 143 × 130 cm (painting), Dimensions variable (letters)

Déjà vu 2017 High density EPS, PVC board with engraved texts, PU base granite stone spray, weathershield water base paint, wax polish 213.5 × 122 cm E dition of 3 + 1 AP

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The Birth of Tragedy 2014 Taxidermy crow, steel and wood Dimensions variable

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See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil 2013/2017 Acrylic on paper Triptych 130 × 102 cm each

Mak Bapak Borek Anak-anak pun Rintik 2015/2018 Resin, fiberglass, automotive paint, lacquer Dimension variable Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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Mak Bapak Borek Anak-anak pun Rintik 2015/2018 Resin, fiberglass, automotive paint, lacquer Dimension variable Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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All That Is Solid Melts Into Air 2018 Oil on canvas 183 × 213 cm

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Dogged 2003 Oil on canvas 77 × 150 cm

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The Birth of Tragedy (installation view) 2014 Taxidermy crow, steel and wood Dimensions variable

Artist Profile

Ahmad Fuad Osman

Ahmad Fuad Osman (b. 1969, Kedah, Malaysia; lives and works in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Bali, Indonesia) is a multi-disciplinary artist who works predominantly in installation and paintings. His works often explores the socio-political issues that affect not only the Malaysian landscape but also globally. Ultimately his works are often read as triggers rather than provocations of contestations, played out in contemporary society.

Having graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the Faculty of Art and Design, MARA Institute of Technology (UITM) in 1991, Fuad was initially known for his abstract paintings, a genre with a strong tradition in Malaysia’s art history. He was also quite active in the theatre and film scenes, a prelude to his multi-disciplinary practice.

His prominence in the art scene rose as a member of MATAHATI, known as one of Malaysia’s most significant contemporary art collectives during their 2 5-year existence between 1989 – 2014. Throughout this period, F uad also became known for his turn towards figurative painting with some memorable works including his award-winning Recollections of Long Lost Memories which garnered the Jurors’ Choice Award at the APBF Signature Art Prize, held at the Singapore Art Museum in 2008.

Some of his recent exhibitions include the Singapore Biennale: An Atlas of Mirrors, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2016 – 2017; Multiple Languages, Silverlens Gallery, Makati, Manila, Philippines, 2014; Welcome to the Jungle: Contemporary Art in Southeast Asia From the Collection of Singapore Art Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan, 2013, amongst others.

Fuad has also completed residences at internationally- renowned venues like the Vermont Studio Centre, USA (2004), Goyang National Art Studio, South Korea (2005 – 2006) and Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia (2007 – 2008). His works have been collected by both local and international institutions which include, National Visual Art Gallery (Malaysia), Maybank (Malaysia), Singapore Art Museum, amongst others.

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2018

• PRIMITIVE, A+ Works of Art,

2017

• ADDRESS AND SCALE,

2007

• DISLOCATED, 12 (Artspace Gallery),

• BOUNDARIES OF [DIS]BELIEFS,

2006

• TOO MUCH (NOT ENOUGH),

2016

• AN ATLAS OF MIRRORS, Singapore

2005

• AHMAD FUAD OSMAN – PAINTINGS

2004

• SAAT BEKU, Red Mill Gallery, Vermont

1998

• EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH,

A+ Works of Art, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

White Box, Publika, Kuala Lumpur

Plaza Yow Chuan, Ampang,Malaysia

Biennale, Asian Civilisation Museum,

Goyang Art Studio, S. Korea.

1993 – 2003, USM, Penang, Malaysia Studio Center, Johnson, VT, USA

Singapore

• ERA MAHATHIR, Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

• CROSSINGS : PUSHING BOUNDARIES, Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

NN Gallery, Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia 2015

• FOR THEM, Voice Gallery, Marrakech,

• THE SPACE BETWEEN, Weiling

• LOOKING AHEAD, Fergana Art Space,

Morocco.

Contemporary, Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur.

Whiteaways Arcade, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia 2014 • MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, Silverlens Gallery, Makati City, Manila, Philippines.

2013 • WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, Contemporary Art In Southeast Asia From The Collections of the Singapore Art Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan

• WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan

• BERSAMA, Bank Negara Malaysia,

2012

• ARTJOG 12, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta,

• FIGURE OUT: DIMENSIONS IN

Kuala Lumpur.

Indonesia.

FIGURATIVE ART from Petronas Art Collections. Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2010

• DIGIFESTA, Media Art Festival, Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, Gwangju, S.Korea.

• ONE MINUTE VIDEO PROJECT, Netherland and Shanghai.

• WORKING, Rogue Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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Ahmad Fuad Osman’s Curriculum Vitae

2009

• PERSONAL EFFECTS, Rogue Art,

2000

• BITUMANIA, Pace Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.

• MELIHAT BERSAMA, Ken Arok Gallery,

• MELIHAT BERSAMA, CCCL Peranchis,

2008

• CHANGING PHASES – Viet Art Centre,

• APBF Art Prize 2008, Singapore Art

• CAIS Project 2008, (Contemporary Art In

• SPACE/ SPACING, Semarang

Surabaya, Indonesia

1999

Seoul, Korea.

1998

Gallery,Singapore

• INDEPENDENT PROJECT, Gertrude

• RECOLLECTIONS OF LONG LOST exhibition, Rimbun Dahan, Kuang, Selangor,

• APA? A multimedia visual art exhibition, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• 1997 MALAYSIAN DRAWINGS, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MEMORIES, Rimbun Dahan Residency’s 1996

• IMAGINING THE CONTEMPORARY BODY, Petronas Gallery, KLCC, Kuala

Malaysia.

Lumpur, Malaysia

• INDEPENDENT PROJECT, Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• GEMA : RESONANCE, Manes Gallery, Praque, Czech Republic

Art Spaces, Melbourne, Australia.

2007

• DRAWING & DIAGRAM, IDEAS PERSONIFIED,Caldweld House Art

Indonesia.

• KOREA – JAALA EXHIBITION, The Seoul Metropolitan Art Museum,

School), Stella Maris International School.

• GHOST & SPIRITS FESTIVAL, Tacheles, Berlin, Germany

Museum, Singapore.

Contemporary Art Gallery, Semarang,

• PHILLIP MORRIS ASIAN ART AWARD, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

Hanoi, Vietnam.

• PHILLIP MORRIS MALAYSIA ART AWARD, National Art Gallery, Malaysia

Malang, Indonesia

• LIFA, Ibrahim Husseinis Museum and Cultural Foundation, Langkawi, Kedah

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

1995

• THE YOUNG ONES, Nan Yang Gallery

1991

• YOUNG CONTEMPORARY ‘91,

of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• ENCOUNTERING ASIAN ART, 2nd POCHEON ASIA BIENNALE, Pocheon,

National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur,

South Korea.

2006

• 18@8 : KUALA LUMPUR – KARACHI,

• BIKINI IN WINTER, Alternative Art

• KATA DI KOTA – A Malaysian

Amin Gulgee’s Gallery, Karachi,Pakistan.

Space LOOP, Seoul, Korea.

Malaysia

• SALON MALAYSIA 91/92, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

1990

• YOUNG CONTEMPORARY, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Contemporary Arts, Galleria de arte Boyeros, Havana, Cuba 2004

• MALAYSIAN ART AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, Guangdong Museum of Art, China

• PHILIP MORRIS ASEAN ART AWARD,

2003

• PHILLIP MORRIS MALAYSIA ART

Bangkok National Museum of Art, Thailand AWARD, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2002

• IDENTITY, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Ahmad Fuad Osman’s Curriculum Vitae

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SELECTED MATAHATI GROUP

SELECTED PERFORMANCES

EXHIBITIONS

2006

2010

Alternative Art Space LOOP, Seoul,

• MATAHATI/ JOGJA, Galeri Sangkring,

South Korea.

Jogjakarta, Indonesia.

2009

• MATAHATI KE MATA DUNIA, DCA

2005

• TENGGARA, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

2008

• MATAHATI – For Your Pleasure, Survey

2005

• ART(IS)T..., STOPOVER PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL,

Gallery, Culver City, Los Angeles,USA.

• SOME(ONE), A solo performance in

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2004

• THE HAIR PIECE/PEACE, A solo

exhibition, Petronas Gallery, KLCC,

performance in Red Mill Gallery,

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Vermont Studio Centre, USA.

• MAGER PROJECT, Matahati-AntingAnting, Pinto Art Gallery, Antipolo, AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES

Philippines

• 2ND TUPADA INTERNATIONAL

BREWERIES FOUNDATION’S

Gallery, Philippines

SIGNATURE ART PRIZE 2008,

• 2004 !!!(AWAS), Valentine Willie Gallery,

Kuang, Selangor, Malaysia.

2005/06 • ASIAN ARTISTS FELLOWSHIP, Goyang National Art Studio, South Korea.

2004

• ASIAN ARTIST FELLOWSHIP, Freeman

2003

• JURORS CHOICE, Philip Morris

2000

• JURORS CHOICE, Philip Morris

1994

• HONOURABLE MENTION, Malaysian

• HONOURABLE MENTION, Philip

Foundation, Vermont Studio Centre, USA

• MATAHATI: PL, Petronas Gallery, KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

2007/08 • RIMBUN DAHAN RESIDENCY,

• MAGER PROJECT, Matahati / Gelaran, Budaya, Galeri Pitoe, Yogya, Indonesia

1999

• MAGER PROJECT, Matahati / Gelaran, Budaya, Pelataran Djoko Pekik, Jogjakarta

• JURORS CHOICE, ASIA PACIFIC

ACTION ART FESTIVAL, Blue Room

Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2008

Malaysia Art Award, National Art Gallery.

Malaysia Art Award, National Art Gallery.

Art Open, Petronas Gallery, Malaysia Morris Malaysia Art Award, National Art Gallery.

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Ahmad Fuad Osman’s Curriculum Vitae

Acknowledgements

A+ WORKS of ART and Ahmad Fuad Osman would like to thank: Ahmad Fuad Rahmat Chuah Chong Yong Joshua Lim Kenta Chai Lee Weng Choy Louis Ho Nikki Ong Noorfaizah Elis Pakhruddin Sulaiman Professor Syed Farid Alatas Rifky Effendy Singapore Art Museum Singapore National Heritage Board Syed Muhammad Hafiz

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A+ WORKS of ART is a contemporary art gal-

This catalogue is published in conjunction with

lery based in Kuala Lumpur. Founded in 2017,

Ahmad Fuad Osman’s solo exhibition

A+ WORKS of ART strives to engage contemporary

PRIMITIVE held at A+ WORKS of ART, Kuala Lumpur

practices and discussions in new media art, especially

from 8 February to 3 March 2018.

photography, video, installation and performance art.

While the main geographic scope of the gallery is

Curator

Syed Muhammad Hafiz

Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia, it keeps its

Project Management

Joshua Lim

ears attuned to global conversations on social issues,

Nikki Ong

critical imagination and material experimentation.

Editor & Writer

Syed Muhammad Hafiz

Graphic Designer nowornever.my Collaboration is the key ethos of A+ WORKS of ART,

Photography

based in the belief that wonderful things can happen

KuwaKenta

Puah Chin Kok

when people share and exchange ideas. Artists work-

Printer

Pakatan Tusen Cetak Sdn Bhd

ing with gallery are not so much represented by the gallery but engaged in an ongoing conversation and

BACK COVER PHOTO

collaboration. Likewise, curators, writers, collectors

Plato (427 – 347BC) (detail)

and galleries are welcome to initiate conversations

2017, Oil on canvas and acrylic letters

about potential collaborations. The main name, A+,

143 × 130 cm (painting), Dimensions variable (letters)

refers then not just to the gallery’s strive for distinction and professionalism in its services and working processes, but also a sense of readiness to start a dialogue with any interested party.

Founded by Joshua Lim, who has decades of experience in the hospitality industry, A+ WORKS of ART represents a natural progression for the avid art lover.

Lim has been an art supporter or the past decade through his ongoing art acquisition and his promotion of contemporary art in his network.

A+ WORKS of ART

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