Rahmat Haron "is an animal that digs tunnel underground searching for the sun. sometimes his journey leads him to the surface. when he looks at the sun he is blinded."
Rahmat is still fake and full of parodies.
http://sampahseni.blogspot
Monday, August 2, 2010
Artist: Rahmat Haron
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Artist: Aki Nakazawa
Aki Nakazawa (Born in Tokyo, 1976) is video artist, curator, and lives and works in Cologne, Germany. She studied visual-media and video-art at the Art College of Nihon University in Tokyo. Since 1997, She is a member of the video-art group “Spread Video-art Project (SVP http://svp2.com)” in Tokyo.
She works for international film and video festivals, institutions and museums as a curator. As an artist, her videos show what our existences are in society, with her view to find subtle incidents in our life and her essential poetic visual-language. They were shown in in many international film and media-art festivals, such as Berlinale, Videonale Bonn and awarded WRO (1st Prize), 13.Marler Video-Kunst-Preis, and so on.
Artist: Jan Verbeek
Jan Verbeek is a freelance Media Artist, lives and works in Cologne and Tokyo. Born 1966 in Bonn, Germany, he
studied at the Art Academy Düsseldorf with Nan Hoover and Nam June Paik, became Meisterschüler / master grade
student of Paik in 1993. Postgraduate studies at the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne. Degree with honours in 1999.
Verbeek's video and installation work is based on a sensitive observation of reality. It is characterized by a delicate
interaction of image and sound and the way how time and space work together. Verbeek received international art
prizes and shows his work worldwide in numerous festivals and museums.
Why no-budget? A little story …
I got interested in organizing art events since college, inspired and influenced by the strong grass-root art community in Buffalo, New York, where I studied and intermittently living in the city for almost 8 years. In 2001, I came home to KL for winter school break, bringing with me a collection of 8 video artists’ works from upstate New York. I wanted to do a video screening at a local art venue. I approached a quite prestigious, self-proclaimed independent local art space with the recommendation of a local dancer. I proposed my little project to the director of the art space and naively requested a discounted rate for venue rental, and if possible for free, since I was doing this with no intention to make commercial payback. I was just a student with no money, the only thing I had was the enthusiasm to share some interesting artworks that I'd discovered abroad with fellow Malaysian audience. Moreover, the dancer told me that he was able to do a few experimental shows at the venue for free. So I was quite hopeful that the director will support the project. A few days later, I got a reply from the director, with a rather cold tone, she wrote: “Well, if you start to ask A or B or C about free places here and there, I’m sure you can get some spaces like someone’s living room or balcony or garage or something. But XX is a proper, professional art space. And let me tell you my dear, ART IS NOT FREE.”
So BANG! There go my naïve dream for a real grass-root, DIY, friendly community oriented artists society in Kuala Lumpur to support my kind of art!
It seems like art is for the elites, or those who can “afford” it. But is that art? Or social status? I would later realized that there were actually more art businessmen than real artists in the community.
I was very disturbed by the unfriendly reply and the authoritative attitude of the director. But deep inside my heart, I didn’t believe what she said was 100% true about Malaysians. Ok, so these so-called independent art spaces won’t work, I’d go find other kind of places. There must be people who support art and culture without asking for commercial returns for a humble project like this. My ever supporting late father, driving me to meet principals of colleges around KL to propose my little project. At last, I was able to do 3 screenings at 2 colleges: INTI College, both Subang Jaya and Nilai campus; and the Malaysian Institute of Art in KL. These screenings were very small and humble (between 20-30 people). But it happened, for FREE!
Two weeks after homecoming to settle in KL in 2005, I met a small group of experimental musicians and artists who were quite interesting, but seem to be the minority in the local art circle. I found such connections with them, artistically, mentally and spiritually. In 2006, we formed the Studio in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, or more commonly called SiCKL. Since then, we have been active in promoting edgy experimental/avant-garde works in music, film/video, dance, performance art and cross-disciplinary works, either at its humble Cheras base or at other venues around town; and involved in coordinating some local art festivals such as the Notthatbalai Art Festival 2007. The long running SiCKL Open Lab series has witnessed many creative and interesting art experimentations rarely seen at the more “proper” art spaces in town. Most of SiCKL events do not charge admission fee but based on voluntary donation, except when we work with other partners who need to fulfill particular interests for their organizations.
Any individual and organization that have gone through the funding process know how exhausting and frustrating it can be, physically and spiritually. It involves so much politics, hypocrisy and authority. Is the criteria of judgement for funding applications impartial and consistent? We wonder. Our "no-budget" motto is not equal to the "rejection of official funding", of course not! But we wouldn't like the complicated funding process to become the biggest obstacle in running our projects. Prestigious funding organizations usually make you wait, and wait, and wait some more. The sponsors will always ask, "What do I get from this? How do you 'sell' this project? Do you have a 'tangible product'?" Sometimes we just want to say, "We do it because we love it! Oh, you can't imagine how we love doing what we love!" :)
This little festival is incredible because we have not expected to gather so many generous individuals from various backgrounds and ideologies to come together, contributing their time and energy, absolutely for free. A big salute to all artists, in-kind sponsors and volunteers! SALUTE!! They are not working for the money or for certain authority, but for the souls, spirits and joy. What do you call that? I call it LOVE. Love for art, love for creativity, love for culture, love for friendship, love for the place, love for the community, and ultimately, love for life!
Only love can beat money, don’t you think so? :)
If even art cannot be free (with every possible context of the word), what else can?
We did it, all of us, over 50 of us, at Sama-sama Guesthouse Mini Alternative Art Festival 2010. FREE, for 3 days in a row!
Mind you, Madam Director.
Cheers,
Siew Wai
28 July, 2010
Artist: Tshiung Han See
See Tshiung Han grew up in Canada, where he attended the birthday party of the son of David Cronenberg. He returned to Malaysia in 1995 where, a few months ago, he made the discovery of no scones at Najib's tea party. He has performed at Sharon Bakar's Readings, British Council's Wayang Kata, Pekan Frinjan, Urbanscapes 2010 and (embarrassingly) Think You Got Skillz. He organized and hosted the Say Goodnight Twitterverse open mic at Cloth and Clef. With the Poetry Underground collective, he organizes the MAP Poetry Cup.
Artists: The Abang Guard
THE ABANG GUARD is a side-project featuring Carburetor Dung’s members and long-time best friends, Joe Kidd & Bullet which started as a laugh around late June 2007. It’s all about experimenting with some ideas we have floating around for years, a band which would be driven by one part cynicism, one part exclamation marks and two parts enthusiasm. It’s a duo which would then collaborate with friends on impromptu projects. The first friend invited and still playing with us is Zai Kuning, a Singaporean sound-artist and enfant-terrible!
Artist: Jerome Kugan
Jerome Kugan is a writer, poet, musician and artist based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In April 2008, he released his electro-acoustic debut album "Songs For A Shadow" that features 11 original tracks produced by Hardesh Singh and Ariff Akhir. JK is also working on publishing Poetika, a poetry journal (on hiatus due to funding issues). Not to mention looking for a publisher for his unpublished manuscript "Imaginary Poems". JK also works as co-organiser of Wayang Kata, KL Sing Song, Troubadours (currently on hiatus), was subeditor of KLue and Junk magazines, and now works as media manager for The Annexe Gallery. Currently figuring out his second album "City Of Mud".
www.myspace.com/jkugan
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