ArtVoice opens another international corridor

In my homeland, I often feel like a large fish trapped in a small tank—striving for freedom yet confined by invisible barriers. My aspirations stretch beyond the limitations imposed by my surroundings; I yearn to break free from a cycle where opportunities seem locked away, just out of reach. As I navigate this landscape, I grapple with the profound reality of being a dreamer—someone brimming with potential yet feeling stifled, unable to fully realize those dreams.

It’s disheartening when questions echo in my mind, seeking answers that never come. Why, despite my skills and determination, does progress feel so elusive? An unsettling thought creeps in: could it be because of the color of my skin? This question lingers, casting shadows over my ambitions and fueling a fire within me to challenge the status quo.

The journey may be fraught with obstacles, but as dreamers, we must not allow our circumstances to define us. Instead, we should channel our frustrations into action—advocating for change and forging paths where none exist. It’s time to rise above the confines of our tanks and inspire others to do the same. After all, every great movement begins with someone who dared to dream beyond their limits.

Project statement: This collection explores light, texture and form as a dialogue between nature’s geometry and human perception of abstract landscapes in flux. Balancing permanence and impermanence, creation and decay, my journey as a printmaker bridges vision and tactility transforming fleeting moments into lasting impressions through photography, philosophy, and experimental refinement.

Feedback on Mastry: The Mastry Exhibition was a profound milestone, affirming my artistic vision and refining my conceptual depth. Surrounded by painters and sculptors, I explored photography as a contemporary art form where a photograph is a metaphor for its subject. The experience deepened my experimentation, elevating my work’s impact and audience engagement.

Above the Shadows is reflection on the unseen forces that shape our lives, symbolising the journey of rising above confusion and hidden struggles. In a world where shadows often obscure the way forward, how do we continue to uncover the light and move toward a path of clarity and understanding?

Feedback on Mastry: Mastry was an engaging event that provided a valuable platform for artistic exchange. I had the opportunity to meet fantastic artists, gaining new perspectives through meaningful conversations. The experience reinforced the importance of collaboration and dialogue in shaping artistic narratives and expanding my own creative journey.

Seekor kerbau membawa lumpur, habis semuanya terpalit is an old Malay proverb. Roughly translated it means “when a buffalo carries back mud, it will result in the herd getting splattered”. It implies that when a leader of an organisation, political party, religious group, or any other group makes a mistake, society tends to judge the entire organization as being at fault. This reflects the importance of a leader within any organisation or group.

This piece represents my new ideas and challenges in conveying my discoveries, feelings, and thoughts on the preservation of Malaysian culture, particularly Silat. My personal experience in Silat has deepened my appreciation for its traditions, discipline, and values.

I am also exploring different ideas in the creation and appearance of metal Silat figures, aiming to blend traditional and contemporary elements to reflect the essence of this martial art.

Additionally, I challenge the new generation to compare the “world-saving heroes” portrayed in movies with real-world local heroes from history. This contrast highlights the bravery and contributions of historical figures who have shaped our society.

The Mastry show has significantly enhanced my opportunity to reach a broader audience, allowing me to exchange ideas, knowledge, and experiences with others.

Prashamsa. Bare branches stretch skyward, embodying my essence. Their leafless forms narrate survival and resilience, each tree a facet of my daily personas navigating life’s complexities. This dance of struggle and hope reflects the challenge of maintaining composure under life’s weight, managing alone, far from home, with dignity in an unforgiving world.

This painting marks a pause in my journey—a moment of introspection. Its meaning is fluid, likely to change as I evolve over the years. As an artist, I’m continually learning, delving deeper into myself and my work. This piece isn’t a definitive statement of my identity but a snapshot of a moment, a conversation between my changing self and nature’s rhythms.

On Mastry: Observing diverse artworks deepens my appreciation and inspires me to learn from their techniques and narratives. This journey of discovery honors me, as art bridges cultures, ideas, and personal growth.

Through this work, I channel my childhood memories of watching Indian epics with my late paternal grandma.

My sculptures are driven by a desire to capture the fleeting essence of memory and movement. I use childlike free hand drawings to evoke a sense of impermanence and the hazy nature of recollection. Saga seeds have always played a pivotal role in my growing up years; quintessential to most Hindu Malayalis and their associated cultural relevance.

I hope viewers engage with my sculpture on a physical level, walking around them and piecing together their narratives. The sculptures are not meant to provide a singular answer, but rather to spark questions about the way we remember and experience the world.

Loving memories etched so deeply in my inner childs mind, that for a moment lines are blurry between epic and reality; that, when you ask me - Who's the Queen, I for a minute remember the woman behind my softly closed nostaligic eyes and not the epic on the television.

Joker...and as one grows up, societal expectations and pressures creep in to slowly erase those moments of childhood wonder and delight. The Joker is a metaphorical representation of the screwed mindset of society that we, today's world seem to love.

My journey: It has been an incredible one. I am a self-taught ceramic artist. From my 1st rudimentary work to now, I am extremely grateful that Clay has been kind and loving towards me. I hope to continue with this path, albeit dotted with uncertainties that most artists face.

On Mastry: Publicity is always good. I am glad I've had the opportunity to showcase my work to people from around the world.

I have two pieces featured in this exhibition, both of which are part of my recent series titled The Male Odyssey. This series is a personal reflection of a journey I’ve experienced, one that may also resonate with other men in general.

I feel that I’ve made significant progress with this body of work. The pieces feel more intimate and authentic to me, as I’ve embraced a bolder and more vulnerable expression of myself—something I tended to conceal in my earlier series. Technically, I’ve also pushed myself to explore more experimental approaches.

On Mastry: The exhibition, Mastry, is an incredible platform for Malaysian artists to showcase their work on a global stage. It has provided me with a valuable opportunity to share my creativity with a wider audience, and I was truly encouraged by the positive reception on the opening day.

Love, Faith and Hope, first shown in my debut solo Echoes: Navigating Loss and Embracing Life, embody the emotional anchors that help us navigate grief, offering solace, strength, and the hope of healing. These sculptures show my evolution in both technique and storytelling, pushing beyond the canvas to create dimensional forms that invite deeper engagement with themes of healing and perseverance.

Regarding Mastry: Being part of Mastry at Tony Raka Gallery is a dream realised. When I visited during my 2022 residency, I was in awe of the space and imagined exhibiting there one day. I am deeply grateful to ArtVoice for this opportunity, which not only fulfills that aspiration but also strengthens cross-cultural connections, opening doors for future artistic exchanges.

Shadows of Silence explores the delicate balance between life and death, delving into themes of stillness, decay, and the inevitable passage of time.
while, Scattered Memories is a composite nature of childhood memories reveals a fragmented recollection that highlights deficits in joy and affection, yet paradoxically contributes to enriching life experiences.

On Mastry: As a first-time exhibitor in Indonesia, I am honoured to have the opportunity to showcase my work alongside talented local artists. Mastry has definitely been instrumental in establishing connections with these artists, and I look forward to fostering meaningful relationships with them.

My art reflects micro-experiences tied to mental states, captured in the library of memory. It’s about noticing overlooked details hidden in plain sight, often missed while chasing bigger ideas. By pausing to visualize and expand, surreal patterns emerge within structured abstract surrealism. My artistic journey is about expressing internal emotions, feelings, experiences, and mental states. Interestingly, as I become more playful in my approach, my work feels more mature—a paradox I embrace as growth. This may evolve or stay the same, as experiences are never linear.

Mastry is a milestone in my art journey, marking my first international exhibition. I aim for my art to reach diverse audiences, sharing perspectives and sparking critical conversations. Collaborative initiatives like this are powerful platforms for cultural exchange and the growth of artistic ideas.

My works here explore transformation through the interplay of natural elements — lotus has its genesis in murky waters, while the dragonfly embodies change, agility, and the ephemeral nature of life. This work is symbolic of my journey of rising as a successful self-taught artist, while facing challenges and self doubts.

Mastry was a great experience. Meeting artists, gallery management and Indonesian art enthusiasts and exploring the Indonesian art scene was quite productive and enlightening. It gives me ideas about how we can work and collaborate in the future to create more inter-cultural dialog and exchange of ideas.

Plays of Creation: The feminine powers of the universe create the plays of life. The darkness of the universe is merely the extension of her grace & beauty. Like her puppets we feel from despair to ecstasy at her whim. Only self determination is the path towards illumination and beyond her control. As an artist, this work is the manifestation of my spiritual journey that came from my observations of life and human behaviour.

Deracination: We establish ourselves as merely an extension of nature. However in time, the ambitions of man grows and our ties to the planet is forgotten. We will grow beyond control and end up breaking. Such is the fate of the loss of our connection to the rest of creation. Mastry was a means to convey this warning, expressed with the brutalist architectural style and the liberal use of charcoal with plays of light and dark. The centrality of the hand creates the point of contemplation.

The Mastry exhibition had provided me the opportunity to share that side of me-the side of introspection and meditation. It has been an upmost honour to present this alongside the other great works.

I ENJOY the whimsical. In art, it manifests as forms like the surrealist portraits in this project. There was no grand intent at the start—just a quick sketch of abstract facial features within a 1:3 rectangle on A6 paper. The next impulse: it would be a “greenish portrait within a 16 x 48-inch frame.” See Guarded Greens above. To produce it, I simply went with the flow—enjoying the process, letting colours and forms find their own rhythm. Eventually, I decided all six portraits I had done so far would feature bespectacled figures and adjusted them accordingly.

With each piece, I feel I have left behind something that resonates. Some are drawn to the colours, others to the forms. A friend once remarked, “Whichever way you look at it, it’s distinctively LSJ.” Perhaps it’s the surrealist residue, or maybe just a fragment of my socio-political and biological self—something I don’t fully grasp and have no real intention of doing so.

Curious, I asked DeepSeek: “What would a Stoic in the world of the absurd say about whimsical art?” Its response delighted me: “A Stoic in an absurd world would honour whimsical art as a serene dance with chaos, finding grace in fleeting beauty without clinging—a reminder to embrace ephemeral joy while anchoring in unshaken virtue.” I rest my case for being whimsical.

That said, I enjoy storytelling too—just not here. I save that for works where narratives can unfold: totemistic self-portraits, or symbols discovered in far-off places.

Masry is great. So many artists coming together to speak to the world and with each other, to share experiences and dreams. I salute Stephen Menon for doing this. I am honoured to be part of it and to have the opportunity to document it.

This painting is a deeply personal map of the roads that my inquiry into reality have taken throughout my life; a resolution of belief systems still held and already shed. Each element, its placement and their connections hold a significance — while intelligible, they are often so idiosyncratic that, truly, only I will ever know their full meaning.

Participating in Mastry has afforded me great insight into a completely different artistic culture, one that inspires dedication in me. It was an honour to be presented alongside the talented artists of Indonesia, and I hope to be involved in more collaborations in the future.

This painting is part of Paradise series that takes viewers into my fantasy world that radiates a sense of childlike wonder, reminding viewers of the simple pleasures often overshadowed by the complexities of life. It encourages us to reconnect with our own fantasies and rediscover the joy that comes from the freedom of imagination.

When I paint I don’t set out to achieve a specific thing, perhaps catch a feeling, an emotion! I’m always trying to explore the synergy between abstract art and subculture mind.

On Mastry: I find it very fascinating how artists from different backgrounds, technically so diverse, from two different countries have joined hands together to create this amazing exhibition. It is a wonderful platform for artists of Malaysia to showcase their work in an international market.