Graduating from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) with a Masters in Fine Art & Technology (2014-2015) and a Bachelor Honours Degree in Fine Art majoring in Sculpture (2007-2009), Nor Tijan Firdaus experimented with form-making for almost five years before emerging with her current series, whereby she attempts to interrogate the topic of consumerism.
As the overture of this series, Untitled Note merges many elements like scrapped computer parts and discarded, mass-produced accessories that later on make appearances in her other works, to construct a portrait of Tuanku Abdul Rahman Ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Muhammad, the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya, which can be found on Malaysia’s one ringgit note.
Being the smallest denomination of the Malaysian currency’s banknotes and the minimum value of most consumables available to us, the RM1 note symbolises the point from which all expenditure starts. Here, the artist draws attention to the materialistic culture that is so prevalent in our society today, be it amongst children, teens or adults.
Beginning with the final image in mind and on sketches, Nor Tijan combs through the objects, carefully separating them into different piles based on type, identifying pieces that suit the shapes and tones of the portrait and laying them out on a wood panel to build up the contours of the face.
She finds a strange, poignant beauty in items that are long forgotten and yet, at one point in time, had been so essential and cherished. For instance, a bright yellow toy truck cabin juts out from a cacophony of old electronic parts; coloured wires are twisted and looped into piped icing-like streaks to form the number “1”, while a wistful sheep figurine is firmly secured atop its bed of aluminium pull tabs, bolts as well as beads that once adorned the artist’s own neck and wrists.
The intention of Untitled Note is twofold. Somewhat like artist Robert Rauschenberg, who pieced together unrelated found objects to produce a new contextual interpretation, Nor Tijan upcycles and memorializes the previously unwanted items to remind her audience that it is possible to endow value upon used objects by celebrating their origins and reminiscing upon the place they once held in their owner’s heart. The artwork also serves as a timely reminder to be better stewards – on a personal level, to consume only what we need, and on a nationwide level, to ensure that valuable resources in the country are not squandered or exploited, but used wisely for the progress of all.
Title : Untitled Notes
Medium : Mix Media (collage) on Panel
Size : 127cm x 97cm
Year : 2014-2015
SOLD
Exhibited at Core Design Gallery
November 2015
November 2015
Core Design Gallery’s X Canvas exhibition is designed to present the expressions of Malaysian contemporary artists with their diverse backgrounds and experiences in a variety of non- canvas mediums, be it sculptures, installations or mixed media.In its most basic interpretation, X Canvas can mean “no canvas”, meaning works that do not involve paint on canvas. The title can also mean “ex-canvas”, referring to artists who started out as painters and later moved on to a multidisciplinary approach to art, or even “cross canvas”, i.e. using the canvas in a more unconventional way.Either way, the exhibition gives each of the artists a free rein to produce works that address issues that are especially close to their hearts, allowing the story and narrative to determine the medium.
Together, the two- and three-dimensional works compose an overall narrative consisting of veiled gurative commentaries on various matters, be it social or political, internal or interpersonal, which are universal but also relevant in this particular time and place in history.Without being bound by any limitation of materials – of course, save for paint on canvas – the artists also are free to tread into lesser explored waters as far as their techniques are concerned and delve into their fascination with different materials. As a result, the X Canvas show becomes an interesting collaboration of sorts as the artists directly and indirectly spur each other to experiment and expand their artistry.
