NN Gallery proudly presents “Passage” – the first solo exhibition by Suhaidi Razi presenting paintings, metal sculptures, printmaking and woodcarving from 18th June till 9th July 2011 at NN Gallery.
Suhaidi also runs a small farm where he rears goats, chickens, fish and horses. He takes inspiration from the forms and movements of these animals, which he then translates into sculptures and paintings, giving an assessment of each animal’s behaviour and character. He takes delight in the patterning, design and colours found in animals and nature. He explains “I am fascinated by nature, but now I am moving away from realistic depictions which was the starting point of my art making. Now I am trying to make the transition - to find a new style to create the mysteriousness that I chance upon when observing nature.”
The styles and the artistic expressions presented in this exhibition is varied and denotes the versatility of this young emerging artist. Eager to tackle and assimilate ideas and various forms of expression, he conjures a world that is somewhat foreign yet resonate in our minds as familiar and beautiful.
Suhaidi Razi is currently a lecturer at the Fine Arts Department, UITM Machang, Kelantan. A finalist at last year’s Young Contemporaries Award at the National Art Gallery, Suhaidi shows a collection of works which is inspired by nature with ties in to the notion of passage as well as his personal road of self discovery and the processes of becoming an artist.
The works exhibited are sculptural in nature, giving emphasis on the experimental. He mixes various modes of art mediums together to present a tactile and unexpected representation of painting, sculpture and printmaking.
Versed in such disciplines, he applies drawing and painting methods on sheets of found metal, replete with natural erosion and the artist’s own puncture marks. Traditional woodcarving techniques are given a contemporary feel with the introduction of resin and cement in his free standing sculptural and relief works. The result is an unorthodox and accidental approach to give a surreal and whimsical dialogue between the natural and man made.
