NN Gallery, The German Alumni Association and the Goethe-Institut Malaysia
 

An exhibition by a German - Malaysian couple Brigitte & Azzudin Shahabudin, to be officiated by Datuk M. Feisol Hassan Chairman of the German Alumni Association
 
 
 
NN Gallery, the German Alumni Association KL and the Goethe-Institut Malaysia are showing an exhibition by a German-Malaysian artist couple, Brigitte & Azzudin Shahabudin from Hamburg. The two artists have worked many years as a team, and they are showing their common and individual works for the first time in Malaysia.

The theme of their work by the title of "Stimulus II" expresses the aesthetics and mysteries of the human form. They are inspired by the paintings of the Old European and Eastern Masters and they go as far back as the Middle Ages of the 12th Century.

It is Brigitte and Azzudin’s aim to promote cultural unity and harmony when they claim that the genius of the Old Masters of the East and the West must be treasured and preserved in the world of Arts. It goes without saying that Rudyard Kipling’s motto of "East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet" becomes obsolete and meaningless to them.

The two artists express their ideas in their own different ways through painting and by use of oil on canvas or on wood and by using watercolor on structured torchon paper.
 
Born in 1933 in Malaysia, Azzudin Shahabudin studied Architecture and Painting in Malaysia and London where he lived and worked as an artist. He has exhibited in London and Oxford, and later regularly in Hamburg, Paris, Luxembourg and Thailand. His paintings can be found in private collections in America, England, Germany, Norway, Thailand, Luxembourg and Austria. He is also a member of BKK and I.A.A, the International Association of Art.
 
Since 1984 he resides in Hamburg, Germany where he continues to develop his personal style. His paintings are inspired by works of Old Masters, like Titian, Velasquez, Cranach, Caravaggio, Hokusai and Utamaro.
 
His art seeks to familiarise oneself with foreign forms, and by reproducing Old Masters within his paintings – not only allows for a two part reading of  his works but also to solve the secrets of beauty of period paintings as well as suggesting a dialogue with present day concerns. “My paintings are about time and space. They follow the form of a ‘Bild im Bild’ . There is a copy of a painting of an Old Master in the background and the foreground is a modern figure that stands in contrast or in relation to the painting in the background. Much of my work revolves around aspects of love and the conflict between a man and a woman.”
 
Born in 1943 in Luxembourg, Brigitte Shahabudin studied at the H. F.B.K Art School in Hamburg and later taught art history and painting. She has exhibited in Hamburg and Paris, France. A member of BKK and IAA , the International Association of Art, she has participated in numerous artistic projects together with her Malaysian born artist husband Azzudin.

Her figurative paintings embody the themes and notions of the human condition and the cycle of life - the process of growing up, living and growing older as influenced by the social settings and the environment. She is influenced by the colours, the painting compositions and the aesthetics of the Old Masters’ paintings.

In her art, Brigitte deciphers the aura and the secret behind the person (her subject matter) from their facial expression, gestures, appearance and their environment. She seeks to bind their attitude and position in contemporary culture with a connection to figurative paintings from previous centuries to present universality in meaning and interpretation.

She explains “The women in my paintings present themselves in various guises, all dressed up, cloaking their true identity, almost never natural and always out to please, to be seen, to provoke, to show off, to be self conscious and independent.”

“I find pleasure in observing their desire to please, to be different. Like on stage, dressing in costumes, this is how I perceive the changes in relation to contemporary imagery of women to those from earlier centuries.” However in the past women were portrayed from a man’s viewpoint, his presentation of woman. Today women themselves are able to present themselves in art, so wherein lies the female perspective?

She observes that the behaviour and manner of women today has changed in many ways, they no longer please men but themselves. They beautify for their own pleasure. As she begins to grasp the essence of her sitters, she first, like any relationship finds the initial attraction, the connectivity of the feminine aspects of her sitters. She engages in eye contact, the aura of the person sitting in front of her, her personal time and discovery, the feelings and experiences of being together, in harmony with the person.

In capturing the essence of her sitters, their characteristics and signature codification, Brigitte extends their personality in the way they dress, with the concern for material, the drapery, the contrast between silk and cotton, between the rough and fine, elaborate gowns to hand made personal effects and jewellery to celebrate the beauty and expression of women of all ages.