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“As a young man of this generation, sci-fi movies and game concepts have greatly influenced me, such as CyberPunk2077, Battle Angel Alita, Ghost In The Shell, The Matrix, Blade Runner, and many others. They have inspired me a lot and given me the diligence to create a world from my own perspective. The series I do mostly focus on science fiction concept art.

I’ve collected various elements I like very much, for example, the combination of beautiful girls and sci-fi machine structures, living concepts like Kowloon City architecture, and neon light environments. I combine these elements to make the characters and scenes I design to be more believable.

In my work, I’ve created a complex society in which various social groups exist. They are secretly against each other, but on the other hand, are part of an integrated social system. In this society, one of the government special teams has been dispatched, comprising a few undercover agents to prevent the rise of underground powers.“

Education:

Diploma in Illustration, Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur Learn Basic Illustration

Experiences:

Illustrator Artist, Kinsun Loh, Syncraft Studio (concept art, environment concept art, comic painting, poster, and story board)
Freelance Artist, 2D Digital Art

Award & Achievement:

2018 Grand Prize, Nando’s Art Initiative, Malaysia

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What do you love about your country?

“Growing up as a 90’s kid, I am surrounded by people who are full of anger, disappointment, and contempt towards what we call home, Malaysia. It’s really depressing to see people around me hope for a better country and are willing to leave the country if they were given the chance. What I love about our country is its rich culture, fertile land and diversity; differences should not be the thing that separates us. Because when we take a step back, we are all living on the same land, nurtured by the same air. When we take a step closer, we eat the same roti, drink the same teh ais, have the same flesh and blood. This brings me to create these paintings, in the hope to remind people of the good, old Malaysian days we’ve had. If we are truly united and have trust for one another, we can make this country a better place for everyone.

There’s always still hope, when there’s still Malaysia.”

Education:

Diploma in Illustration, Movie & Game Arts, The One Academy, Selangor, Malaysia

Group Exhibitions:

2020  Open Submission Gallery by BIG Digital Gallery 2020, AFCC, Singapore
2017   10th Nando’s Art Initiative, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Award & Achievement:

2020  Second Runner Up, Yippi Asia Sticker Contest 2020
2017   Second Runner Up, 10th Nando’s Art Initiative, Malaysia

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“Expansion is liberation. We find personal freedom only when we know which inner demons we need to face and defeat.

Just like a rose, a tree flourishes through hardwork and bittersweet experiences, displaying beautiful blooms of joy but also sharp thorns which will scar.

And when monotony restrains and chokes, we slice through the vicious cycle to reach beyond our perimeters.“

Education:

Master of Architecture Design (MERIT) with a specialisation in Development and Emergency Practice (DEP), Oxford Brookes University

Bachelor of Architectural Science at Politecnico di Milano (Final Grade 110/110), Milan

Group Exhibitions:

2017   10th Nando’s Art Initiative, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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“I like to be different. Trying new stuff & adding new stuff to the design. I always feel each artwork needs to have meaning & its own uniqueness. I like to experiment with new stuff & add in the “What if”. WHAT IF I do it like this? WHAT IF I add in this? WHAT IF I change to that?

Some of my current projects involve the use of epoxy resin. Most people use the epoxy for floors, tables, wood coverings & varnishing. Some use it for miniature dioramas to create waterfalls, rivers, underwater scenes & also some figures. I got the idea from seeing people create small figures, souvenirs & water effects in these dioramas & thought: what if I try creating sculptures using only epoxy & add some kind of water/melting effects on them?

Most creations using epoxy need to have a mold to hold them before they take shape. However, creating bigger sculptures will need bigger molds & it gets tedious to prepare. So, I deconstruct them & separate them into smaller mold parts, then combine them back again after they’ve hardened. I use freestyle water dropping to create melting/water-drop effects on the sculptures. For this effect I have to be careful & measure the time for the epoxy to set: it needs to be carefully timed so that it’s not too liquified or not too hardened for me to be able to create the melt/water effects.“

Education:

Advance Diploma in Graphic Design (MERIT), University College Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur

Group Exhibitions:

2016   9th Nando’s Art Initiative, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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“I have a feeling I will never know what I seek. I will never know what I am missing & who I am going to meet that will change my life forever…

I remember hearing on the radio once about this ancient Chinese belief that every person is connected to everyone they will ever meet, anyone that will ever be important to them, by invisible threads. The threads may stretch or tangle, but they will never break.

I know they are there, out there, getting closer and tighter, every second.“

Education:

Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Fashion Design (MERIT), University College Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur
Diploma in Fashion Design (MERIT), University College Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur

Group Exhibitions:

2016   9th Nando’s Art Initiative, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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“It’s been almost 2 years since we have been in the pandemic and social distancing situation. Many of us including me have been staying at home. Stuck at home these days makes us feel bored. The world has become smaller. Our brains are tired of thinking everyday about what needs to be done because we must deal with very limited things. Staying at home today is just like living in box, just walking around, passing from one room to another in our tiny little space, nowhere to go and nothing to do. My imagination is important, and it’s been working well in this period.

I must express my feelings through my imagination onto pieces of canvas about what I love and what is interesting to me. I love travel, I love nature and landscapes, and many more things when I’m outside my home, just like before. Travel for pleasure that was once routine has become non-existent. I must enhance my imagination, thinking up new situations that relate to my interests, so I draw, and I paint the natural landscapes of places I have visited before. It reflects my personal expression and feelings through imagination, painted in transparency as if I were in there, looking at the surroundings and do what I love.

Transparency is a metaphor of being beyond the space between me and other places I had previously visited. It makes those places seem close even though I am at home, far from there. I just really want to be ‘transparent’ with my imagination”.

Education:

Bachelors (Hons) Fine Art, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor
Diploma in Fine Art, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor

Solo Exhibitions:

2020   Glitch in Time, Virtual Exhibition (CENDANA), Malaysia
2019   Factual Glitch, G13 Gallery, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Group Exhibitions:

Shahfiz has participated in numerous group exhibitions locally and internationally (complete CV available upon request)

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“My artworks document my memories and past experiences about people, daily matters and objects in Malaysia. They are Ukiyo-E pieces about the society we live in. In my artworks, you can see people I’ve met and places that I’ve visited and experienced.

Following the flow of time and the development of our country, these memorable people and places are gradually disappearing. I try to capture these past and present aspects and visualize them in my artworks. In my works, I embrace different aspects, including but not limited to human character, architecture, food, politics, religions, business, behaviour and environmental problems. You can also notice a huge number of little details in my work, the inspiration comes from my memories and experiences. They also project the same mistakes that people never cease to make and societal problems in our country that have existed for a long time.”

Education:

Currently pursuing: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Major in Printmaking), Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
Diploma in Fine Arts, Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur

Awards & Achievements:

2019   Gold Award, UOB Painting of the Year (Established Artist category)
2017   Grand Prize, Nando’s Art Initiative Competition (Fine Art category)

(complete CV available upon request)

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In this exhibition, both works are the last works for the “Frontliner” series after several works that have been produced before. Selection of figures dressed in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was selected as the main subject. This figure was chosen as a representation of where the artist was working in a studio setting during a pandemic.

In addition, this situation is also a reflection of myself as an artist who continues to work as usual by prioritizing self -protection in test situations and whatever disasters occur. Therefore, in bringing the concept of this figure also brings the meaning of appreciation to the “frontliner” who have worked hard to restore the country and the world in this pandemic wave occurred. Overall, this work has been styled with the use of realistic techniques and then closed with the technique of “pointillism” which makes this work look vague. In line with the current situation, where we are often obscured by info or information from the mass media in the face of this pandemic challenge.

Education:

Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts (Majoring in Painting), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

Awards & Achievements:

2017   Consolation Prize, Nando’s Art Initiative Competition (Fine Art category)

Group Exhibitions:

SM Raja has participated in a number of group exhibitions over the last few years (complete CV available upon request)