小小世界

xiǎo xiǎo shìjiè (“Small Small World”)

We live in a world that continually grows “smaller”; not in terms of physical size, but in terms of interconnectedness between individuals inhabiting this Earth. Small Small World (小小世界) brings together twelve women visual artists, each with their unique artistic practice and preferred mediums of presentation.

In the run up to this exhibition, we had asked each artist to search deep within them, to answer this question: what makes them the artist, and person, that they are? This was done in the hope that what they would eventually produce reflected themselves, both as artists, and as individuals in this ‘small, small world’.

Featured in the exhibition are Andrialis Abdul Rahman, Caryn Koh, Choo Ai Xin, Eleanor Goroh, Lina Tan, Ho Mei Kei, Poesy Liang, Rekha Menon, Tsa Meera, Viko Zhijune, Vivi Kartina Hazolene, and Yasmeen Cheong.

Each brings with them a unique perspective, expressed through their individual and equally unique artistic practices. As a whole, the collection of works included in this exhibition is diverse, covering a few different genres of visual art making. In addition the participating artists themselves are diverse, coming from different backgrounds and cultures, including both the formally trained and self-taught. This is not by accident, as we intended from the start that the exhibition be a reflection of the unique diversity that is Malaysia, a nation we believe has thrived because of her diversity, and not despite it.

The only restriction given to the participating artists was the size of works, reflecting the idea of a “small” world, where traditional barriers and national boundaries have all but melted, thanks not only to the increased transnational mobility affordable travel has provided, but also to the advancements and pervasiveness of communication technologies, including of course, social media. We are more connected to one another across the globe today unlike any other period in history.

But where transnational boundaries have become more permeable, in the process of becoming more interconnected, we have become more disconnected with those immediately around us, including the people closest to us, by building an invisible wall around us, as we become absorbed with the very devices and gadgets that interconnect us to the world. We lower our gaze focusing on the gadgets we have in our hands, sometimes to the point of being completely oblivious to the physical world we live in, paying less attention to the important people around us.

Small Small World (小小世界) is therefore also a closer look at ourselves, about who we are, and how we connect to one another, both in the real, physical world that we live in, as well as the virtual, borderless world that we find ourselves increasingly immersed in.

Small Small World features artworks by twelve Malaysian women artists, ten of whose works may be viewed below, organized by the artist’s first name (we will update the other two artists in due time). For enquires about the availability of artworks by these artists, contact us via email at in**@ar***************.com.

Andrialis Abdul Rahman

b. 1983 in Malaysia

Masters in Art, Photomedia University of New South Wales (College of Fine Art) Australia
Bachelor in Photography and Creative Imaging, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Andrialis is currently a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in the Department of Creative Photomedia, teaching various aspects of photography, including experimental art photography, an area that is of particular interest to her. She believes the right picture can transmit emotions, messages and evoke feelings. She dreams of living in a rectangular frame and sharing it with the world.

Caryn Koh

b. 1987 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Diploma in Fine Arts, Dasein Academy of Art, Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern!Ireland, U.K

A qualified medical doctor, Caryn Koh gave up a career in medicine to rediscover her passion in visual art. She obtained her Diploma in Fine Art from Dasein Art Academy, and is now a fulltime artist residing in the United Kingdom.

What intrigues Caryn is what she calls the “human mould”, the physique plus mental and psychological make-up of individuals. Within this construct, she believes the various human interconnections, be they by blood or otherwise, creates another dynamic to our being.

Click here for her full artist profile.

Choo Ai Xin

b. 1996 in Ipoh, Malaysia

Diploma in Fine Art, Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Although young artist Choo Ai Xin’s career only spans a short few years since graduating from Dasein Academy of Art, she has garnered awards for her thought provoking artworks, the most recent being the 2018 Nando’s YOUthReka Art Competition.

Her site-specific installation for this exhibition examines and documents the interaction of humans with their immediate environments, and about how we react to boundaries, both physical and inferred.

Eleanor Goroh

b. 1982 in Sabah, Malaysia

Self-taught artist
Wide experience in cultural advocacy and activism

Eleanor Goroh’s art is expressed primarily through her cultural activism, in particular in those areas affecting indigenous populations in Malaysia. Belonging to the Dusun community in Sabah, central to Eleanor’s artistic practice is beadwork.

Her activism promoting and protecting the interests and rights of indigenous people, both domestically and internationally, has been reported fairly extensively by the media here and abroad.

Lina Tan

b. 1982 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Diploma in Graphic Design, Saito College, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Formally trained in graphic design, young visual artist Lina Tan has been quietly building her career as an artist to look out for, actively participating in numerous group exhibitions since 2015, her expressionist figurative style embodies a vibe of honesty that bring the subjects of her works to life.

Her focus for this exhibition is on a small group of individuals, some very close to her personal life, and some simply random people she’s found interesting, collectively forming a visual diary of her encounters.

Mei Kei Ho

b. 1993 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Diploma in Fine Art, Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mei Kei Ho is a young artist who constantly explores new possibilities for art creation, primarily expressing idiosyncrasies of life that are memorable. 

Turning away from the world of education, an area that she has delved in quite extensively with her recent artworks, Mei Kei’s focus is now trained on finding the perfect home for herself, and in the process articulating some of her own experiences during this quest in her artworks.

Poesy Liang

b. 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Self-taught artist
Diploma in Architecture Engineering, Federal Institute of Technology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Put simply, Poesy Liang is a different kind of artist, one who is multi-disciplinary and one whose work covers many and varied forms. Visual art is one of those forms, and has played an important role in helping her further the various humanitarian causes she champions.

For this exhibition, Poesy debuts a new series and style of artworks, incorporating love poems written by the artist herself.

Rekha Menon

b. 1976 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Self-taught artist
Masters of Arts in Communication Management, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

Rekha Menon is a self-taught artist who finally took the plunge to go fulltime into visual art after over a decade being a branding and media relations professional. Her art combines naïve figurations and abstract motifs, expressing her observations of the inner human self, from the psychological or spiritual perspectives, among others.

The Jungian concept of the human façade is central to the collection of works selected for this exhibition, with Rekha examining the many masks we wear as we navigate a multitude of social circumstances we come across on a daily basis. Rekha believes that women are burdened with having to play far more roles in their social existence, sometimes each situation requiring a completely different mask.

Tsa Meera

b. 1989 in Malaysia

Masters in Fine Arts & Technology, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, Malaysia
Bachelors in Multimedia (Hons) Digital Media, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Malaysia

The ephemeral aspects of human existence is an area that interests Tsa Meera, articulated through her marrying traditional modes of art making with technology. She has quite actively been exhibiting her art whose presentation has been in various forms over the years, encompassing painting, op art, and video.

Viko Zhijune

b. 1993 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Diploma in Fine Art, Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

For a young artist, the works of Viko Zhijune are deeply introspective, tapping into her own psyche for inspiration. Her works comprise of abstract and figurative elements, composed to evoke imagery that combines the real and imagined, symbolic of her introspective thoughts within her physical existence.

Click here for her full artist profile.

Vivi Kartina Hazolene

b. 1979 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Diploma in Graphic Design, Kinabalu Commercial College, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Vivi Kartina Hazolene is one of the founding members of the enduring Kota Kinabalu based Cracko Art Group, and who still works with the collective when she has the opportunity to. As a full-time mother of three, Vivi knows firsthand the difficulty in trying to find a viable middle path, balancing the needs of her young family, with her artistic pursuits. 

Yasmeen Cheong

b. 1994 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Diploma in Fine Art, Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Visualization of human expressions is the main thrust of Yasmeen Cheong’s art. Delving into the dynamics of human interaction and how facial expressions become the interface through which individuals interact with each other, her artworks are subtle social critiques about life as a struggling individual living in uncertain times. 

Click here for her full artist profile.

The eCatalog for Small Small World (小小世界) contains the complete collection of artworks included in the exhibition, plus artist profiles and other information. You may read it online, or use the download link below to download a PDF copy.

Download Small Small World (小小世界) eCatalog as a PDF file (1.5 MB)