figure it out!

For artist and art appreciators, if you are anywhere around KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center) from August to October 2012, you can check out Galeri Petronas at Level 3, Suria KLCC because currently they are having an art exhibition entitled Figure Out: Seni Figuratif daripada Himpunan Seni Petronas (Figurative Art from the Petronas Art Collection). I just happened to pass by the gallery one day and decided to have a peek inside.

The admission is free. After registering, you will be given a brochure where you can read the introductory note from Dr. Zakaria Ali, the Professor of Art History from Sultan Idris University of Education (UPSI) about figurative story telling. The exhibition is arranged or categorized into 4 genres i.e. portraiture, leisure, work and political commentary. Of all the 'Portraiture' paintings, some are self-portraits and others are portraits of persons whose features somehow capture the artist's attention. Under the 'Leisure' category, the artworks represented the leisure activities people do to enjoy their free time and 'Work' represents the daily jobs of people especially the self-employed, homemakers and the government wage earner (including a Prime Minister). Lastly, the 'Political Commentary' section represents artworks that exhibits images with political issues and important political figures.

The exhibits ranges widely in terms of artwork types and artist from the 1950s to the 21st century. Some of the artist are, to name a few, Allahyarham Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, Allahyarham Dato' Hoessin Enas, Siti Zainon Ismail, Datuk Lat, Nik Zainal Abidin, Soraya Yusof Talismail and even Almarhum Sultan Ismail of Terengganu, Datuk Chuah Thean Teng, Masnoor Ramli Mahmood, Redza Piyadasa and many, many more.

Other than artwork exhibition, visitors will manage to take parts in the scheduled programmes. You might be too late for the art workshops organized on 29th August but you might still can catch the curatorial walkthroughs and art classes and talks by Prof. Dr. Zakaria Ali on 8th September and 13th October. On 17th October, there will be an art workshop for the primary school students facilitated by the students from UPSI. Check it out!

Di Hamparan Shamrock Kuseru Nama-Mu

saifulislam.com

Title: Di Hamparan Shamrock Kuseru Nama-Mu

Author: Hasrizal Abdul Jamil

Publisher: Galeri Ilmu, 2012

Language: Malay

Pages: 342

Price: RM30.00 (WM)/ RM32.00 (EM)

Among the books that I have read, Di Hamparan Shamrock Kuseru Nama-Mu joins the collection of life journals turned into books such as Travelog Dakwah books by Prof. Muhd Kamil. This book is a compilation of journals of Ustaz Hasrizal's journey and various life experiences during his years as a student in Syariah and Islamic Studies in Mu'tah University in Jordan, and later on as a Minister of Religion in Belfast Islamic Center, Northern Ireland and all his travels around London, Belfast, Galway and other parts of United Kingdom. This book tells the readers about the highs and lows of this Muslim's journey in his academic, professional and social life as he got involved in the bureaucracy madness, extreme perceptions, international security issues and day-to-day social interactions. As imam and head of an Islamic institute in a country far from his own, he faces a lot of issues regarding religion that are different from the ones we always face or know of in our country. Thus, reading all this stories really opens up our minds and widens our knowledge, makes us aware of how's the situation going on in other parts of the world.

There are a lot of new things that I know from reading this book. About the Muslim community in Belfast especially, and how is the relationship between the government and the minority groups of this Muslim and immigrant communities in Belfast. The experiences recorded in this journal are priceless. This is a very enjoyable book to read, a good medium for us to ponder and reflect about ourselves, with simple but interesting writing techniques. I love it.    

monolog

Assalamualaikum

Sebulan lebih tak menulis kerana beberapa faktor. Sedikit kesibukan di satu ketika, sedikit takde mood di ketika yang lain dan sedikit writer's block selebihnya. Kehidupan berlangsung dalam ketenangan dan keributan yang datang berselang-seli. Ada masa kebosanan, ada masa kesepian, ada masa terasa tenang dalam keamanan dan kebebasan.

Dan kebanyakan masa, aku kerinduan. Subjek kerinduan yang lebih dari satu, yang pelbagai. Kerinduan yang terasa seperti menghalang kebahagiaan.

Dalam ketenangan dan keamanan, adakalanya berlaku sedikit konflik. Konflik dalaman di dalam hati dan minda yang seakan-akan sedang menentang sesuatu. Seperti sel darah putih yang menentang elemen-elemen asing di dalam tubuh badan kita membuatkan aku kadangkala demam jiwa.

Kenyataannya aku masih dalam pencarian. Pencarian satu titik arah tuju yang tidak pernah tetap di satu tempat. Pencarian diri sendiri yang hilang kerana kealpaan. Mengimbas kembali sisi samar di bawah cahaya terang. Pencarian untuk kembali kepada fitrah, bukan mudah tetapi munasabah. Malah sangat perlu.

Aku tidak perlu menulis ayat-ayat cliche. Yang pasti Dia Maha Mengetahui.