In a world that becomes increasingly complex, artists offer us an
opportunity to see with fresh eyes. In his seminal and widely-debated
text Ways of Seeing, John Berger writes “the relation between what we
see and what we know is never settled.” He asserts that every image
embodies a ‘way of seeing’, and is a record of its creator’s perspective.
Berger’s 1972 text stresses the subjectivity of perception and how it
affects the viewer’s engagement with and interpretation of an artwork.
Just as Berger and his peers prepared seven different essays touching
on painting and art criticism, 7 Ways of Seeing presents seven new
perspectives as presented by seven young Malaysian artists who are
relatively unknown in the art scene. Each artist, though varied in style,
medium, and philosophy, represents a new way of seeing that chal-
lenges both social and aesthetic conventions around us. Their unique
observations of the world around them form the foundation of their
artistic identities- what might have been taboo becomes dignified, and
what was hidden before is unveiled. By displaying each artist’s body
of work, 7 Ways of Seeing offers its audience an opportunity to familia-
rise themselves with these emerging identities before their respective
solo shows in the near future. From Amir Mansor’s bird’s-eye view
of human population to Ain Rahman’s intimate self-portraits, these
artists engage with topics of varying scales with mediums as ortho-
dox as acrylic and as unorthodox as plastic water bottles.
7 Ways of Seeing also seeks to investigate the complex network of
art, seeing, and physical space, as well as how these three factors
alter and influence each other in unexpected ways. Through uncon-
ventional ways of hanging and displaying, we urge our viewers to
adopt a new way of seeing art in relation to the space it occupies.
Notice the effect light and shadow have on the sculptures, or how
a painting is affected by the way it is hung on a wall. Both two-
dimensional and three-dimensional works have different effects on its
surroundings and vice versa, rejecting the notion that gallery spaces
exist in a vacuum that is unaffected by the physical elements that
surround them.
These seven emerging artists stand as a testament to the original
and compelling perspectives that art can offer us. 7 Ways of Seeing
features Ain Rahman, Amir Mansor, Faiz Mahdon, Hana Zamri, Haz
Yusup, Mazlan Samawi, and Nia Khalisa.
