Tempus Fabrica means “manufactured time” in Latin. This is Amar’s version of time.
A Fine Art graduate of UiTM, Amar Shahid (b. 1986) is a multi-disciplinary artist with a specialty in linguistics, specifically Southeast Asian sociolinguistic history.
Amar’s first solo exhibition encapsulates twelve years of art-making. His works are reproductions of his father’s photographic archive taken in the early years of Malaysia’s independence and formation. This body of work explores personal and collective memories of the artist and his father. Amar’s experience as a conservator led him to discover the art of Japanese conservation - kintsugi. His paintings not only preserve time, but his adoption of kintsugi offers another perspective on the preservation of history.
This series explores the relationship of time and material culture. Amar uncovers Malaysia’s cultural complexities through anecdotal memories, and provokes thoughts on the philosophy of preservation - should we embrace imperfections as we preserve our culture over time?