Creativity Unleashed
“Itried and tried and finally, success! Giving up never crossed my mind,” begins Faiz Mohamad Yunus, the 2011 Grand Prize Winner of the Nando’s Art Initiative (NAI), a platform for the country’s young and upcoming artists to launch their art careers. His hitherto laidback demeanour turns animated as the 29-year-old production designer recalls his journey. “I had participated in every NAI competition since its inception in 2008. I didn’t know that it would be my art piece called The Dream that would bring me home the big prize!”
The NAI, opened to young Malaysians from colleges and universities to young adults, has showcased over 500 pieces of artwork from over 400 young local artists since its launch. This year, it celebrates its 11th year anniversary with the YOUthReka Art competition 2018, which invites young aspiring artists to take charge of their own creativity and express their thoughts and identity through art.
His long artistic fingers toying with a strip of paper on the table, Faiz, a former art student from UiTM (Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara) Shah Alam, Selangor, confides that prior to his big win, he had to contend himself with the consolation prize. But his chicken and chillies bagged him the goods at the fourth Nando’s Peri-fy Your Art Competition 2011.
Chuckling, he recalls: “My forte is sculptures; it’s what I majored in when I was in UiTM. But somehow it was a piece of painting that I did which changed my luck. That year (2011), there was no category for sculptures. What did I paint? Err... I remember chicken and a lot of chillies on the canvas and I utilised acrylic techniques in mixed media.” Incidentally, it was also in 2011 that Faiz bagged the grand prize at the Starhill Art Award, KL.
The talented artist from Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan was the first of the NAI’s winners to have his own solo exhibition the following year, which was fully sponsored by NAI and NN Gallery. “The competition was a great stepping stone for me,” shares Faiz, before adding that his 2012 outing at NN Gallery in Ampang, Selangor, called KNOTS, was a success. “All my paintings and sculptures were sold out. I made lots of contacts from that event and ended up being commissioned to do some work for various individuals. I’d say it changed my life...”
Asked to describe his kind of art, Faiz, who believes that art is able to create change by relating how things interconnect with one another and affect a person’s emotions, confides that he has always been inclined towards the abstract form. He loves creating knots and circles and seeing what simple lines can be transformed into. “I guess you can say my ‘thing’ is abstract expressionist. When I do my knots, they’re not isolated from each other. Everything is related.” His favourite colour meanwhile, is black.
As a sculptor, Faiz’s biggest challenge is finding space. “When I do my sculpting work, I definitely need to have my own workshop so I can have all my equipment and tools there such as the welding set and so on. At the moment, I do have my own studio but that’s only big enough for my painting work. Normally, when I want to build a sculpture, I have to go to the welding workshop and make it there.” His largest sculpture to date, shares the lively Pieces, measured 2.4m by 1.5m, “... a circular piece full of nuts!”
The youngest of seven siblings, Faiz, who cites celebrated abstract expressionist painter, Awang Damit Ahmad as the artist he most admires (and who happened to be his lecturer at UiTM), recalls that he had always loved art ever since he was young. But, he only took it seriously when he was doing his diploma. The selfconfessed kampung boy believes that his leanings towards sculptures probably had something to do with his father, who did carpentry on the side.
“My early works were definitely influenced by my surroundings — what I saw around me in the kampung,” shares Faiz, before adding with a chuckle: “I used to draw those rumah kampung (kampung house) with the swaying palm trees and the sun rising at the back! It was from our teachers la! Everyone’s house would look the same — the windows would be higher than the door and then you’d have the pokok bunga (flower pots) in front! I remember I’d always draw my windows beside the door!”
As he pauses to take a sip of his now lukewarm coffee in this bustling Bangsar cafe, my attention is distracted by the opening of the cafe door. A petite young lady clad in a perky ensemble, her eyes anxiously scanning the interior, walks in hesitantly. “That’s Pui San!” exclaims Faiz, his eyes lighting up in welcome. He waves Exciting talents Shin Pui San and Faiz Yunus.