Changing with time
Tomi Heri and Sofia Haron, two emerging artists to watch, shine in the double-bill exhibition Pancaroba.
CHANGE. One of the certainties of life. It is the underlying theme of KL’s Ken Gallery’s double-bill exhibition called Pancaroba, featuring young artists Sofia Haron and Tomi Heri.
The show, presented by nonprofit art outfit Sembilan in collaboration with Ken Gallery, includes a whopping 120 works. There are 111 paintings and nine wooden cutout installations on parade.
Both Sofia and Tomi are exhibiting together as the latest artists to emerge from the Sembilan residency programme, which supports mostly local emerging artists by providing them a dedicated art work space within a heritage building in Seremban.
Pancaroba, a Sanskrit word which means “of change”, is the residency programme’s sixth exhibition. Two of the paintings in Pancaroba are also collaborative works between KL-based artists Sofia and Tomi
This residency was a first for both artists. However, the routes taken in their pursuit of change were vastly different.
Sofia’s journey was not an easy one. The 27-year-old confesses that many challenges – artist block, her ego and deadlines – bogged her down throughout the residency.
For the Penang-born, it was all a matter of overcoming the challenges and ultimately breaking free. “These paintings are a form of therapy for me,” says Sofia.
Rest Deeply, a stunning oil painting and the largest piece in the exhibition, depicts seven women, all restfully sleeping in a spiral vortex formation. The painting lures you in with its serenity.
The colour palette grounds the painting, giving it a sense of stability and calmness.
“Depression will return and you can’t really run away from it. The way to overcome it, for me at least, is to sleep. It is important to rest deeply when you are depressed. It is about finding yourself,” she says.
Sofia, a fine arts graduate from UiTM Shah Alam, has her own studio at Ara Damansara called Seri Sofia Studio. Tomi, on the other hand, took a more humanistic approach to his artworks. The 27-year-old says he wanted to explore the value of human interactions.
“It is my intention to share my experiences with people, regardless of whether I know them or not,” says Tomi.
In Pancaroba, Tomi admits that his series were inspired by his time in Seremban. A style that is prominent in Tomi’s artworks is the usage of stencils. Tomi, who has a graphic design background, made stencil images and used spray paints on wooden panels to create his artworks.
“My artworks are all about stories, stories about the places I’ve been to and the connection I had with the people there.”
In Seremban, he intentionally went out and talked to older people at the market.
“I got to know them. I saw how they struggled to make a living. I wanted to do something as a tribute (to them) and I came up with the installation series,” says Tomi, referring to his OL9 (Orang Lama Sembilan) series.
Both Sofia and Tomi stepped into the unknown when they embarked on the Sembilan residency programme. This duo exhibition is a signpost that clearly shows that they have pushed themselves as artists – in their thought processes and techniques. Pancaroba