Malaysian Artist Presents Intriguing Work At Sharjah Art Show

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's Hayati Mokhtar is one of 22 women artists from the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia showcasing their work at the ongoing Women and Art Exhibition under the theme, 'The Environment and The Future', in the emirate of Sharjah.

Her offering at the show consists of a video installation featuring what transpired inside and outside a 1930s house in Penang as it was being emptied by movers.

Hayati told Bernama recently that her piece conveyed that the environment "is not just about nature, air, water and so on".

"The environment is also about how we live, our urban environment, our kampung (villages) and the sense of belonging," she said.

Her video installations examine landscapes and historical sites and, in so doing, inquire into ideas that are connected with the notions of time, place and belonging.

Shot over a three-day period but edited into a 20-minute presentation, her work is featured at the Jan 20-Feb 20 art exhibition organised by the Sharjah Ladies Club, at the Sharjah Art Museum.

Elaborating, Hayati said: "When I found out that the house was going to be closed up and everything emptied out, I asked permission to shoot a video using two cameras, one locked on the exterior of the house and the other capturing the interior, moving through all the rooms.

"You'll get the sense of what the house goes through and see the changes there, from a living family home to an empty shell," she said.

Sounds made by various birds, as well as the 'azan' (Muslim call to prayer) were also captured in the video, said Hayati who studied fine art at Chelsea College of Art and Design, as well as Goldsmiths' College, University of London.

According to Hayati, not everything about the past should be discarded to accommodate the future.

"The environment and the future ought to be viewed from the perspective of keeping a sense of history which is linked to our sense of identity," she explained.

"And, we should allow elements of the past to move into the future in a graceful manner," said the artist who had taken part in art shows held in Japan, Australia and Europe, among others.

Malaysian consul-general in Dubai Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin was present at the opening of the exhibition by the ruler of Sharjah, Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

-- BERNAMA