LIVING ART

The inspired lives of 14 Malaysian artists & their art practice

A young art historian came to us with an original idea. Emelia Ong wanted to do an art book with a difference. Instead of just featuring the artists and their works, she wanted to give an insight into the diversity of art practice – how artist think, what they do in their daily life, how they approach their creative work and how their careers evolve.

In their own voices, the artists share intimate stories of their first exposures to art. They reveal their unique learning processes, explain their choices of space, materials and styles. Behind-the-scenes glimpses help provide an inclusive understanding of the diverse ways in which art can be practised. The book will inspire those embarking on their own journey into the world of art.

The foreword is written by Dolores Wharton, a civic leader and arts advocate who has served on the board of directors of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Council on the Arts in America. 

Featured artists

Mad Anuar Ismail
Noor Mahnun Mohamad
Sharon Chin
Abdul Mansoor Ibrahim
Hasnul J Saidon
Gan Chin Lee

Jennifer Liu Hsin Ying
Roslisham Ismail (Ise) 
Elias Yamani
Eiffel Chong

Azzaha Ibrahim
Shia Yih Yiing
Ilse Noor
Pangrok Sulap

I feel like I am a part of the natural environment… that’s important to me. – MAD ANUAR

The imagination is fertile, but these thoughts and sensations can be very fleeting… with one idea giving birth to another. – NOOR MAHNUN MOHAMAD

Being with nature or living with animals changes how I think. The artwork becomes less human-centric... Without nature, there’s no culture, no history, no art, and no livelihood. –SHARON CHIN

I think that, as artists, we have to remain open to possibilities. We must not get stuck in one medium with the use of old machines. We should recognise that art can be produced with any medium, whether copper, wood or paper. – ABDUL MANSOOR IBRAHIM

I realised that the secret of experiencing life is about connecting and correcting the connection that has been disconnected. Disconnection is the opposite of compassion. – HASNUL J. SAIDON

We need to find that balance between modern life and maintaining our relationship to nature. As an artist, I want to create something inspiring from this struggle, to urge people to continue thinking about this. – GAN CHIN LEE

I like to use performance art to interact with people and spaces. It is a way to connect with people, or to interject [something into] their routines so that people can be critical about established norms and contemplate the way they act in certain spaces. – JENNIFER LIU HSIN YING

I need to go to the place to see it, smell it, get a sense of the place before I know what I want to do. –  ROSLISHAM ISMAIL a.k.a. ISE

I try to be less superficial. I ask myself, "What is my reality?", "What materials carry meaning for me?" I realise that I cannot do something just to be accepted. I can only do something because it is relevant to me. – ELIAS YAMANI

I want to look at people in general, humanity as a whole and the institutions we build and how they fail us. – EIFFEL CHONG

I knew that I wanted to combine my love for art, culture and architecture. I believe that documentation is very important and I want to carry out my own in-depth research into areas that have meaning for me, not just produce something short-term. I want to determine my own direction and create my own path. – AZZAHA IBRAHIM

I also use daily life experiences to teach, instead of artistic terms. I ask them, ‘Why do you do it this way? Does it reflect what you do in real life?’ This way, they find out more about themselves. – SHIA YIH YIING

I also appreciate that the culture here is of a very different kind to the European one. I find it very refined and spiritual, having a different sort of balance... very close to the water, the sea, the elements. – ILSE NOOR

We were driven by a love for our own people and we went to these kawasan pendalaman (interior villages) because we came from villages ourselves. What I love about this collective is that you are always welcome, and you are treated like family. We are from different races and religions but there is no discrimination here. – PANGROK SULAP