Bridie Gillman’s practice is grounded in her experiences of living in Indonesia when she was younger and further experience of being ‘in-between’ places and cultures since. Her work explores ways in which experiences of awkwardness and the ‘unknown’ can be translated through found materials, installation and photography.
Gillman is an emerging artist based in Brisbane, Australia and completed her Bachelor of Fine Art with Honours at Queensland College of Art in 2013. Since graduating she has conducted a residency in Indonesia and exhibited nationally and internationally.
She was in residency at Hotel Penaga from August to October 2015, where she researched the transient space of hotels, tourism and souvenirs in our increasingly globalised and transnational world. Her residency culminated in an exhibition titled Round Island Tour, held at Run Amok Gallery in Georgetown. For more information on her work, visit her website.
left: Souvenir: Tropical Fruits of Malaysia 2015, oil on canvas. right: In Thailand I got a girl in every club 2015, oil on canvas board.Left: Sprite at night 2015, Batik painting. Right: Local Lingo 2015, Set of 6 digitally printed postcards, edition of 100.
Anne Austin Pearce was born in Lawrence, Kansas and studied art at the Kansas City Art Institute, Brighton Polytechnic and the University of Kansas. In 1993, Pearce received a full scholarship to James Madison University, where she received her MFA in drawing and painting. Her work has been recently acquired by the MDC Museum of Art and Design, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and the Spencer Museum. Exhibitions include Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS; Corcoran School of Art and Design, Washington D.C.; and the Drawing Center, New York City. Anne’s first museum show will be at MDC’s Museum of Art + Design in Miami, 2013.
She will be at Rimbun Dahan from middle of July to middle of August 2015, working on art for an upcoming exhibition. You can find more of her work on her website.
Al-khuzairie Ali (b. 1984) hails from the Malaysian state of Pahang and works with ceramics. He will be at Rimbun Dahan as a resident artist from July to December 2015. You can view some of his past works on his blog.
Artist Statement
I look at the hideous side of the human character which has an impact on other beings in the ecosystem. My work is inspired by the life of the animal. We know that some animals are threatened with extinction. The modern world and the importance of money simply make people lose their judgment and ignore the nature of life. Will future generations be able to see the wildlife species that exist now?
Caution I, Ceramic acrylic on canvas and wood frame, 60cm x 47cm x 30cm, 2015
Pseudonym I, Ceramic, nuts & bolts, acrylic on canvas and wood frame, 78cm x 124cm x 10cm, 2014
Pseudonym II, Ceramic, nuts & bolts, acrylic on canvas and wood frame, 93cm x 91cm x 10cm, 2014
Si Kambing Hitam (Scapegoat), Ceramic, nuts & bolts, acrylic on canvas and wood frame, 120cm x 120cm x 10cm, 2015
The Transporter, Ceramic, nuts & bolts, acrylic on canvas and wood frame, 153cm x 153cm x 10cm, 2015
Kedsuda Loogthong (b. 1983, Songkhla, Thailand) graduated from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Bangkok University, Thailand in 2006. Loogthong’s early works examine the urbanization of her rural landscape and society and how consumerism has affected the lives of simple country folks. Her recent works explore the visual potential and associated symbolism of a number of mundane objects such as books and ribbons. She has participated in many group exhibitions in Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia and Finland. Her works are in the permanent collection of Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.
Kedsuda will be at Rimbun Dahan as a resident artist for the month of July 2015, via a collaboration with Richard Koh Fine Art.
The Fortress 2014 Oil on linen 125 x 125 cm
The Moment of Time 2011 Oil and embroidery on canvas 100 x 150 cm
Broken Almanac No. 1 2011 Acrylic on canvas 20 x 30 cm (each)
Yeoh Choo Kuan (b. 1988, Malaysia) is a young artist working in the veins of Abstract Expressionism though he installs narratives and hints of figuration to the formal language of his paintings. He graduated from Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur with a Diploma in Fine Arts in 2010. Solo exhibitions include: 50/50, Taksu, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Private+ Sentiment, House of Matahati, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Recent group exhibitions include: Configuration, G13 Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Connection, Orange Gallery, Philippines; and No+ Random+ Nonsense, Boston Gallery, Bacolod City, Philippines. He lives and works in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Yeoh Choo Kuan will be at Rimbun Dahan as a resident artist for the month of June 2015, via a collaboration with Richard Koh Fine Art.
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, 2015, Oil and lacquer on canvas with custom wooden frames, 160 x 134 cm
He Took off His Skin for Her, 2015, Oil and lacquer on canvas with custom wooden frames, 160 x 134 cm
I’m Gonna Make Him an Offer He Can’t Refuse, 2015, Oil and lacquer on canvas with custom wooden frames, 160 x 134 cm
Remisniscences of a Deceased Me, 2015, Oil and lacquer on canvas with custom wooden frames, 160 x 134 cm
You May Live Through This Tragic Affair, 2015, Oil and lacquer on canvas with custom wooden frames, 160 x 134 cm
Hasanul Isyraf Idris (b. 1978, Malaysia) was trained at Mara University of Technology, UiTM, in Perak. He has received a number of awards, including the Young Contemporary Arts Award in 2007 at the National Visual Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, the Incentive Award at the Open Show held at the Shah Alam Gallery and the Consolation Prize for the Young Talent Art Exhibition at the Penang Art Gallery. A highly elusive artist, Hasanul shuns attending openings and attempts to work anonymously in the art scene. He produces works in a variety of media, from paintings and meticulously crafted drawings to painted oven-baked clay sculptures. Mining inspiration from within, he articulates his personal struggles as an artist by personifying them as strange characters that inhabit his invented universes. Influenced by the graphics of underground comic books, 1960s science fiction, fast food, and street art and fashion, he juggles pop-culture references with a personal viewpoint. Recurring topics in his practice are the meaning of life and death, memories and fantasies and sin and reward.
Hasanul will be at Rimbun Dahan as a resident artist for the month of June 2015, via a collaboration with Richard Koh Fine Art.
Flower Fairies of The Summer, 2012, Mixed media on paper, 122x158cm
Luring Hue, 2011, Acrylic and aerosol paint on canvas, 213 x 195 cm
Parasin, 2014, Acrylic, enamel, rhinestones, semi-precious stones, glitter, pearls and PVA glue on paper, 152.4 x 152.4 cm
Omar bin Musa (b. 1984) is an award-winning author, poet and rapper from Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia. He won the Australian Poetry Slam in 2008 and the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam in 2009. He has released two solo hip hop records (The Massive EP and World Goes to Pieces), two self-published books (The Clocks and Parang) and a self-titled album with international hip hop group MoneyKat. His debut novel Here Come The Dogs was published in 2014. Here Come the Dogs received praise from novelists Irvine Welsh and Christos Tsiolkas, was long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award and Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Young Novelists of the Year in 2015.
Omar is the son of Australian arts journalist Helen Musa and Malaysian poet Musa bin Masran. He studied at the Australian National University and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Omar has combined hip hop music and poetry throughout his career. He was runner up in the 2008 Australian Poetry Slam, before winning in 2009 at the Sydney Opera House. He went on to win the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam in 2010. In 2010 he also did support for Gil Scott-Heron in Munich, Germany. In 2011 he was a guest panellist on ABC’s Q&A. In 2013 he received a standing ovation at TEDxSydney at the Sydney Opera House.
He has been a guest at numerous international writers festivals, including Jaipur Literary Festival in India and the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival in Indonesia, as well as touring extensively in Asia, Europe and Australia. He has collaborated with numerous musicians and hip hop artists, including Akala, Soweto Kinch, Impossible Odds, The Last Kinection, Hau Latukefu from Koolism, Candice Monique, The Tongue, Lotek, Koolta and Geoff Stanfield.
He did a split residency in Hotel Penaga and Rimbun Dahan from June to August 2015.
Ruth Taylor and Auke de Vries are professional animators from The Netherlands who both worked in the TV industry for a few years. After working commercially they wanted more time to spend on their personal artwork. So they decided to go on a trip around the world to explore new environments, learn from different cultures, get inspired and create artwork based on these experiences. Malaysia is their second stop of the 7 countries they’re going to visit. In 6 months they will travel from artist residency to artist residency. You can follow them on their journey on Facebook.
Ruth Taylor
Ruth Taylor is both animator and illustrator. She grew up in Rotterdam, where her interest in illustrating grew. After finishing high school she moved to Breda to study at St. Joost Art Academy. While she was studying, she started doing mainly illustration, but after a while she considered that the possibilities of moving images were also very interesting. Animals and nature are a recurring theme in her illustrations and animations. She loves creating detailed illustrations and the painstaking work of animation does not keep her from putting those details in for a few seconds of animation, frame by frame. You can check out her work on her website.
Auke de Vries
Auke de Vries is a filmmaker, animator and motion graphics designer. He graduated from the St. Joost Art Academy and uses a wide variety of animation techniques in his work such as stop motion, mixed media and computer animation. He strips down complex stories to tell their essence in a simple way and puts the real world in perspective by creating his own, usually with a bit of humor. You can check out his work on his website.
Rose Thomas, founder and creative director of New Zealand label Nymphets uses costume, textile design and multi medium art in a fresh approach to fashion.
Installation and performance art are central to exhibiting Rose’s work. Under the Nymphets brand, Rose has created a fantasy world allowing her audience a kaleidoscope view into her personal aesthetic and perspective.
Nymphets is a unisex label and Rose wishes to further explore gender politics in fashion while at Rimbun Dahan. A deeper understanding of how clothing affects how a person is perceived and approached in society will allow an increased emphasis on gender fluidity in Rose’s future collections.
After travelling through South East Asia in February and March of this year in search of new and colourful inspiration, Rose will also focus on textile design and developing her fashion photography portfolio during her residency at Rimbun Dahan.
Rhiannon Rebecca Salisbury is an emerging artist from London. Since the inception of her career her work has been exhibited across Europe and the US (London, Rome, New York, Los Angeles). The Artist was awarded The Rome Art Program Scholarship, The Art Academy Mixed Media Prize, and won The “Picture the Heath” painting prize.
The artist’s work recalls Alan Moore’s assertions that; “The one place gods and demons inarguably exist is in the human mind where they are real in all their grandeur and monstrosity. Much of magic as I understand it in the Western Occult tradition is the search for the self with a capital S. This is being understood as being the great work the gold that alchemist sort.”
I have a formal approach to painting that is guided by aesthetic intuition. For me painting is an enabling medium that opens up a liminal space to access memories from the subconscious.
My influences range from the Surrealists concerns with the unconscious, through to contemporary practices concerned with memory and magic. My practise is one of recall and expulsion, it is a process of storytelling and self mythologising.
In order to produce an image the first thing I do is recall an experience. I focus on the emotions that my memory of the experience evokes and try to intensify them. Once I have brought the experiential feelings to the forefront of my mind, I begin the technique of visualisation. Many things rush through my minds eye, I allow these to settle and try to consolidate the whirling forms, colours and flash backs into a single image that will embody them.
Rhiannon will be in Rimbun Dahan from the start of April to the start of May 2015. Find more of her work on her website and blog. She is also on Twitter and Facebook.
Rhiannon Rebecca Salisbury
Rhiannon Rebecca Salisbury
Rhiannon Rebecca Salisbury
Ink Blot Clouds, acrylic, spray paint, & oil, 135 x 135 x 2.5 cm, 2014
Evocation 1, Acrylic Paint and Spray Paint on Cotton Stretched Canvas, 76 x 102 x 4 cm, 2014
R2, Spray Paint, Acrylic Paint, Ink & Charcoal on Linen Streched Canvas, 25 x 50 x 3 cm, 2015
