Make a statement by adding these locally-made masterpieces to your home.
You are happy with the colour of your walls, the furnishings and everything else. But when you look around your home, you feel like there’s something missing. Well, how about a nice piece of art? Something that would add character to your home and serve as a conversation starter when you have guests over.
But let’s face it. Unless you’re an art aficionado or you have artists within your close circle of friends, chances are you will end up displaying family photographs in gaudy gilded frames or buying huge printouts of generic images of flowers in a vase, sweeping sunsets or a landscape of rolling hills – or worse, all three!
Take the road less travelled by and check out these three unique artwork ideas for your home instead:
#1 Ceramic contemporary art
Mention ceramic and usually our grandmother’s tableware and vase collection come to mind. And these could easily be found at home décor stores as well as your friendly neighbourhood flea markets. However, Pahang-born Mohd Al-Khuzairie Ali, 34, has put a twist to it by producing contemporary art pieces using a medium as old as time itself.
My pieces have been largely inspired by environmental issues. I used to live in Puncak Alam and I saw how the natural habitat of animals was being destroyed to make way for development. I felt compelled to express my disdain for this, as well as illegal poaching, through my art. -Mohd Al-Khuzairie Ali-
Indeed, Al-Khuzairie’s pieces are provocative and instantly grab the attention of even casual art lovers whenever he displays his work at galleries and exhibitions. Apart from ceramic, Khuzairie also adds other elements like nuts and bolts, and it usually takes up to one month to produce a single piece. “It’s been satisfying for me, especially when people talk about the messages behind my art,” he says.
Price range: From RM4,000.
Contact: Visit the artist’s Instagram account @ al_khuzairie_ali
#2 Aluminium etching
Conventional mediums for portraits are usually oil on canvas, pencil and watercolour. So, if you’re looking for something different, aluminium etchings would be one of them.
For artist Faiz Sabri, it began back in 2012 when he was preparing for his degree show at UiTM.
I needed to challenge myself and thought about what would give my work the ‘wow’ factor. That’s when I started exploring with this medium. -Faiz Sabri-
Faiz, 26, says that while an aluminium surface can be found anywhere, the process itself is rather painstaking. He would begin the process by etching the surface using a needle and spray painting it, before sketching the subject and continue with the etching process again.
“It’s the opposite of how painting usually is,” he explains. “I will leave the dark sections for the shadow on the aluminium, and work on the lighter highlights of the subject instead.”
Faiz rarely participates in exhibitions but accepts requests and commissions from clients. While he is happy that his artworks have adorned the homes and offices of his clients, he has dreams of producing a series of pieces for airports in the near future.
Price range: From RM3,000 (7ft x 3ft) to RM4,000 (8ft X 4ft)
Contact: 017-6226756 or email [email protected]
#3 Lego portraits
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We associate lego bricks with our childhood, and the endless hours of fun and creativity it provided us. They can also produce jaw-dropping art you would not have thought of.
Meet Legolads, a family team comprising Khairy Arief Kaleon (21), Eizec Harith Kaleon (20), Kalel Elyas Kaleon (12) and their uncle Nik Mohamad Sukri @ Addin (23).
“We draw with legos,” says Eizec. “It started out as a character building exercise, but our creativity has found many admirers now.”
Initially, Legolads used family members and friends as subject matters but they are now happily fulfilling a more commercial potential.
We gained recognition when we produced Lego portraits of celebrities like Yuna and Lisa Surihani, and the most famous of them all, Tun Dr Mahathir. –Eizec Harith Kaleon–
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Depending on the complexity and materials used, Legolads take between three days to two months to complete an artwork. Typically, a client would first send them a photo to be “Legolised”, after which they will propose an angle, the colour scheme and size (2 ½ ft x 2 ½ ft is usually recommended). Once agreed, they will source for the bricks locally, or even order them from abroad.
So far, Legolads have produced some 102 pieces of art in the past four years. Yes, people do love to see their likeness played out with Lego bricks!
Price range: From RM2,500 to RM5,000 depending on the bricks used, as some are harder to source for than others.
Contact: Visit their Instagram account @ legolads_official
Edited by Reena Kaur Bhatt