Why We Exhibit
Dr. Zakaria Ali
As artists we must exhibit, either solo or with friends. We see little reason to withhold from exhibiting because we seldom paint primarily for ourselves, but mostly for others. Our audience vary, from the most discriminating to the those whose taste is still unschooled. Either way, we have left behind that silly notion that we paint to please ourselves only. The ghost of Van Gogh still haunts some of us, who are hampered by a reluctance born of shyness. But we are living in a world so wired to one another that it is indeed a luxury to be able to break loose, be habitually disconnected. A Persatuan like our Malaysian Women Artists Association facilitates the participation of artists who seek and find support in a collective effort to foster social cohesion and harmony.
By participating in this exhibition, we help to educate our viewers in the different ways we engage to self-express. The first lesson is that there are a variety of styles in art, representing artists who are equally diverse. The second lesson has to do with our craft. The way we handle the paints, in depicting the subject we pick tells volumes of who we are. If we careful and deliberate then the viewer can see that. Likewise, the viewer can also detect if we are sloppy and messy. The third lesson is that the subject that is dear to us may not be as dear to the viewer, a dissonance we accept as part of modern living.
Also, our works pose a question that has been asked, and will continue to be asked because the answer has seldom been definitive, of whether there is indeed a feminine sense of aesthetics. If there is, then, how do we begin to differentiate it from the masculine idea of beauty. We start with detecting the qualities of gentleness in the way the colors are applied, arranged, and organized. So, too, how the underlying drawing of an oil painting are rendered, incautiously or methodically. Seldom do we see a violent scene, an altercation of bad intent, painted by a woman artist. Evidence indicates that she is keener to have a work depicting a bouquet of flowers hung in the living room, or a scene of sunlight slanting upon the kitchen table, emitting tranquility, a rare moment in our hectic lives. Some people may dismiss such subject as cliché but to the female sensitivity it means a whole lot: it is a metaphor of closeness, of bonding, of healing, the deepest urge of her womanhood.
Diamond Creeks
15 August 2025
为什么我们要举办展览
扎卡里亚·阿里博士
作为艺术家，我们必须展览，不论是个人展还是与朋友们共同展出。我们几乎没有理由拒绝展览，因为我们很少仅仅为了自己而创作，而是主要为了他人。观众各有不同，有的鉴赏力极高，有的审美还未成熟。不管怎样，我们已经抛弃了那种只为取悦自己而创作的幼稚想法。梵高的幽灵仍然萦绕在我们当中，一些人因羞怯而迟迟不愿展出。但在这个人与人之间高度互联的世界里，能够远离人群、长期保持脱节反而成了一种奢侈。像马来西亚女艺术家协会这样的组织，正是为那些希望并能够在集体努力中找到支持的艺术家提供了一个平台，以促进社会凝聚力与和谐。
通过参与这次展览，我们帮助观众理解我们以不同方式进行自我表达。第一课是：艺术有多种风格，而艺术家也同样多样化。第二课关乎技艺。我们如何用颜料、如何描绘选定的主题，都充分体现了我们的个性。如果我们小心而深思熟虑，观众就能看出来；相反，如果我们粗糙凌乱，观众同样能察觉。第三课是：对我们而言珍视的主题，未必对观众也同样重要。这种不协调是现代生活的一部分，我们欣然接受。
此外，我们的作品也提出了一个常被问起、但答案从未定论的问题：是否真的存在一种女性的审美感？如果存在，那么我们该如何将其与男性的美学观念区分开来？我们可以从颜色的使用、排列和组织中所表现出的柔和特质开始观察；也可以从油画底稿的处理方式中判断，是随意还是细致。我们很少看到女性艺术家描绘暴力场景或恶意冲突。证据显示，她们更愿意在客厅挂上一幅描绘花束的画作，或是在厨房餐桌上映射一缕阳光的画面，传递出宁静，这是我们繁忙生活中难得的瞬间。有人可能会认为这样的题材过于陈词滥调，但对女性的感受力而言，它意义深远：它象征亲密、联结、治愈，是她作为女性最深层的渴望。
Diamond Creeks
15/08/2025