AT THE SPEED OF NOOR

On the 2nd last day of the group art exhibition Clouds Over the Poppy Garden as She Runs on Grass! , 11 performance artists participated in a 'conversation' between the artworks and poetry. I haven't been to a poetry gig since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so this was a lovely afternoon surrounded by good company and good vibes. I really enjoyed it :) The Performers The list of performers were as follows (in alphabetical order):  Poetry :  Abigail Lim Afi Noor Aiman Azri Dhabitah Zainal Effa Qamariani Kanchana Sirikit Rozhana Azra Swit Marie Umar Aziz  Music :  Azreena The Performances The event started near the entrance of Temu house, with Umar telling stories from childhood and on married life, accompanied with some flute playing.  We then moved on to the Poppy area, where Effa weaved tales of sensuality and self-love. Dhabitah performed after, sharing her thoughts and feelings about her father, space, and self-acceptance (which made the Poppy artist, Xeem Noor, ...

Clouds Over the Poppy Garden as She Runs on Grass is a 3-part collaboration between artists 🌺 Xeem Noor (Poppy), ☁️ Shiela Samsuri  (Clouds) and 🏃🏻‍♀️ Cassielelolea  (Runner) and nature in February 2023. Xeem is a multitalented artist and a dear friend whose work I have long been a fan of. We got closer since the pandemic started so I was able to witness her creative evolution online, so being able to see her work in physical form is incredibly exciting.  When I found out she will be displaying some of her work inspired by her time in residency in Spain, I couldn't wait to see all of them in real life.

Huda and I haven't been able to organise any physical MY Artjamming sessions in months, so when my childhood friend Yas (also a regular for MYAJ), asked if there would be an artjamming session for the new year, Huda reached out to a few regulars to ask if we were up for a virtual artjam. Yes!, of course we were.

In February 2020, before the COVID-19 hit Malaysia, KLSketchNation was tasked with painting a 30,000sqft mural at an apartment buidling in Kuala Lumpur.  The project took 12 straight days, and over 20 local artists! The theme is stars, hence the design being based on past and current celebrities and public figures. I only managed to help on my days off, but some of my friends were there on most days. It was tiring, but it was also a pretty fun experience. Check out the process video below to see the before, during, and after! :) Last Updated: 2022-12-01

Artworks by a few KL Sketch Nation members - namely Hakym , Jerome , and Syah Daud - were being exhibited at LOOP Hotel , so as part of the launch, we had a sketchwalk activity around the vicinity of the hotel. Of course, a road trip was in order, so the KLSN team went to see the sights, sounds, and tastes of Penang!

On day 1 of 2020, some  KL Sketchnation  friends and I decided to have a simple picnic to celebrate the new year. It wasn't anything fancy - we were basically just hanging out at the river - but it was the most fun New Year's I've ever had. (Credit: Anonymous child, using Hakym's phone)

I often feel that my art comes from a place of pain. But as I progress in my journey of healing, I wonder if that's just my trauma talking. The beautifully complex paintings visualising the artists' sadness and hopelessness. The tsunami of thoughts and feelings unfurled through poetry, evidence of a heavy mind and heart. The husky, raspy voice in songs I love, most likely caused by smoking habits of the singer. And so forth.

Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, lies on the Ionian Sea and around Mt. Etna (“A Muntagna” as the locals call it), a massive mountain which has shaped the history and the actual existence of the city. This beauty and fertile grounds of Catnia has attracted travellers, artists, poets, and philosophers for centuries. In 2014, I was very lucky to visit this city with ISH Travel Club,  and we managed to see the main Sicily town as well as venture further out in Taormina and its vicinities. View from Castelmola, a quaint hilltop village atop Taormina