The 15th Rimbun Dahan Residency Exhibition

Rimbun Dahan will be exhibiting works of art by local and international artists who have taken up year-long stays at the 14-acre home belonging to architect, Hijjas Kasturi, and his wife, Angela, under the Malaysia-Australia Visual Artist Residency. Many artists who come from Southeast Asia and Australia have found inspiration in the abode designed by Hijjas, where a 100-year-old kampung house, relocated from Perak, and an Anglo-Indian bungalow from Penang, restored to its former glory, are a sight to behold. The main house itself is reminiscent of the Malay house, which has an open facade, surrounded by a pond.

This year, the exhibition will feature works of art by Monika Behrens and Rochelle Harley of Sydney, Australia and our very own Samsudin Wahab. Behrens has exhibited in Japan and all over Australia, and has travelled to Amsterdam, Madrid, Venice and London to research on political art and war paintings. Her stint at Rimbun Dahan will highlight contemporary political issues in Malaysia, while using local organic materials and toys to convey her message. Haley, who recently completed her PhD at the College of Fine Arts, New South Wales, has exhibited in Beijing, Islamabad and Istanbul. She focusses on the relationship between the human subject and its environment. Samsudin, who just graduated in 2007, has had exposure all over Malaysia and Singapore. He won the Malaysian Emerging Artist (MEA) Art award in 2009, and his first solo exhibition was the 2008 Enough! event at Taksu Gallery.

Text Lee Yang Ching Photo Courtesy of Rimbun Dahan