Yo, History’s Cool!
This famous photo of former Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman declaring Merdeka in 1957. Spot the imaginary character seated on the chair reading a magazine.
By manipulating historical photos to give them a humorous and contemporary twist, artist Ahmad Fuad Osman hopes to captivate youths now obsessed with everything from iPods to YouTube to take an interest in their country’s past for a change, writes HIZREEN KAMAL.
Ahmad Fuad showing off one of his digital works on his computer.
An old photo of the then Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman after the bombing of the National Monument in 1975. Inserted in the photo is the imaginary character sweeping the debris.
AS an artist, Ahmad Fuad Osman is not restricted by his medium of expression, as evident in his drawings, paintings, digital prints, videos and multimedia installations.
His digital prints called Recollections of Long-Lost Memories earned him a spot among the top 10 finalists of the inaugural Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation Signature Art Prize.
He is the only Malaysian whose work has been shortlisted as one of the 34 nominated from 12 countries.
APB is a regional art prize organised by the APB Foundation and Singapore Art Museum.
Recollections of Long-Lost Memories is a slide projection of 71 images of historic photos taken between 1860 and 2003. What makes it unique is the way it is presented.
Attempting to bring history to life, Ahmad Fuad calls upon a (Malaysian) viewer’s nostalgia to complete a scene, thus invoking an emotional response to his art.
“This project has special meaning for me as it explores the history of my country,” said this 39-year-old who started his career as an abstract artist.
The Kedah-born artist conceived his idea for the work in 2005 when doing his art residency in Korea.
Koreans had asked him about Malaysia and its history, but he was unable to answer many of their questions.
“I was completely in the dark about things like the Japanese Occupation, the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation or the Emergency, for example. My only consolation was that many were in the same boat because we didn’t live in those times and so they’re of little interest to us,” said this fine arts graduate from Institut Teknologi MARA in Shah Alam.
Recollections of Long-Lost Memories was completed last year when the country celebrated 50 years of independence.
His art pieces were exhibited at the Petronas Gallery last year.
“I thought the timing was perfect. I was hoping that by viewing my work, Malaysians would learn about their country’s history and appreciate the progress it had made.”
To create his masterpiece, Ahmad Fuad had to look at photos from the National Archives in a different way, focusing on those that piqued his interest.
As he studied these pictures, he would imagine present-day characters in the scenes in a way that was funny, in complete contrast to the gravity of the event.
“This imaginary character is added to the photo, juxtaposing the past with the present to create a ‘dialogue’.
“It’s as if the character is journeying back to various periods in Malaysian history. He’s searching for his roots, and in the process indicting today’s aimless youth who are pre-occupied with iPods, PlayStation, YouTube, Friendster, Linkin Park, MySpace, Facebook, American Idol, Akademi Fantasia and what have you.”
Ahmad Fuad, who has had five solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows locally and abroad as well as a recipient of several awards and grants, said this collection of digital prints took him close to four months to complete.
It was tedious work as he had to meticulously study each picture for colour-grading and manipulation on his computer.
“It was hard work, but it was also satisfying,” added Ahmad Fuad, who founded Matahati, a group comprising artists like him.
Recollections of Long-Lost Memories is his second attempt at digital prints. His first in 2003 was entitled An Eye for an Eye Will Make the Whole World Go Blind, which won a Juror’s Choice Award at the Philip Morris Malaysia Art Award.
When told about his making it to APB’s top 10 list, he said: “I am happy my work is being recognised internationally, but shocked as well because I didn’t expect my work to be that good. This marks a turning point for me. I’m definitely motivated to come out with more creative works!”
Next month, the 10 APB finalists will be judged for five awards - three Juror’s Choice Awards of S$10,000 (RM24,000) each, a S$10,000 People’s Choice Award and the Grand Prize of S$45,000.
The People’s Choice Award is awarded to the artist who receives the most votes on an online voting website launched last month.
Voting ends at 7pm on Oct 12. To cast your vote, log on to http://www.nhb.gov.sg/sam/signatureartprize/vote.html.
New Straits Times