Lot 34 | 12 July 2020

 

 

LOT 34

AWANG DAMIT AHMAD

B. Sabah, 1956

Iraga “Memori Kelabu” 2004

Signed, titled and dated on the verso

Mixed media on canvas

148 x 122 cm

Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur

RM 30,000 – RM 55,000

It takes you by surprise, this painting. Either that, or you will be stunned with bewilderment. This piece by Awang Damit Ahmad is heavy with emotion. One can tell that it is a very emotional painting, an angry one at that. The harsh brush strokes, the bold and livid colours seem to interest the viewers from the first look. As an artist who finds inspirations from his childhood memories and reminiscing of the past, these may have transformed a bad memory, an angry memory into a painting on a canvas. In its entirety, this piece speaks of unsettlement, conflict or a certain kind of antagonism. The whites could represent innocence, and it is slowly tarnished by the harsh black, grey and orange, incessantly ruining the spotlessness of the whites.

Born and brought up in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, he spent most of his teen years learning painting from various artists whilst traveling around the state. He initially came to Selangor to work as a technician for Telekom Malaysia, but found that art was something he truly was passionate about. He eventually left the telecommunications company, and took his Diploma in Fine Arts in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Masters Degree in the United States. A painting of his, Nyanyian Petani Gunung, won the 1991 Art Salon Malaysia Award. PETRONAS bought it and is, until this day, exhibited at the gallery.