LOT 47
AWANG DAMIT AHMAD
B. Sabah, 1956
Payarama Series – Payarama Baru “Kabat dan Takiding”, 2016
Signed and dated on the verso
Artist, title, medium, and dimension inscribed on the verso
Mixed media on canvas
122 x 122 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 25,000 – RM 50,000
Born in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, Awang Damit Ahmad is one of the most renowned and well- established artists in Malaysia. His father was a fisherman while his mother was a housewife. In 1975, when he was 21, he moved to Selangor to become a technician with Telekom Malaysia. While working as a technician, he cultivated a love for the arts intently and he eventually quit Telekom in 1979 to join Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in mid- 1979. He pursued his Diploma in Fine Arts, which is equivalent to a general degree. During his time in UiTM, he did his practical in Melaka and developed his skills by learning with the best in St.Paul Hills, Melaka. He topped his class in UiTM, graduating in 1983. For two years, he became a full-time artist and completed his first series, Essence of Culture.
Awang Damit eventually became a tutor at UiTM and then he went off in 1989 to pursue his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, United States. During this time he joined art collectives, the Arlington Art Group and The Capitol Hill, with expressionist Professor Tom Nakashima being his main influence. By joining them, he was exposed to various art aspects and at the same time earned pocket money and also got the chance to travel around America.