LOT 90
AWANG DAMIT AHMAD
(B. Sabah, 1956)
Marista – Imajan Dari Pedalaman, 1997
Signed, titled and dated on verso
Mixed media on canvas
136 x 120 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
SOLD – RM 62,720
The bold and strong style of Awang Damit Ahmad makes a reappearance in this piece, this time taking a resilient, symbolic form.
In his theme Marista, which means “to talk about the past” in Brunei’s Malay language, he names this piece Imajan Dari Pedalaman, “images from the countryside”. It is a restrospective work, painting out mirages and emotions in abstract form, all from hometown and his travels around Sabah when he was younger.
Awang Damit admits that after having studied the Marista series in context, he found it to be a journey of self-discovery as well as a search for a developing positive culture. This painting is both controlled yet expressive, inciting both abstract and figurative forms.