Women In Art: Azie Ahmad
“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.” - Pablo Picasso
Of all the art battles and debates of the last 20th century, none has been as divisive as that between abstract and figurative art. Yet in reality, for many artists throughout the 20th century and into the present day, the dividing line between abstraction and figuration was much more porous, leading these artists to create paintings and works on paper somewhere in between the two.
Eve Writes | 06 April 2019
Life & Culture : Women In Art
“I do not have a specific genre as an artist. I love to try any genre as experiments. For now, abstract and figurative seems to be working out for me”
Azizah Ahmad (better known to her friends and followers as Azie) was born in Malacca in 1967 like many of her predecessors, most taking back six decades of Malaysian Abstract Art, despite some rigid requirements that have long been put on Malaysian abstract artists there is still something humanist in their imagery.
Azie, herself operate under a completely different paradigm, one in which the interpretation of any form of national, ethnic, religious and cultural identities are inextricably linked to her own feminine aesthetic.
Azie left the corporate world to be a full time visual artist. She truly believes that finally, she has found her true calling. Her work consist mostly of bright, intense colours, with heavily layered impasto effects slowly transforming to an influence of a thematic pattern which is interpreted into elements of mystery.
Much like those before her, elements of her work reach out beyond their own national and cultural boundaries. And it is those elements that must have inspired most local artists who believe that no matter what restrictions bureaucrats inflict upon artists, the artists will always discover ways to express what is timeless and constant about the human condition.
But WHO is Azie Ahmad as an artist, really …?
She says she is still finding herself …“I do not have a specific genre as an artist. I love to try any genre as experiments. For now, abstract and figurative seems to be working out for me”
Azie admits to having insomnia and could not sleep well at night when she sets herself on her work. A deep thinker and a spontaneous person, she often takes chances in life. A bit kelam-kabut too, especially when she finds herself taking in more work than she could afford to juggle, when all things come at once. “Mood is important to me. I can look at the blank canvas for hours without doing anything. To bring out my mood, I have walk, listen to music or meet up with friends and just hope that tomorrow would be a better day to paint”
A single mother of three boys, she could easily be mistaken as their big sister. And that’s simply because of her rather ‘bohemian’ approach, and her boys, the eldest is 27 and the youngest is 17, understand her work.
Azie described a chance meeting with an artist at Artdeco 2019 recently.“I cant recall his name but his abstracts moved me so much so that I froze when I looked at it”
The encounter still haunts her. She regrets not being able to afford it and declares there are many talented artists in Malaysia who struggles to be recognised.
Azie loves art that speaks to her mind and move her spiritually. On herself, she describes how every time a painting of hers is sold, she feels she has achieved something because the buyer or collector has understood the meaning of what she tried to convey or they just simply liked it. “Whatever that may be, I feel proud”
And she is not sentimental. Each time she parts with one of her paintings, she believes a part of her soul is shared with the new owner. Presently, her artworks are collected by private companies and private collectors.
Does she subscribe to works by other artists? She has some works gifted to her by fellow artist. But someday, she would love to have her own art collection of works by artists she admires.
So, who inspires her?
The artist Yusuf Gajah inspires her. “I admire his life and his journey to become a successful artist.” In her own observation, she maintains that the local media only focuses on the art, but not their lives. Perhaps if there is a way for one to get to know an artist through their struggle and pain, then there is better appreciation for their work.
"Your soul can never grow old.
It's evergreen."
“What you seek is seeking you”. RUMI
These words of Rumi act as a guiding light when carving her next steps.
I always dream and seek the opportunity to do my solo exhibition and Art Market connected me with Colonel Nordin (rtd) to combine our work for this event. So we decided to do a Duo Exhibition as it was an opportunity not to be missed.
Since the Colonel and I are travel enthusiasts, we feel it is our role to share our journey in an artistic way with the masses.
I think our work shows a balance between realism (his) and figurative abstract or abstract (mine). Plus, ours is a good collaboration effort, minus the competitiveness which is apparent between artists.
See more of Azie's work from her Instagram: @aziehj_artist
About Journey of Dreamers
The concept of art has always been open, subjective and debatable. What is most important would be how art is used to arouse bottled up emotions, heal emotional wounds and inspire humankind.
That is why in the up and coming exhibition by two talented and emerging Malaysian artists, art lovers will be able to share and join in their artistic journey through 20 paintings shown in their own unique expressions via their individual creative art works.
The duo combination of Nordin Yunus and AzieHJ emerged into the Malaysian art scene with one purpose, which is to heal the world through art. Their specific art genres will be displayed at the exhibition entitled “Journey of Dreamers”. This will be their first exhibition together and it is organized by Art Market Malaysia at their mini gallery, located in DaMen Mall, USJ, from 4th April until 14th April 2019.
