MAIRA 2012: Art Brings Malaysian And Iranian Communities Closer

By Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, April 7(Bernama) -- Art is part of a cultural family that brings together people from around the world to express their feelings and thoughts in the most creative and interesting ways and, as such, is a good method to boost relationships between countries, according to Iranian artist and art instructor Asghar Yaghoubi. “No translation is needed in the arts because painting speaks for themselves and it depends on each individual’s creativity to interpret the message. Getting to know a culture or food is the best way to start building good relationships between two countries,” he told Bernama. Yaghoubi is one of 16 Iranian artists participating in the Malaysia-Iran Art Exhibition (MAIRA) 2012, which is currently being held at the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara) from March 19 to April 12. He plans to promote Iranian and Persian art, as well as Iranian artists, and is looking for opportunities for both Iranian and Malaysian artists to work together. “It will be best if more exhibitions and workshops can be organised for artists from both countries, where they can discuss how to promote the culture of one’s country through their art works,” said Yaghoubi, who is associated with the Cube Gallery of International Creative Art, Iran’s first art gallery in Southeast Asia, which is located in Malaysia. Forty-five paintings by Malaysian and Iranian artists are being showcased at the exhibition. Among the 20 local artists being shown are Kamarulzaman Taib, better known as Chekem, Mahsun Taib, Mohamad Ismadi Sallehudin and Suzlee Ibrahim. Yaghoubi noted that most Malaysians believe that Iranians and Arabs are the same and part of his mission here is to also show that Iranian civilisation, customs, language and even foods are different from those of the Arabs. Also, he commended the establishment of MIAS (Malaysian Iranian Arts Society) in Malaysia last year, describing it as a symbolic effort to promote the art works and cultures from both countries, which could also provide the grounds for Iranian artists to better communicate with artists from Asian countries. Asked about the challenges he faced in pursuing his efforts, he said that the major challenge is financial, from getting the material for creating the art to finally selling the art works. “It is very difficult to sell art here because a lot of Malaysians do not know about Iranian and Persian art. We need support from Malaysians in order for us to continue our efforts promoting Iranian arts and heritage in Malaysia,” he said. However, he noted that contemporary art is still new in Malaysia and the public needs to be exposed to more of this kinds of art through exhibitions and workshops. “There are, however, a lot of emerging talented artists in Malaysia, and from what I have seen they are very creative in expressing their thoughts and feelings. Also, from the paintings, we can see Malaysian culture,” he said. Meanwhile, Mohd Faizal Suhif, 28, a local artist, said he participated in the exhibition in order to motivate art students to continue to have passion in fine arts. “Fine art students do not have any specific jobs once they graduate. They are trained to be artists, so one of the ways for them to get a job is to produce art work and participate in exhibitions,” he said. Asked about challenges facing Malaysian artists, he said that compared to neighbouring countries like Indonesia, artists in Malaysia are still not highly regarded. “In Indonesia, if people know you are an artist they will respect you because of your talent, creativity, and the ability to sustain yourself. But in Malaysia, when they know that you are an artist, they will be cynical and say that this is not a career and is unstable,” he added. However, he praised the organisers for holding such an exhibition, since it could change the perception of Malaysians towards Malaysian artists, as well as bring artists closer to the community. -- BERNAMA