Lot 13
ZURAIMI RAHIM
b. Perak, 1980
GERGAJI, 2011
Mixed media on metal
60cm x 183cm x 10cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur
ESTIMATE RM 5,600 - 6,600
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Metal and tools have always been a part of Zuraimi’s life. His father was a carpenter, and as a result, these materials have a special place in his memories and artworks. A 2003 UiTM Shah Alam graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Art, Zuraimi creates unique pieces that express his personal experiences and hardships growing up. The family unit is a central theme for Zuraimi and his works often draw references to the relationship between himself and his siblings as well as his father, evoking a sense of belonging and hope.
One of the top five winners in the Philip Morris Art Awards in 2003, he is also a winner of the Nokia Art Awards that same year. An artist in residence at Tanjung Jara Resort in Terrenganu in 2004, he has also participated in a number of group shows and other activities since 1999. While mostly exhibiting in Malaysia, he also participated at the the Matahati Art Group Show in Yogyakarta and the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards in Thailand in 2004. In 2007, he exhibited at the National Art Gallery in Indonesia in a show called ‘Jejak’. Cuba is also another destination where Zuraimi visited and presented his works in a show entitled ‘Kata di Kota’ held at the National Art Gallery and Cuban Embassy there. Taksu, Pelita Hati and Kebun Mimpi are but a few of the galleries whose halls have also been graced by Zuraimi’s work.
Gergaji (saw) refers to Zuraimi’s recollection of him and his siblings having to collect firewood for fuel in his youth. A saw is the centerpiece of the artwork with depictions of children’s faces on both sides. The monochromatic sepia colour of the piece gives it a nostalgic feel like a faded photograph of a fixed memory. The children’s mouths are painted on the saw perhaps as a metaphor, alluding to the relationship between Zuraimi and his siblings as a deep connection was made through the act of collecting or cutting up wood for fire. The wooden arrow in the middle pointing upwards hints at a positivity or possibly touches on spiritual strength in the relationship between children and their father through labour - cutting wood - done out of need.
EXHIBITED
Processing Form, Galeri Chandan, 2011
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