Articles
Rhythms Of Nature
There is something precious and timeless about an encounter with Sharifah Zuriah Aljeffri. Like her paintings, it takes a little while to appreciate the artist herself. Soft spoken and graceful, like most malays, she has an unassuming presence and a totally natural warmth. I met her in Kuala Lumpur shortly before her highly praised solo exhibition. Once I came to know her better, it became clear that her concerns, her commitments, her art and her personality are all wrapped up into a single theme: an unconditional love of nature.
Indeed Sharifah Zuriah reflectis all the beauty and grace of the natural environment that surrounds her. Her paintings not only mirror the down-to-earth nobility of her environment, but also rekindles in the viewer a sense of passion for nature. What is the origin of this total synthesis f the subject and the artist? It goes back to her childhood, she explains. "I grew up in rural Kedah which is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia. I remember with special feelings my sampan (boat) trips to Teluk Nipah, a nearby small fishing village. Leaning over the edge of the sampan, I would put my hand in the sea and let it glide with the rhythm of the boatman's oars The water would give me its coolness and the breeze would caress my face. From our little house on the cliff I walked down through trees and rocks to collect shells on the beach. Nature was beautiful and I was in love with it. Its early memories are fresh and through many years have passed I still approach it with the excitement of a child.
Shariah Zuriah grew up in a country which is not only endowed with one of the best flora and fauna in the world, but which is also home to a variety of cultures. A self-thought painter, she began her formal studies under the tutorship and guidance of master Chinese artist, Anthony Sum. Her initial paintings were reflection of her masters' work. But soon she settled into more personal expression inspired by Malaysian landscapes in "Abundance" (1979) , "Looking Up" (1982) and "I'm Great" (1982) she absorbed the skills and stylistic techniques of another culture and found in them expression for her own feelings "Istana Negara" (1982) uses Chinese brushstrokes to create a composition that is uniquely her own. Underlying her Chinese paintings in the clear message against cultural discrimination and ethnic chauvinism.
It is her keen insight into nature that enables her to move from the restrained vigor and discipline of Chinese brush paintings to the exuberant colors of a Canadian autumn. "When I visited Canada", she says, "nature seem one vast festival of color. The Canadian autumn is like a quilted blanked, bringing forth the warmth in the cold October air". 'Autumn leaves' (1990) and 'Brilliance' (1990) confirm her purity of vision and intrinsic ability to synthesise different cultures.
Sharifah Zuriah's one woman show at the American Embassy in Kuala Lumpur (26 June - 12 July) elicited a well deserved praise. Visitors left with an ethic nature that not only invited appreciation but enforced a sense of commitment to its conservation and preservation. Artist like her have a precious presence on an environmentally degraded and threaten earth. "Nature is a divine trust", she says. "It deserves our loving stewardship". It is to this goal that she directs her paintings and provides us with a hope that we may yet learn to love and life with nature and waken to the sublime unity that underlies our external diversity.