Strange Tales from Jeju 2, 2014
Charcoal on paper 76 x 224 cm,
Collection of Mr & Mrs Gouw Kim San

If you’re heading down to Johor this weekend you might want to check out Medini Live! ~ the inaugural community festival hosted by Medini Iskandar Malaysia for a vibrant 2 days of live music, dance, film screenings and workshops, contemporary and traditional performance and fine art, a food and craft bazaar and much more.

Actually if you have no plans to visit Medini you might want to re-jig that diary just to view master-painter Ahmad Zakii Anwar’s first solo exhibition ‘Arang’ in his home state of Johor. This retrospective of some of his most compelling charcoals on paper, groups together a selection of work spanning over a decade. Zakii considers charcoal a medium that is intimate, tactile and sensuous. He sees this instrument of carbon and ash as almost an extension of his hand. Charcoal is typically used in small studies but in Zakii’s works it takes centre stage. He is lauded for a distinctive psychological dimension ~ the cinematic quality of his scenarios. The drawing shown here is being exhibited in Malaysia for the first time at Medini Live!. It was previously shown in Jeju Island, Korea and Los Angeles, USA as a result of an art residency in Jeju Island.

Whether your interests lie with Joe Flizzow or Sofea Jane, Kuda Kepang or Tango Milongas ~ Medini Live! promises to be a finely-curated, richly-layered experience that will mark Iskandar on our cultural map. This weekend ~ engage your senses and nourish your soul.
Arang opens on Saturday, 6 June, 6 pm. The show will continue until 5 July 2015 at the White Box, Mall of Medini.
Medini Live!  6 & 7 June 2015, 10am ~ 11.30pm, Mall Of Medini, Nusajaya, Johor.
For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/medinilive?fref=ts