Awang Damit Ahmad

Shanghai, The Shanghai World Exposition, Shanghai, China, 2010, National Visual Arts Gallery, Malaysia

The work is in good condition overall, as is the canvas, which is clear and taut. Upon close observation, there is evidence of light wear and handling around the edges of the painting, but the paint layers are healthy. Examination under ultraviolet light shows no sign of restoration. Framed.
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“In his art, Awang Damit crystallizes the childhood experiences and rustic surroundings of his Kuala Penyu fishing village in Sabah into an amalgam of simple symbols, shapes and colours... He is deeply concerned with textural and tactile questions as he improvises symbols to provide an insight into a childhood world filled with innocence and charm."¹

Professor Dr. Muliyadi Mahamood of UiTM comments on Awang Damit’s unique approach to art, in particular the way he “draws with all his senses. ‘He sees, hears, touches, feels, and smells his subject and the world around him. He incorporates all these sensory perceptions into his paintings.”²

Born into a humble family in Malaysia in 1956, Awang Damit grew up as a fisherman and farmer in Sabah to support his family.  In 1983, Awang is awarded the best student of the year and gained his Master’s degree at the School of Fine Art of UiTM and the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. in 1990 respectively. Since then, Awang Damit has become one of the most important Malaysian artists as he has held successful exhibitions throughout the United Kingdom, China, Japan and Malaysia. He is conferred as the Associate Professor at his alma mater, UiTM. Belonging to the pioneering group of the Malaysian abstract artists, Awang Damit is fascinated by textural and tactile questions. This interest in textures prompted him to utilize mixed media in Garis Mega (Iraga Series), instead of approaching his canvas in the traditional oil on canvas method.  Unlike the Abstract Expressionism originating from America, “the forms and colours employed [by Malaysian abstract artists] are used to communicate or reflect an arousing spiritual state regarding certain issues or themes and subject matter experienced by the artists themselves.”³   There is no doubt that the artist has been inspired by the Kuala Penyu Village, a place which captures his childhood memories and stays very close to his heart.

In Awang’s paintings, we often witness an emotional synthesis of various symbols, shapes and colours, described by the expression of intense swashes of colours and brushwork. His unique approach to abstraction has made him one of the most prominent and iconic contemporary artists of his country, Malaysia, and in Southeast Asia at large.

¹Ooi Kok Chuen, New Straits Times, Awang Picks Up The Pieces of His Life, Malaysia, 10 July 2011, p. 27

²Awang Damit Ahmad Website

³Abdullah, S. "The Localisation of Abstract Expressionist Style in Malaysian Art”, Proceedings of 2009 International Conference on Social Science and Humanities, Singapore, 9-11 October 2009, p. 199-203