Invisible Border: Zai Kuning and Azizan Paiman

Ota Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present "Invisible Border", a duo exhibition by Zai Kuning and Azizan Paiman. This exhibition celebrates the friendship between the two artists based in Singapore and Malaysia respectively. Separated geographically by just a border and sharing many similarities in regional cultures and histories, Zai and Paiman both explore socio-political issues around them and in the region.

Of late, Zai Kuning (b. 1964, Singapore) has been reflecting on the lamentation of the Orang Laut. Societal developments have created external circumstances beyond their control, causing them to lose their homes. Zai vividly remembers a line that they said to him: "What we have are rivers, mud, stones, sand, earth  and trees, but what they see is gold." This inspired the installation piece presented in this exhibition, where hundreds of pieces of hand-made clay bowls coated with gold paint and gold leaf are placed atop a black surface, appearing as though they are floating.

Azizan Paiman (b. 1970, Malaysia) considers himself a 'back dated reporter' and a 'memory keeper' – his practice plays with social mores, politics, and current events with a focus on Malaysian contemporary life. Paiman presents his most recent series of drawings, Souvenir (2022), in this show. Conceptually, the word ‘souvenir’ refers to something that is kept in reminder of a person, place, or event – Paiman’s Souvenir consists of drawings filled with caricature, humour and important stories on socio-political events as described by him.

Ota Fine Arts Singapore invites all to experience the unique views of Zai Kuning and Azizan Paiman through their works presented in this exhibition.