Brunei artists need a 'home'

Brunei's artists, young and old, are one in saying that they need a 'home', a place where they can mingle, share ideas and display their art works.

Sadly, they don't have one in the Sultanate.

What these artists call a 'home' is an art gallery.

Faizal Hamdan, who is a Form Six art teacher, thinks that it is important to have a place where local artists from all generations can come together to share their knowledge and experiences.

"It is sad that the G5 generation or the young generation of artists today do not know of the generation of local artists before them. They have no place to look for the works of other older local artists, it can be a meeting place for them," said the 38-year-old Faizal.

Pg Kamarolzaman Pg Haji Tajuddin, a graphic designer, agrees.

"It is important for artists from all generations to come together. Everyone can learn from each other because even if local artists are not big here, but overseas they have created a name for themselves. You would be surprised," said Pg Kamarolzaman.

Mohammad Alwie Mohd Salleh, another art teacher, says some veteran artists feel inferior towards contemporary work.

"We contemporary artists are always open to share knowledge. We want them to accept us, too. We know that some feel inferior about our work, but not all of them," said Mohammad Alwie.

They agree that there's been limited support to the local artists, but they now see some positive signs.

"We are starting to see it now such as through support from the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports for the young people today. Though there needs to be more support from the private sector as well as individuals who have the ability to provide financial support in their endeavour," said Pg Kamarolzaman.

Pg Kamarolzamam recalls a time when there was a competition organised by tobacco company, Philip Morris during the late 1990s and early 2000. But due to the nature of business of the sponsoring company, the competition was stopped.

"The company organised art competitions, it was prestigious and it was not conventional. It was anticipated by local artists from all over the country because of its standard and the attractive prizes it offered," he said.

The Philip Morris art competitions had different themes each year. Entries were judged by five leading art authorities who will select the top five Brunei entries. The winner received a cash prize of $8,000, a trophy and an all-expenses paid trip to the biennial regional finals.

The artists said that competitions like the one organised by Philip Morris should get support from agencies and individuals.

"There is a lack of promotion of these competitions which will encourage our young talents to join," said Mohammad Alwie.

"Maybe there should be competitions organised only for the next generation of artists so the level of competition is equal. It is also good to see some young Bruneians winning over senior artists but there needs more opportunities just for them," added Mohammad Alwie.

Mohammad Alwie and Faizal, who are both art teachers, gave their observations on Brunei's young artists.

"The young ones have talents but some are not sure what to do with their talents in the future," Mohammad Alwie pointed out.

"The sad thing is that some art students are not really sure what they want to do because they are only taking art as an additional subject," explained Faizal.

"But others do have the talents and are very keen on learning new forms of art," Faizal added.

The seasoned artists also recognize Brunei's position as still in need of more time to approach modern art.

The Brunei Times