"Original Perfect" (detail), 2008-2009, ink on paper, 21x15cm (x 30 pcs). By Nizam Abdullah.

THREESIXFIVE ME: A Solo Exhibition by Nizam Abdullah

Art Exhibition

Thu 25 Jun to Sun 12 Jul 2009
Sun to Thu, 11am to 8pm
Fri & Sat, 11am to 9.30pm


EXHIBITION OPENING, Thu 25 Jun, 8pm


Presented by The Annexe Gallery, with support from Central Market

Supported by:
Sid's Pub, Bangsar South
Leonardo's

With thanks to Winson Loh, PINKGUY Malaysia Art & Frame

Official media partner TimeOutKL

Admission Free



"Same-Same but Different Pantun", 2009, mixed media on canvas, 183x213cm. By Nizam Abdullah.


The Annexe Gallery is delighted to present Nizam Abdullah's “threesixfive ME”. The exhibition marks Nizam's first solo outing and represents the culmination of a hardwon introspection, an overriding concern for the last two years of his art practice.

Fundamental to Nizam's new body of work is a deconstructive approach to the question of the Malay male identity and its proclivity towards narcissism. It is a powerful response to the figurative tradition of painting by Malay artists that have emerged since the National Cultural Congress in the 1970s, which have thus far promoted a discourse of Malay identity that are expressed through cultural pride and tradition.

Working against the narrowly espoused idea of the quintessentially Malay male (the silat warrior figure, the farmer, the politician, the bomoh/magician), Nizam employs repetition as a reiterative means to challenge his sense of selfhood. By placing repeated emphasis on his own image, often in a self-mocking manner, he is able to decenter its stable and ontological meaning, through formal strategies such as distortion, audience participation and self-effacement.

The process opens up his narcissistic visual register to range of interpretations, with readings that not only challenge the meaning behind a cultural identity but also explores the very notion of male beauty within a cultural context.

Working across a variety of media, from wall installations to paintings to video, the concept of identity and the aesthetics behind a specific cultural identity face a many-pronged assault that ultimately hopes to redefine what it means to be a Malay man from variously more ambiguous, more complex and also more honest trajectories.


"Habitual", 2009, mixed media on canvas, 152 x 183 cm. By Nizam Abdullah.

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ABOUT THE ARTIST


Nizam Abdullah (b. 1981, Kuala Lumpur) graduated with a Diploma in Visual Digital Art from the Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology (LUCT) in 2004. Upon graduation, he taught life drawing at the university for a year before becoming its Resident Sculptor from 2005 - 2008. Nizam is no stranger to the local art scene, since 2007 he has actively participated in numerous group exhibitions, including 'Gelang-gang' at The Annexe Gallery (2007), 'Mekar Citra' at Shah Alam Gallery (2007), 'Ilham' at Pelita Hati Gallery (2007), 'Behind the Wall' at Universiti Sains Malaysia (2007), 'Bukak Mata' at Dikala Jingga Studio (2008) and 'Cabinet' at Valentine Willie Fine Art (2008).


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Winson Loh, PINKGUY MALAYSIA ART & FRAME, is proud to support this exhibition celebrating the work of a young and aspiring Malaysian contemporary artist. By supporting this, PINKGUY is playing a role to help develop our nation's artistic heritage. After 26 years of practicing the craft of frame making, Winson’s vast experience and elegant craftsmanship on picture framing services has touched the homes and work places of thousands of customers. His inimitable energy and personal style has led some to refer to him as "Malaysia's Most Revolutionary Frame Maker".

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For press inquiries about this exhibition, please contact:
Snow Ng
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel:  +6012 463 9376