In collaboration with Ivan Gabriel, the curator for BOXED IN (one foot at a time) at Hin Bus Depot, our last Sesi Seni for 2020 featured two artists from the exhibition – Nasir Nadzir and Maizul Affendy.
BOXED IN is an exploration project by a group of Penang based visual artists from various backgrounds and art practices that begun prior to the global pandemic; before the literal boxing in due to closing of borders and lockdowns. Each participating artist was given two 12″ x 12″ wooden boxes and set off to let their creative imaginations run wild. The only catch was for them to “think outside the box” whilst having the artworks within the box itself.
With the lockdowns finally lifted, we were glad to catch up with two selected artists from BOXED IN before the exhibition closed to find out more about their experience of being part of an art show during the pandemic and how it has affected their art practice thus far.
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Nasir Nadzir is a self-taught artist with working experience as an oil and gas technician who shifted over to a successful art career. His artworks focus on wildlife mainly as an impact to his previous working life, where he was surrounded by endless man-made structures, machinery, and refineries. Producing wildlife and nature artworks is a reflection of his past — having worked in an industry that exploits nature without concerns towards the environment.
Maizul Affendy, on the other hand, is not a new face and has been actively involved in art and design since 1997. His art journey also includes the theatre scene with Angkasana, a theatre group from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Maizul has won various awards such as the Penang Young Artist Competition and the Malaysian Young Contemporaries. With a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Communications and Masters in Visual Arts and Design, he has a trove of experience in multi-disciplines under his belt.