Land of a Thousand Guilts

March 11, 2021 / News

A Solo Exhibition by Shaq Koyok 5 – 20 March 2021

Bangkok, 11 March 2021—Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA-KL) is pleased to announce Malaysian artist Shaq Koyok’s (b. 1985) solo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. Land of a Thousand Guilts is scheduled to run from 5th until 20th March 2021 at Richard Koh Fine Art, No. 34-1, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The artist will present 20 recent works in his first solo exhibition with Richard Koh Fine Art.

In Land of a Thousand Guilts, Koyok responses to a dire situation faced by Malaysia’s indigenous people; the Orang Asal – a community which he belongs to. In this exhibition, the artist draws upon personal experiences of trauma in his youth, in which his own village faced when an unscrupulous land developer encroached the jungle surrounding his home village.

The works are an extension of Koyok’s advocacy and activism to save a forest plot surrounding an indigenous village from deforestation due to the degazettement of forest reserve plan by the Malaysian government. Through his works, viewers are presented with a contemporary view of struggle of indigenous people with the aim of contributing a deeper understanding of the complexity of Malaysia’s multiculturalism.

The works come together as a reminder of the negative effect modernity has brought upon humanity and the exploitation of the natural world. Will technological development help alleviate the conflict between economic development and environmental quality? Land of a Thousand Guilts serves as a social consciousness.

Artist Biography

Shahar a/l Koyok aka Shaq Koyok (b.1985, Selangor, Malaysia) is a contemporary artist of the indigenous Temuan tribe of Selangor. He started painting with oil pastels at five years old, using his talent as a way to express his feelings about his surroundings. Koyok explores a variety of mediums, from contemporary painting to installation art.

Koyok has an honours degree in fine arts from the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). He has been awarded the Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment in 2017, he is the first Orang Asli to receive this accolade which identifies outstanding young Malaysians, equipping them with opportunities to participate in collaborative projects at internationally-recognised institutions. His work has been shown in the UK, Australia and the USA.

About RKFA

Founded in 2005, with spaces in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok, Richard Koh Fine Art is committed to the promotion of Southeast Asian contemporary art on regional and international platforms. Centred around a core belief in developing an artist’s career, the gallery looks to identify understated, albeit promising practices, and providing it opportunities to flourish. Through its regular exhibition cycles, print & digital publications and cross-border gallery collaborations, Richard Koh Fine Art engages the art community with the aim of developing regional and intercultural dialogue.

For further information about the exhibition, please do not hesitate to contact Wei Fung at +6016 491 2644 or the gallery at info@rkfineart.com / +603 2095 3300.

All images are subjected to copyright.

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