TitikMerah Collective founded by Adeputra Masri, Latif Maulan and Ajim Juxta back in 2014, is celebrating its 8th year this June 2022. The collective, known to continuously support the local arts community, strongly encourages and challenges emerging artists to explore their ideas freely by proactively exhibiting their works. The collective’s newest exhibition simulacrum now showing in ZHAN Art | Space, Petaling Jaya, features over 50 artworks including paintings and sculptures that come in various sizes and mediums, curated by 18 multitalented artists.
The exhibition title and theme, derived from the word ‘simulacrum’, briefly translates to ‘something that looks like or represents something else’. Ajim Juxta shared that the theme was selected to best correlate with the different subject matters done by each artist, irrespective of whether their artworks are in the form of abstract, realism or conceptual. Artworks presented to the public are often secondhand truths that are subject to various interpretations and changes.
The exhibition which took several months to put together includes the following artists, Adeputra Masri, Fathullah Luqman, Ajim Juxta, Syahbandi Samat, Engku Iman, Caryn Koh, Blankmalaysia, Ho Mei Kei, Zahran, Arifin Amin, Amey Azizan, Ellis Khan, Izzati Suza, Amalia Syakirah, Dysphic, Ahmad Syahrul, Skye and Tera.ZF.
Desmond Tong, the founder of ZHAN Art | Space, shared that “when TitikMerah Collective presented the concept of simulacrum to us, the gallery was immediately on board with the idea”. Given that we are in the endemic phase of Covid-19, we felt that a collective exhibition with a strong theme was necessary to help boost the local art scene and get the public excited about art again. The theme was also equally important to challenge the artists in conveying their ideas on canvas.
simulacrum is scheduled from 25 June to 31 July 2022, comprising paintings, sculptures and digital works. The works will range from RM 300 to RM 12,000.