At the hot scorching end of May 2023, I spent an afternoon visiting an art exhibition held in the most secluded part of Petaling Jaya, the Temu House.Â
About The Exhibition
The Beginning of The Life Size Diary
Getting into the house, the first sight I was welcomed with was this pink carpeted exhibition space which was located in the living room. The pictures hung on the walls showed some of the most beautiful and unique photographs I have seen. The main picture in the middle is a photo of Nadirah Zakariya’s vitiligo-beaded hand. And this is some part of her theme through her life journey: a reconciliation with her condition and accepting it as a part of who she is through her craft.
To my left, I saw the artist herself greeting and talking to the attendees. Her soft yet enthusiastic voice echoed through the house gallery. I went on looking at each photograph in the room.
The middle side of the exhibition. Image | C.Sean
In the middle space of the house, there was a table display showing some unrelated daily items paired with all sorts of flowers. The way I interpreted it, there’s always beauty in our day-to-day life.
An array of displays in the living room. Image | C.Sean
Summoning Emotions Through Images
Some images really evoked emotions in me. Like this burning flower with a deep blue background. I’m not really good at interpreting arts but this one made me feel sad, angry and relieved, all at the same time. Emotions which we humans feel and deal with from time to time.
Or this one where I felt such a calm and serene feeling each time I looked at it. It was located on the right side of the room.
Some of my favourites were these two photos of blooming flowers from cakes. I guess life is sweet and beautiful if we take some time to seek them.
I managed to spend a few minutes with Nadirah to talk about her art. Adorned in a loose sequin pink top paired with a soft jean skirt, she welcomed me warmly to her exhibition. She described her art journey where she shot some of the images during the movement control order (MCO) period.
I can feel the sense of loneliness in this image, which was taken sometime during the period.
Image | C. Sean
Previously, Nadirah was featured in Samsung Newsroom Malaysia, worked with Harper’s Bazaar for the Bvlgari Serpenti collection as well as became the producer for Netflix Malaysia’s Bahasasini Episode 3.
As of June 2023, Nadirah has been named by Prestige Malaysia as one of the Women of Power in Malaysia. Congratulations!
