CORE contemporary art

Drawing out the Background

The role of drawing changed enormously in the 20th century (Duff & Davies, 2005), with drawing being no longer necessary or sufficient for attainment or acclaim in art school or the art-world. In the recent years, there has been a growing concern within the art ecosystem, which consists of the artists, collectors and academicians, regarding formalistic skills among younger artists. There has been anecdotal evidence indicating a deterioration in drawing abilities as well as an emphasis on them, despite it being one of the most fundamental skills in the practice of art.

The title Much Ado About Drawing parodies the famous Shakespeare’s play. There are two layers to this title. On one hand, it seems to imply that drawing should be a principal skill in a fine art artist – something given, thus there is no need to fuss over it. On the other hand, it seems to suggest that it is perhaps time to pay a little more attention to processes which up until now have been largely ignored, such as thinking and the practice of drawing. It is through Much Ado about Drawing that we hope to inspire academia and institutions to look more seriously into the research that will set the stage for future forums, symposiums and supporting exhibitions, promoting in depth exploration of the possibilities of thinking through drawing and its practice with knowledge.

Drawing on the Curatorial Direction

Much Ado About Drawing was not set up with any specific approaches of drawing in mind. Instead of presenting a preconception of how a drawing exhibition should be, artists from different genres of mixed media, painting, ceramic, printmaking, calligraphy and so on, were invited to surprise us with their unique interpretation of the idea of drawing. We’ve made many interesting discoveries in the final stages of the curatorial process through these interpretations; such as the reason and manner in which the concept of drawing is incorporated into their final artworks. They provide valuable insights that will be useful for future studies on this subject. This exhibition also prompted a great deal of research into the various theories of drawing, as well as the increasing concern regarding the drawing skills of artists everywhere. As mentioned earlier, this exhibition aims to spark awareness in various institutions and inspire academic forums as well as research to further discuss the importance of drawing within the context of Malaysian contemporary art.

Drawing the Different Theories and Findings

According to research on various drawing theories, I must say I concur with the statement “drawing is impossible to define” due to its rich etymological past. Some theories inquire into observational drawings while others explore drawing in broader views through performative or gestural drawing as well as the interpretation of drawing as visual thinking and situated cognition. One of the earliest and most well-known theories is observational drawing by the renowned art and social critic, John Ruskin. In his book published in 1857, Elements of Drawing, he advocates strongly the importance of capturing an observation with the naked eyes as it forces the eyes to capture details. John Berger also used a justification similar to that of John Ruskin (1857), who said “Drawing… forces the artist to look at the object in front of him, to dissect it in his mind’s eye and put it together again.” (Berger, 2005)

Faizal Suhif is among those who rely greatly on their cognitive recognition and memory in drawing. He immerses himself in his surrounding landscape, observing the tiniest details. In this close observation of things, he develops an appreciation for all his subjects of observation. One example he often quoted when he observes the details surrounding tiny termite mounds, he found the view to be as beautiful as a Chinese ink painting of mountainscape. Using this cognitive skill, he combines his observation and imagination of the landscapes into surreal pieces of drawing. Similarly Husin Othman and Khairul Izham also manifest their daily observations through the drawing of lines via situated cognition where they do drawings from their knowledge and their learning process often revolves around their surroundings, culture or even their social happenings. “A line implies the coming together of two planes, or any two things, or events, so every line is already charged with implication. We may not see the parts, but we can see their relationship within the line they share. the middle of one thing is often the edge of something else.” (Moore, 2011) In both artists, the expression of lines seems messy and ambiguous, which allows room for all kinds of interpretation and exploration. Most importantly, it promotes the birth of new ideas, a concept that can be found in Husin Othman’s Random Access Memory, where smaller imageries connect and intertwine with the bigger representational figures.