FOUR young artists with a Perak connection, an average age of 27 and
trained in various art disciplines at UiTM are coming together in an
exhibition.

Three of the artists were born in the Silver State - Irwan Idris in
Taiping, Kamal Sabran in Ayer Tawar, near Lumut/Manjung, and Akmal Hilmi
Samlig, Gopeng.

The odd one out is Issarezal Ismail, the only one trained in fine arts,
who was born in Port Dickson, grew up in Kuantan, but did his further
studies at the UiTM Manjung from 1996 to 2000.

Their coming together to have an exhibition is a good excuse, given
their different backgrounds and modes of expressions.

"Enjoy The Silence", the name of the exhibition at ARTalk Gallery (a
commercial gallery noted for its promotion of starting-out artists) in
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, may not resonate with a loud voice but does have enough murmurs to make one take notice.

Irwan, Kamal and Akmal may be longtime friends, what with all of them
being members of the Angkatan Pelukis Darul Ridzuan (APDR), yet their
expressions show divergent interests and focus.

(APDR was formed by Hamidon Ahmad nine years ago.)

Irwan, the youngest at 24, studied architecture (UiTM diploma, 1998-
2002), while Akmal, 29, was an interior design student (UiTM diploma,
1995). Kamal, 27, the most "exposed" of the lot, did his BA in Art and
Design at UiTM from 1995-99.

Irwan grew up in Kuala Kangsar and runs an interior cum architectural
design company, Cili Studio, which also has Akmal on the payroll.

Kamal, who is teaching computer graphics at Club Cosmopoint in Ipoh,
infuses his abstracts with musical elements as seen in his solo, "Sound of
Painting," at New Straits Times' Balai Berita in KL last year.

A resident artist at Muzium Darul Ridzuan since 2000, Kamal shows
combined influences of Yusof Ghani's enmeshed figures and Awang Damit
Ahmad's symbolisms in his works, sometimes layered with painted-over cut
canvas.

His works relate to the ambiguity of space and inner self tensions, with
face-like outlines and squiggles transposed onto geometric grids.

His control of colours and a morass of disintegrating forms reveals a
maturity in reining in free-fall spontaneity and structural sense.

Kamal has also used his talents in music - he can play the guitar and
drums - and computers to create the theme song for the World AIDS Day
event in Ipoh last year, when the Stigma and Discrimination art exhibition
was also held.

The symbolic image of the key dominates Akmal's acrylic on canvas with
the photo-silk screen of his own fuzzy facial features.

Dubbed the "Duplicated Series", the key unlocks hidden thoughts within
the painting concept, for the viewer's own introspection, but clearly this
is no open-and-shut case.

Hardware, fittings and accessories are his staple subjects, perhaps
alluding to a machinistic mode of living in today's modern world. The key
here is a tool to escape into another realm, not necessarily for the
better.

Irwan, who is obviously hemmed in by his client's briefs in his cari-
makan work, plumbs the other end of the pendulum in his expressions, with
gravitational drips forming a rivulet pattern in his Journey series.

Otherwise, his reserve and sense of structure are seen in rectagular
frameworks, and in one, straightened Optical Art grids in pastel hues of
adumbrated azure blue with a top bar of pink.

His works exude a kind of "siege" mentality, rather than any overt
thrust to break free.

Issarezal, 25, is clearly on an experimental binge, his latest being
spray painting on perspex featuring Pop mosaic-like computer-imaging of
his pet cat, Yuriko.

"I don't like serious works. I want my images of animals, their
expressions, to radiate emotions of tenderness, innocence, playfulness,
and a longing to be loved," said Issarezal.

The effect is to evoke a kind of domestic smugness, a cosy space which
reflects humans' living environment.

Issarezal, who is teaching at Kolej Ikip (Institut Kemahiran Iktisas
Pahang) in Kuantan, is pursuing his Master's in Art Education at the
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris Tanjung Malim (Upsi).

This batch of young artists is the latest to be promoted by Rosie Angoh,
the owner of ARTalk, an art gallery-cum-restaurant space.

Unlike other commercial galleries dependent on income from art, Rosie
runs her space as a charity home-cum-art nursery for nurturing young
fledgling artists.

"It's more a collaboration, as I expect artists to pull their weight and
be involved in the mechanics of the exhibition (for them to get the
experience as well as to instil responsibility in them)," said Rosie.

"I don't mind providing the space, with the available restaurant
amenities, to help build up the confidence of young artists.

"It's a stepping stone for them, so that when they go to the next
gallery, they will be more focused. Their works, all framed, are
affordable and I like to see more Malaysians buy Malaysian art.

"But if young artists come to me and set high prices for their works, I
tell them not to waste my time," she said.

"Enjoy The Silence" runs at ARTalk Gallery at Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar,
Kuala Lumpur, till April 28.