Artist Bio
Osman Mohammad has a career of over thirty years experience in the field of media and creative arts, and design. From 1985 onwards, Osman Mohammad was involved with a large number of national exhibitions in Brunei Darussalam and beyond, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, China, India, Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea and England.
Osman Mohammad is a passionate artist with a body of work that spans over thirty years with a number of mediums ranging from oil paintings to acrylic, and watercolour to batik. This solo exhibition showcases drawings and watercolour paintings is a retrospective to Osman Mohammad’s large body of work to convey a dialogue through the decades; a conversation that carries the growth of infrastructure, the stillness of nature and the interactions with people
Artist Statement
“Conversations – through time” is an exhibition of watercolour paintings and drawings presenting visual dialogues on events and artist’s experience that stretched over a period of more than three decades. The artworks showcase topics on the people, nature, infrastructure, happenings and life experiences. The selected artworks consists of early works to the recent pieces by the artist ranging from 1980s sketch series and watercolours produced in 2017. Some of the art pieces are scenes from overseas visits which the artist has the opportunity to portray.
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Through the artworks, human movements, the tranquility of nature and encroachment of developments were captured. The artworks represent issues of daily life from stillness of nature to human occupation and activities. The composure of landscapes, human interactions and activities depicted through lines and colour washes gave sense of the ongoing experience and life existence. The painting of outdoor market – Tamu, set a landscape that provides dialogues beyond the scene of hustle bustle of trade. The scenes of Kampong Ayer and Bandar Seri Begawan – much of them taken for granted – are the record of sanctuary for humanity and our history. Behind the scenes the artist tries to uncover the beauty as well as the history that energised the human advancements.
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Some of the works display contemporary issues society faces. Obsessions of mobile phones and devices that plague the human beings not only present new sights and landscape, but also develop new culture and new social order that we are learning to cope with. A series of drawings which were done in 2012, which captured moments and movements at the waterfront of Brunei River, were observations that fascinated the artist – a river full of dramas, happenings, history, sight and sound of human endeavors. Through drawings and watercolour works, the artist tried to portray human enterprises, struggles and accomplishments, history and new order in an accolade of visual conversations.
“Drawings and watercolour gave me the ability to capture ideas, moments, scenes and events quickly. Since I was young, I always like to express life existence through drawings, paintings, making crafts, and solve problems and present solutions through aesthetics. I was drawn to the power of art: its aesthetic value, its visual power, its power to communicate and its capacity to solve problems.
The drawings and paintings in the exhibition are my own collection that started in 1980s. I started selling my paintings in the early 1970s and most of my early works were either sold or lost. I sold a lot of watercolour paintings in the 1980s and 1990s. The collectors were residents and foreigners, as well as corporations and private institutions.
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Before working with watercolour, my paintings were mostly in oil on canvas. I started watercolour paintings seriously in 1980s in which I found the medium was quite exciting and challenging. My encounter with watercolour was during my young and school days but I always looked at oil as the ultimate medium. Most of my very early works were in oil colour. The discovery about the dynamic ability of watercolour made me more involved in the medium. Another reason was, watercolour was easy to prepare and doesn’t require a studio or a big space as art space was always my problem at that time. Watercolour doesn’t mess so much and doesn’t produce strong smell as oil paint, so I could start in any small corner of the house without much hassle to clean up after painting.
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Watercolour is also easy to carry around whenever I go for an outing and doing plein air. I still work with oil and acrylic medium and also with other media. My drawings and watercolours in the exhibition were both produced in studio and plein air. Some of the works were done in plein air and any works require further details were brought to the studio for finishing.
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When I am not doing any serious or big artworks, watercolour and drawing becomes a relaxing workout. They also become inspirations and substance for my big art project. Sketches allow me to do quick study of a subject and they give me flow of ideas, solutions and strategies. They help me capture and express the moments and movements in impromptu fashions”.
