There used to be this mutual understanding when I grew up – that me painting a scene from my life is not as important as solving a math equation. This became the spine of my youth in high school: I was less than.
I did not voice out my confusions in regard to why one is more important than the other (because in a way, they do make valid points). I simply accepted it as they are back then. It was just a hobby. It wasn’t until I was given the opportunity to study abroad and pursue Fine Art in Melbourne that I saw that I could be more. More than just.
In University, I was surrounded by people from colourful backgrounds including myself. They saw that I have something different to offer – my identity as a Malay Muslim female drew curious gaze from the bunch. It was daunting for sure as they have little to no knowledge of our culture and only have the media as a source of information about my Islamic faith. I tread the waters of our culture and faith carefully, to give respects of my background and hopefully gave it justice. I shared what I could and in the end, I received so much more than I could ask for.
I drowned myself in this vast knowledge of Fine Art – I went back to The Renaissance with the Golden Masters and understood the foundations of Art and how it is relevant to our Contemporary life. It tells the story of how we built our Contemporary Art today; it speaks our current state of life, it translates beyond languages, it expresses and opens our deepest thoughts emotions, it voices the concerns of our society – To put it simply, this notion of just ‘making art’ exists ultimately for us.
The opportunity to exhibit my ideas in my own country allowed me to present the audience that we are not less than. But rather, you and I are both equally as important.
About the Author
Amal Masle
Amal Masle is now attending MADA of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia doing a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts and completed her Diploma in Art and Design (part 1) in 2016. Her field of work consists of expressing herself through different mediums ranging from Paintings, Sculptural pieces, Video Making and Animation, and Installation art. She is one of the Emerge artists currently exhibiting her work entitled 'You and I Walk in Orbit' for the Emerge Exclusive Exhibition.