The plea for freedom; the right to live not in chains.
Born free like you and me;
Look into those eyes; they reveal the agony.
That's the message that hangs on the walls of Saskia Fernando Gallery. A hyperactive mind, deep and limitless. I felt queasy on first eye contact with his paintings or to say otherwise, pen on paper. For all I know he may not have had his workshop or especial dramatic skills but Firi Rahma is certainly one unique artist with a galvanizing power at the core of his heart to have sketeched, painted his unusual PREDICTION EXTINCTION of figurative that I am still trying to comprehend.
It raises one question in my mind
Wither painting exploding to
From the Old Masters through to Impressionists; modern to contemporary, mythological to lithography; figurative to portraiture etc. the schools of art are limitless until the last century. Presently the brush and palette runs wild through the conceptual narration to single line drawing. I have witnessed the ballpoint taking centre stage both in colour and B/W rough on paper as well as on canvas smart enough to reproduce scenic beauty, especially nature in her glary.
Arrive the incredible computer artist, magnificent and instructive because of his transitional passion to explore the limitless and bypass the Masters.
They have all rattled me over the years and now come indispensable mystic called Firi Rahman who drives me back on memory lane when for the first time I picked my brush and Nora Williams steadied my little wrist when I was 7 plus From the beginning painting was not my forte I was to learn later. My first experience was 'smudge' paint that pushed me to No. 1 spot and it rested there. The examiner said it was brilliant but I will tell you it was by fluke. As I saw a couple of summers gone, I was still struggling and Ms Williams was exasperated specially outdoor on canvas because what I put on it was not what my class mates did. Yet in the melee she discovered something very very artistic in me.
I was beyond dabbling with colour and had roving eyes.
Eye for reviewing
Eye for depth and colour harmony
Eye for perfection.
And today for Ms Williams' astute judging, I am able to scan over difficult artists like Firi Rahman though I ended a lousy painter. To me she was beyond my teacher who was able to reach the inner depth of my artistic spirit.
Having said thus, dazzling experience at Saskia Fernando Gallery where Raman's collection was put up for public display called PREDICTION EXTINCTION was a bit of a philosophical challenge because hidden behind every drawing was a pathetic story. Try hard as I did to invade his mind for an answer, I drew a blank.
The daunting experience I faced at the Gallery where Raman's collection was like looking to the future of a colossus in his chosen form of art that few others would dare try. It pinched every fibre in my body and revealed a story that each animal, bird, serpent, fish etc. Try to bare to prevent extinction of their kind. A wonderful dedication to their being and homage to their innocence firmly fixed in the hands of their saviour, Rahman.
So, I got the story.
Plead for survival.
Born free but not so.
This simple legend put on paper that appear insignificant on eye contact, is far from what Rahman intends but agony ripping their hearts.
The macaw in chains so traumatic, a sad elephant in solitary confinement and the rest had tales to tell. You and me; so much psychology behind his pen drawing.
Like illustrative language that go into poetry, the exhibits taught me a lesson I had overlooked and that behind every painting, there is much more than visual beauty that meet the eye. Hidden behind every painting is the spirit of the painter himself.
If you are looking for mystery in his eyes, you will not find any. He is a direct representative turns to art and I am also to know to which school of art he belongs. Had his first exhibition at the Saskia Art Gallery in 2005.
Studied at the Foundation in Art and Design at City and Guilds, Manchester.
Had his Solo Exhibition, Unconventional Beauty, at Saskia Art Gallery in 2015 Group Exhibition, Shadow Scenes, Colomboscope in 2015.
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