Art Attack!!

The art scene in Kota Kinabalu has been growing over the years, today there are over 70 talented local artists in Sabah registered under the Arts Society. Many of them are self thought or have taken workshops and

A bojau lady dancing by Daiman Bona.

art classes organised by the Sabah Arts gallery. The painting styles that dominate amongst the local artist can be considered contemporary with a strong emphasis on ethnic traditions and designs and of course our unique nature. It is very common to find such icons like Mt. Kinabalu, Orang Utans, Rafflesia flowers, endemic orchids and pitcher plants as subjects in the paintings. Many of the artists also dabble in the “Naïve art” style. For locals and visitors to the state, this is a perfect way to bring something ‘Sabahan’ into your home and at the same time contribute to the growing appreciation of local artist and their work.

There are currently two venues where you can view and purchase these paintings. At the Gaya street market on Sundays and Laman Seni which is located at the Wisma Budaya building along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman . This is open daily except for Sundays . Every Sunday morning, a group of dedicated local artist will set up their

Azlan Dulikab resident artist at the house of Myuri.

booth at the Gaya Street Sunday market. Calling themselves the “Kinabalu Artist”, they display their paintings and sketches on a little side stall. As the Gaya street market is very popular with tourist, the artists tend to display smaller pieces and subjects that will suite the average taste and luggage restrictions of tourist. The favourites subjects painted are Orang Utans, scenes of local village life, Mt. Kinabalu and nature. Most of these are watercolours with the odd acrylic painting.

The Laman Seni was developed by the ministry of Culture to provide local artist with the opportunity to display their art for sale . Rental of the shop lots are at a minimum and the hope was to set up an artist colony of sorts. Sad to say there are only about 3 or 4 shops that are open on a daily basis here. The Miyuri House of Art

A trio of Artist at Gaya street.

that has a couple of resident artist who paint here runs one of the galleries. The other artist who has set up his gallery here is Patrick Monjong . Patrick is also a self-taught artist who started out doodling cartoons. He understudied with Benedict Cheong a well known local artist who’s speciality is Batik panting before branching out on his own . Patrick is very fond of the underwater world and its marine life. Most of his paintings incorporate some species of marine life from fish to seahorses. He has added a whimsical angle by painting the local Bajau Horsemen riding on seahorses under the sea.

So if your in the market for a painting on Sabah, do stop by at the stalls at Leman Seni or Gaya street and take the opportunity to talk to the artist themselves, its always interesting to know some of the stories behind their paintings.

Text and photos by David de la Harpe