CONTEMPORARY artist Shaq Koyok of the Temuan Orang Asli tribe hopes that the indigenous art of his people would receive recognition and appreciation from Malaysians.
“Malaysia is a little bit behind when it comes to acknowledging indigenous art,’’ said the artist, whose real name is Shahar Koyok.
“I need to make the public change its perspective.“
He pointed out that even the term “indigenous art” is not in local use, although it is accepted in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
“I feel the term is quite new in Malaysia.“
Shaq’s medium of art is also unique – painting on mats made with leaves from the pandanus plant, which grows wild in the jungle.
He got the idea from watching his mother weaving in his childhood days.
“She still does it,” he added.
“When I was young, I did not have a mattress and the only option we had was the mat made by my mother,” said Shaq.
The artist cleverly incorporates indigenous heritage craft into contemporary settings as a canvas to paint on.
His niche style not only promotes the use of the uncommon medium but also preserves the craft, inherited through generations in his community.
His portrait painting and other artworks beautifully merge art and craft in modern and traditional elements. Through colours, patterns and textures, Shaq’s paintings convey social issues connected to the Orang Asli.
“I paint on pandanus mats and display my artworks at exhibitions or galleries,” he said.
“At the same time, I also help my community by getting members to produce more mats for me.
“Sometimes, I also push them to create new weaving patterns,” added Shaq.
“This is what I want to focus on in my life.”
Back to his roots
The 36-year-old artist lived in his Temuan village at Pulau Kempas in Banting for 19
years.
The Temuan community lives near rivers, coastlines or mountains in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Malacca.
Their main source of income is derived from agriculture and natural resources in the jungle near his village.
According to Shaq, only a few people in his community have professional jobs outside of the village.
“I grew up with the kampung lifestyle and I am proud of that upbringing. It matured me into the way I am right now.
“Life’s lessons have taught me to be a better person, especially as an indigenous person, and inspired my work to showcase my community to the public.”
Shaq also revealed that animism had really inspired his work and activism.
“We respect nature because we believe nature has its own spirit. We grow up in nature, which we need to protect and preserve,” explained Shaq.
Apart from highlighting Temuan culture, Shaq highlights important issues with his art about inequality, destruction of nature due to logging and social issues related to indigenous people.
“I am also talking about the real issue of land rights of indigenous people,” he said.
“These sort of themes always play a part in my art.”
Shaq also does art installations, drawing and public speaking to share and explain issues that concern indigenous people, “rather than displaying static works silently on walls”, he says.
“Whenever I talk about anything, it always relates to my visual work, which acts as a medium to speak about indigenous people.”
He is planning for a solo exhibition at the National Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and creating content for a YouTube channel to showcase indigenous art to the world.
Shaq also aims to focus on transforming the heritage craft by adding and creating new or contemporary patterns into traditional works.
