Sintoms


The vein that runs through all the artworks done in 2010- 2017 is the manifestation of repressed emotions – sadness, anger, and love. Being a woman and Malay Muslim, the social expectations as a mother, conforming to religion, and filial duty as a daughter have always been in personal turmoil with expressing myself as an artist.

The English definition of “symptoms” is a physical or mental feature that is regarded as indicating a condition of disease. My mental state after a high conflict divorce and physical condition would indicate I am plagued as much. In my mother tongue, Bahasa Melayu, this is translated as simptoms.


My mind is drawn on that many simptoms I have are the manifestations of the stress I feel through the sins of being an unfit mother, bad wife, ill-breed daughter… leaking out into my skin and then out onto my artwork. As I created, I realized that my paintings are not only a portrayal of my pain but they are portraits of people and ideology that I attached myself to. They are my Sintoms.