artist profile:
liyana
farzana
Written by Ignatius Tan
Pablo picasso once said
“Every child is an artist.”
For Liyana Farzana Zaihan, there is a child inside every artist. An innocent and childish personality, with imaginations running wild, playing with bold colours, shapes and dimensions. That was the inspiration for her mural, “Find The Sun Within Yourself”, located at the Gelam Gallery.
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In the first half of 2019, Muscat Street, a lane used solely for deliveries and rubbish disposals was rejuvenated to become the first outdoor gallery in Singapore, Gelam Gallery. Using the walls at the back of shophouses as canvases, more than 30 artists from different backgrounds came together to breathe in new life to the street. Each artist was assigned to a wall where they were allowed to let their imaginations run wild.
Liyana Farzana Posing for a photo in front of her mural at Muscat Street in Kampong Glam. PHOTO: Nakanishi Shoi
Liyana Farzana posing behind a motorcycle at Muscat Street in Kampong Glam.
PHOTO: Nakanishi Shoi
However, completing a mural was not a linear task. Often times, Liyana was setback by obstacles she did not realise she had. One of which was a motorcycle, parked right in front of her wall.
“It was blocking my way, I had to push it away while I was painting the wall and then push it back when I was done.”
The blazing sun looking over the back alleys of Kampong Glam made it uncomfortable
to even stand outside for longer than a few minutes. With a brush grasped on her right
hand, and an umbrella resting on her left shoulder, Liyana stood atop a ladder she
borrowed from one of the store’s tenants. Perspiration dripped down her neck, all
while bold streaks of pink, yellow and green formed on the dark blue wall with each
confident stroke of the brush.
“I needed an umbrella because it was so sunny to the point where my right hand got a tan!”
After ten days of braving the hot sun, random showers of rain and curious onlookers, Liyana’s piece was finally done. On a dark navy blue wall sits eye-catching abstract pieces of flamboyant clouds, strikingly coloured “waves of a rainbow” and a multi-coloured sun along with many other components. Liyana also included 3D assemblages*, a colour wheel and springs, all to pique the curiosity within onlookers.
6 months after the completion of “Find the Sun Within Yourself”, the mural is “incomplete” again.
Some of the 3D items included by Liyana had been removed from the wall by onlookers. While most artists would be frustrated at looters removing their artworks, Liyana looks at it with a different perspective. She takes it in stride and thinks of it as a compliment, that onlookers just wanted a souvenir from her artwork to bring home.
Liyana Farzana showing one of the 3D assemblages included in her artwork at Muscat Street, Kampong Glam. PHOTO: Nakanishi Shoi
“I think this is the beauty and part of having 3D items and I should take it as a compliment.”
Even with her incomplete mural, flocks of tourists and locals pose in front of Liyana’s mural for a photo.
“I have the lowest self-confidence, so whenever I see tourists enjoying themselves, it makes me feel very blessed and happy.”
TO INSPIRE AND
EMPOWER.
“Find the sun within yourself” is a reminder not only to Liyana, but to onlookers to stop and reflect on themselves. To ask themselves the hard-hitting questions and to be in charge of their own life.
“This piece is special, it is a reminder to yourself, to remember your true self. We are in charge of our own lives. This world has changed a lot of our views, opinions and judgements of ourselves. Our true self is right there, buried under other people’s opinions. Find this true self again, knowing that the world has dulled our view towards things we found pleasant. Find the sun within yourself.”
Liyana Farzana posing in front of her wall mural artwork at Muscat Street, Kampong Glam. PHOTO: Nakanishi Shoi
*Assemblages: A three-dimensional work of art made from combinations of materials including found objects or non-traditional art materials.
Featured in the brand new series, Artist Profile, Liyana Farzana explains her process while making her artwork, and her thoughts on the arts scene in Singapore.
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Watch more about Liyana's journey here.