Entering Paiman's World.

PAIMAN

b.1970, Melacca, MalaysiaLives

Paiman (Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman) plays with social mores and politics in his witty and well-informed art. Immersed in contemporary Malaysian life, his works make sly comments and witty asides, featuring well-known personalities in the guise of flying creatures swooping about the skies.

Educated in both Malaysia and the United Kingdom, Paiman was awarded an MA in Fine Art from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2001. Previously he was a junior curator at the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, and is currently a lecturer in the Faculty of Art and Design (Fine Art) at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Perak in northern Malaysia. He has exhibited widely since 1991 in both solo and group shows, including the '1st Fukuoka Asian Art Trienniale 1999', Japan, when he was also an artist-in-residence.

Over the years Paiman has made a name for himself with his unique imaginary, caricatures which are juxtaposed against statements by important Malaysian figures in a witty commentary on Malaysian life. He has often said that he considers himself a “backdated reporter” and that “everything changes in the world, and more often than not there are issues or incidents that we have forgotten or ignored”.

“Malaysia-365 days of 2008 is a fragmented arrangement of a particular moment in time as the country came face to face with many difficult situations. I played my part as a Malaysian to record everyday life in a creative way. Provocation has everything to do with perception. Perception is controlled by a world view and world view is controlled by a counter situation.”