Abdul Ghani Hamid
Abdul Ghani Hamid has
participated in numerous exhibitions since 1950:
Contemporary Art in Asia (1965)
First Asian Art Exhibition, Hong Kong (1977)
Salon des Artises Francais Grand Palais, Paris (1988), and held six solo shows
1950 Youth Festival Art
Exhibition, Victoria Memorial Hall
1951 Society of Malay Artists Malaya Art Exhibition
1956 Perkumpulan Seni Art Exhibition/Competition
1961 LTK (Lembaga Tetap Kongres) Art Exhibition
1962 Malaysia Art Exhibition
1964 Solidarity Week Exhibition
1965 Contemporary Art in Asia (an intinerant exhibition - 14 Asian Cities)
1965 A collage-painting specially exhibited at USIS Library
1968 Singapore Festival ’68 Art Exhibition
1969 ART 150
1970 Two-man Art Exhibition (with S B Banafek), Melaka
1970 National Day Art Exhibition
1971 March Art Exhibition
1971 Group ’71 Art Exhibition, Malay Art Gallery
1972 Mata Dan Hati (First One-man Art Exhibition - Paintings with Poems), MAG
1972 Abstract Painting Exhibition
1972 Modern Art Exhibition
1973 RASA ’73, Malay Art Gallery
1973 Exhibition of Modern Sketches, Malay Art Gallery
1974 Second One-man Art Exhibition, Malay Art Gallery
1974 Third One-man Art Exhibition (Paintings and Sketches)
1975 Second T\vo-man Art Exhibition (with S B Banafek), Jakarta
1976 Art Exhibition, Official Opening of the National Museum Art Gallery
1977 First Asian Art Exhibition, Hong Kong
1981 Singapore-Taiwan Contemporary Paintings Exhibition
1985 Fourth One-man Art Exhibition (Official Opening of the National Library
Bedok Branch)
1988 Salon des Artistes Francais, Grand Palais, Paris
1988 Tranformasi (Paintings transformed from poems)
1989 Fifth One-man Art Exhibition (BREEZE ’89), National Library Geylang East
Branch
1989 Nite of 2 Hearts
1991 Action ‘91
1991 Singapore Art Fair, WTC
1992 Islamic Contemporary Works of Art Exhibition, Holidav Inn Crowne Plaza
1992 Singapore Art Fair, IMM Building
1993 Art In Asia, Singapore Art Fair, WTC
1993 Rasajagat ’93, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
1994 Pameran Karya Seni, Melaka Menjelang 600 Tahun, Melaka
1995 Malay Artists Singapore, Kuala Lumpur
1996 Singapore Arts Federation 30th Anniversary Art Exhibition
1996 Contemporary 1996, Singapore
1997 FORM Art Exhibition, Museum Barli, Bandung
1997 Pekan Seni lpoh II Art Exhibition, Perak
He also a writer and has published 18 books
Jalinan Rasa (an anthology of poems in Malay)
Delimah Merah (a novelette in Malay)
A Journey With No End (an anthology of poems)
Awards
"Tun Seri Lanang 1977" (by Malay Language Council, Singapore) in 1988,
SEA Write Award, Bangkok in 1998
"Jasamu Dikenang" memento presented by the Literature and Culture Week
Working Committe, Melaka in 1998
1999, Cutural Medallion, NAC Singapore
PRESS RELEASE
Foreword
In the new knowledge-based world where science and technology rules practically
every aspect of our life and in an era where innovation and obsoleteness go hand
in hand, having with us artistes who are continuously striving to enrich our
creative world is most heartening.
I congratulate APAD for its Breeze 2000 project and Mr Abdul Ghani Hamid, our
writer cum poet and painter for again playing the key role with his solo
exhibition. With APAD joining the cyberworld by having its website featuring the
works in this exhibition, it is expected that the audience for the exhibition
would be far and wide.
I wish APAD and Mr Abdul Ghani Hamid the very best.
YATIMAN YUSOF
SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND THE ARTS
BREEZE 2000
The Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya (APAD) is proud to organise “Breeze 2000” - the
6th Solo Art Exhibition by Mr. Abdul Ghani Hamid. Apart from being known as a
prolific literary writer and poet, APAD would like to present the other
sought-after talent of Mr. Ghani. As a painter, he had held five solo
exhibitions (1972-1989) and participated in more than 60 group exhibitions since
1950.
His early paintings were considered too modernistic, where rural scenes like
kampung, were the mainstays in many of the art exhibitions held at that time.
Today we are not troubled by the many modern art pieces executed by art students
and young artists. Mr. Ghani’s approach to modern art remains relevant in the
current visual art scene as he approaches his circle of creativeness after 50
years. This is indeed a significant contribution by a painter to the arts of
Singapore.
Apart from being a consistent painter, Mr. Ghani provides leadership and played
a major role in the founding of APAD in 1962. APAD has achieved much success
with his wisdom and unselfish devotion to the association. Although synonymous
with APAD, he is also a much-respected figure in other fields.
Mr. Ghani’s literary achievements were recognised in 1998 by the Malay Language
Council of Singapore which awarded him the Tun Seri Lanang Award, the highest
literary award for Malay Literature. In that same year, he was conferred the
S.E.A. Write Award, presented personally by the Crown Prince Maha
Vajiranlongkorn of Thailand. The following year, he was awarded the National
Arts Council’s 1999 Cultural Medallion (Literature) by Mr. Lee Yock Suan,
Minister for Information and the Arts and Minister for the Environment.
There is no other way that APAD could reward Mr. Ghani for his sacrifices and
hard work in the early days of the association’s inception. I gather this is the
most appropriate and opportune time to organise a solo exhibition for Mr. Ghani
in recognition for his valuable contribution to the association and the arts of
Singapore.
I hope you will enjoy this exhibition as much as APAD has enjoyed putting up the
art pieces together for you.
Abdul Rahman Rais
President
Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya
...The Persekutuan Pelukis Melayu, Malaya (Society of Malay Artists, Malaya), founded on 1 May 1949, is the beginning of the collective movement of Malay artists. PPMM successfully promoted interest in the arts among both experienced and new artists but its activities began to decline in the 1950s. The resolve of a few young artists such as Mustafa Yassin, R. Selamat Shariff, Marhaban Kasman, Yusof Aman and Mohd Daud, headed by Abdul Ghani Hamid, to pursue their artistic interests led to the formation of Angkatan Pelukis Muda (Young Artists' Movement) in 1956. Insufficient support discontinued the movement even before its registration. Without an association, Malay artists exhibited their works with other bodies such as Perkumpulan Seni (PS) and Lembaga Tetap Kongres (Congress Permanent Board). On 29 July 1962, the Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya (Association of Artists of Various Resources) was established with Abdul Ghani Hamid Abdul Ghani Hamid as its leader and "Secita Mencipta" (Together We Create) as its motto. Its first effort involved an art exhibition co-hosted with the LTK in 1963 at the Victoria Memorial Hall...
Source: edited excerpt from the
Singapore Cultural, Arts, and Heritage Journey
