‘The Big Energy Art Show: Drawings from The Saltbox’ by Dianne Tahir, solo exhibition review.

Would you travel 200km++ just to see an art exhibition? Well, that’s what I and my friends did over the weekend. ‘The Big Energy Art Show: Drawings from The Saltbox’ is a solo exhibition by Dianne Tahir that was held at Golden Beach ‘Minimarket’ in Kampung Cherating from 5 - 11 February.

The exhibition was held in conjunction with Iramalog, a ‘community building project’ that fosters ‘creative expression in surf, craft, art & music’. The week-long festival saw surf competitions, performances by local indie bands, skate sessions, a lato-lato championship (!), and of course Dianne’s art exhibition. The event was made possible by the support of Vans.

Why Drawings from The Saltbox then? ‘Salt boxes [are]  a coin word for surf shacks, small pockets of homes by the beach that surfers live in.’ Dianne says that, ‘Cherating has always been very special, I am humbled to live a very small life, ones that we don't desire wordly things, but reflective on more humane and deeper meaning to small wins and growth. I always feel a big happy energy when I am here.’

This big happy energy is impossible to miss once one makes the trip across the peninsular, to this quaint beach village. Cherating is a unique assemblage of surfers, artists, skaters, the local village people, KL folks seeking some peace and quiet from the city along with travelers of all stripes from across the globe. In this welcoming community, the exchange of ideas and cultures is the perfect petri dish for the cultivation of an alternative way of life in stark contrast to our mainstream consumerist, fast-paced and ultra-competitive culture.

I first visited Cherating about a year ago in March, for a Holi festival and I felt a warm, restive energy that permeated every grain of sand and salty drop of the ocean; it colors every smile and interaction.

This is the magic of Dianne’s works for the show, she translates this rich creative spirit into visual poetry. Her works are honest, and vulnerable and express the sort of childhood glee once sees amongst bright-eyed children playing with sand. The world that we live in demands that we repress our inner child because the neoliberal capitalist ethos values productivity over play. Dianne’s work, however, demands us to appreciate the smaller things; our personal victories, the warmth of sunlight, and the joy of being alive.

I look forward to more artistic endeavors outside the context of the traditional white box gallery model so prevalent in Kuala Lumpur. We are all members of our respective communities whether as artists, surfers, lato-lato players, or adherents of kultus matahari; we can all draw creativity, strength and joy from the ‘big energy’.