Azzah Sultan seen with her artwork 'Tea Time' (oil on canvas, batik fabric and beads), which is part of her 'Dah Makan Kah?' exhibition at Rissim Contemporary in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin
Passing around home-cooked dishes over a shared meal, dad bringing home a bag of sirap bandung and mum picking out the best bunch of petai at the market.
Who knew hands could be so expressive?
In contemporary artist Azzah Sultan’s Dah Makan Kah? (Have You Eaten?) exhibition at Rissim Contemporary in Kuala Lumpur, we never see the faces of the subjects in her works, but we can still feel the emotions they exude through their hands – those of familial bonds and coming home.
For Azzah, who is based in New York, this solo – her first in Malaysia – is indeed a homecoming of sorts after four years of being unable to return home due to the pandemic.
She confides that video-calling her parents every day and seeing pictures shared in the family WhatsApp group of visits to the market and of home-cooked food helped her cope with her homesickness.
Azzah's 'Mama's Dapur' (oil on canvas, batik and songket fabric, 2023). Photo: Rissim Contemporary
“Being away from home during the pandemic was incredibly hard for me. I was constantly missing my family, stressed about work and didn’t pay attention to what I ate. I would reminisce about the food my parents would prepare to make me feel at ease,” says Azzah during a recent interview at the gallery.
“I believe food plays a huge role in bringing people together, so I started to think about the colours, flavours, and smells that I craved,” she adds.
Her cravings led her to create Dah Makan Kah?, her third and most personal solo show yet. It is an intimate exploration of the profound connection between food, identity and family through the fusion of oil painting works and batik fabric (with beads, buttons, kain pelikat and songket).
“Compared to my first and second shows, this show features more of an emphasis on me in terms of offering a look into my home and everyday life. Who I am and the things that I missed are what’s on display,” she says.
'This show features more of an emphasis on me in terms of offering a look into my home and everyday life. Who I am and the things that I missed are what’s on display,' says Azzah. Photo: Rissim Contemporary
At the gallery, Azzah pointed out Mama’s Dapur – a captured moment in time as her mother prepares to drop the fish head into the curry – is her favourite piece.
“I grew up in a household where there was always something simmering in the kitchen. Simply being back home and eating my mum’s fish head curry makes me think about the past and the various times I’ve had this dish.
“I feel mothers don’t get as much credit as they deserve for what they do, so this is my tribute to my mum.”
Not forgetting her father, who is usually the first person she asks to critique her work, Azzah also made a piece in his honour – Baba’s Bandung.
Azzah's 'Cili Serbuk' (oil on canvas and kain pelikat, 2023). Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin
“I have such a sweet tooth and I’m always asking my dad to bring back something sweet whenever he’s out. So this piece is dedicated to his willingness to always go out of his way for his children.”
A place called home
Azzah, 27, spent much of her formative years overseas, thanks to her father’s role as a diplomat.
Born in Abu Dhabi, her childhood was split between Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Finland and Bahrain. But even then, her parents never let her or her siblings forget their roots.
“My mum taught my younger sister and me different types of Malaysian dances, like joget and zapin, which we would perform at the fashion shows she often hosted, all while wearing traditional costumes. It helped keep us connected to our culture,” says Azzah.
Azzah’s Baba’s Bandung (oil on canvas and batik fabric, 2023), a sweet tribute to her father. Photo: Rissim Contemporary
“I think that’s where my love of fashion and fabric stemmed from. Since then, I’m always digging through my parents’ closets for their vintage clothes and accessories.”
Azzah moved to New York at 16 to pursue her studies in fine arts, obtaining a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, followed by a Master’s in Fine Arts at Washington State University.
Now based in Brooklyn, she works as an art teacher in an after-school programme for middle school and high school girls.
When she’s away from Malaysia, Azzah says she misses asam laksa, cendol and mangosteens the most (besides mum’s cooking, of course).
Azzah pays tribute to the family meal in 'Jom Makan' (oil on canvas, batik and songket fabric, 2023). Photo: Rissim Contemporary
But being in a city as cosmopolitan as New York, she admits that she’s not lacking in options when it comes to Malaysian cuisine.
“It’s not the same, though,” she says, sighing. “Can you imagine the pain of paying US$14 for thosai?”
Beyond the labels
Having lived in the US for over a decade, Azzah has faced her own struggles in making a name for herself as an artist, especially being a Muslim woman of colour.
“In the US, there’s still this stigma over people wearing the hijab and it often becomes a point of conversation,” she says.
“I’m proud of who I am and where I come from, but it’s 2023 – I don’t feel it’s necessary for me to have to explain why I wear the hijab or why I’m Muslim.
Azzah’s artwork 'Don’t Forget What I’ve Told You (Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup)' references the classic Malay folk tale. Photo: Rissim Contemporary
“It gets exhausting when I always get asked the same questions over and over, because as an artist, I think there are other aspects of who I am as a person that are interesting and worth exploring.”
During her studies, Azzah’s professors would advise her to focus her works on her Muslim identity, but she found it too emotionally and creatively draining.
“I was told that I was too radical or not radical enough, too Muslim or not Muslim enough. I got tired of having all these labels put on me, and that was the catalyst behind why I started to remove faces from my work,” she explains.
Her previous solo shows, Anak Dara (2020) and Batu Belah, Batu Bertangkup: The Devouring Rock (2022), grappled with thorny themes such as identity, femininity, guilt and inter-generational relationships, but only showed the outlines of the subjects’ bodies, allowing the vibrant batik fabrics, their patterns and how they are draped to shine. This has become a signature of her work.
For those familiar with the Malaysian folk tale Batu Belah, Batu Bertangkup, Azzah shares a little secret that only those visiting the Dah Makan Kah? exhibition will be able to spot.
“In some of my pieces, including Don’t Forget What I’ve Told You from my second solo, you may spot hands with yellow sleeves. I wanted to rewrite the ending for the mother in the story, so keep your eyes peeled for the pieces in which they appear and you’ll see that her story ends on a happier note.”
Azzah Sultan’s Dah Makan Kah? solo exhibition is showing at Rissim Contemporary in Bangsar, KL until Sept 10. More info here.
