Dreams into reality: ‘Mahu’ and its story have been on display at the Gallery of Modern Art Children’s Art Centre at Qagoma in Brisbane, Queensland.
KOTA KINABALU: A nine-year-old Sabahan has made her school proud with her whimsical creation that made it to an international art showcase in Australia as its official mascot.
Hana Tatiza Eswar’s character “Mahu”, a two-headed monster, has been on display as the official mascot of the Asia Pacific Triennial Kids showcase in Brisbane since Sept 14.
“Mahu” and its story is being presented at the Children’s Art Centre of the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (Qagoma) until July 13 next year.
The SK St Anthony, Penampang, pupil developed the character during an interview with her father, Sabahan artist Harold Reagan Eswar, as part of his “Spatial Biography Documentation” series.
Hana’s achievement was celebrated on her school’s official Facebook page.
“From Penampang to the world. We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievement of our talented student, Hana Tatiza Eswar, for her remarkable accomplishment.
“Congratulations, Hana! Your success brings great pride to SK St Anthony, and we wish you even greater achievements in the future.
“May your story inspire your fellow students to dream big and pursue their passions with determination. Keep shining and creating!” read the post.
Harold, who has exhibited extensively at the Sabah Art Gallery, expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
“I have titled this project ‘Monsters of Wants’, which is part of my ‘Spatial Biography Documentation’ series.
“A huge thanks to Qagoma curators Reuben Keehan, Tamsin Cull and Laura Mudge for turning this idea into an incredible artistic journey for both Hana and me,” he said.
According to the 44-year-old artist, the character “Mahu” is a product of a series of questions he and the curators formulated to understand the “wants” of children nowadays.
The questions featured in “Monsters of Wants” were circulated to 220 participating pre-schools and kindergartens in Brisbane.
“Some wanted their shoulders to be water melons so they could eat on a hot day, some wanted wheels for legs so they could move faster.
Hana’s character was selected as the official mascot for the Asia Pacific Triennial Kids in Brisbane.
“But there were certain cases that surprised us, such as ‘I want the powers to stop my mum and dad from divorcing’.
“We discovered that if you give these children the freedom to express themselves, the sky’s the limit,” said Harold.
He said that for Hana, she wanted two heads, so that whenever her bestie cousin was not around, she would have “someone” to talk to.
He revealed that the name “Mahu” (“want” in Malay) was something the father and daughter thought up together.
“Monster of Wants”, said Harold, is part of his art series of creative social mapping or what he called “Spatial Biography Documentation”, which has also been selected to be exhibited in the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial.
The project will be coming to Kuala Lumpur and Sabah next year.
“We will develop new characters from more children in the future,” he added.
At the Asia Pacific Triennial Kids, children can explore their creativity through hands-on activities, interactive multimedia and reflective works like drawing and video art.
The showcase features artists from India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Cambodia and Timor-Leste.
