Drawings by Tengku Sabri



From L-R: My wife, Ena taking notes; curator Sau Bin, myself and Pokku

A couple of nights ago, The Art Room welcomed some visitors for an important meeting.

Tengku Sabri and Yap Sau Bin came over to discuss an upcoming project with The Art Room. My wife and I are planning to hold an exhibition for our dear friend, talented sculptor, voracious reader, our personal art critic, knowledge-person, and hard-core rocker (although this last description has only been revealed by the artist to very close friends, and even then, never before midnight!), Tengku Sabri, or as we sometimes call him, Pokku by virtue of his Terengganu heritage. We look forward to showing many of his drawings from what we are now calling the "Gunung Daik" series as well as other collections.

So there we were, a little before midnight, with about 20 to 30 pieces of Pokku's drawings from the Gunung Daik series assembled on the floor. We listened to Pokku speak passionately about these works that were done some twenty years ago. Works that told stories not only about this mythical land --Gunung Daik -- he created in his head, but also about the state of the real world he lived in at the time.

With any work of art, the viewer benefits from two levels of appreciation. The first, is the surface appreciation for the beauty or skill presented in the work. However, the experience is enhanced when the viewer is able to understand the work of the artist on a deeper level, i.e. what drove the artist to create the work, the so-called "story" behind it all.


One of the drawings to be exhibited for the Gunung Daik show

This collection of drawings, I think, promises to be a unique exhibition of Pokku's works that have never been publicly available before. While many know Pokku for his skills in producing fine sculptures and for his frank commentaries on art, I believe this series will show a darker, intense side of the artist that will be equally intriguing.
With Sau Bin as the curator of the show, we look forward to introducing viewers and art friends to this series of rare drawings and observations by Pokku. Details of the exhibition will be released at a later date.