Umibaizurah Mahir has been a full-time artist since 2004, and is recognized as one of the first artists in Malaysia to develop the medium of ceramics within a contemporary framework. A graduate from MARA (UITM) in 2000, today, she can be described as one of the country’s most important ceramists with her distinctively naïve yet provocative works that dwell on issues of development. The artist utilizes industrial paints and fine art techniques to create works that are imbued with a strong sense of playfulness, femininity, and personal identity. Umi, as she is better known, has found her own voice and standing as an artist with promising accomplishments in the local and international art scene. With numerous group exhibitions in the past, many at international venues including Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Sweden, Korea and Pakistan, “Tag” is Umibaizurah’s second solo exhibition during the span of her career.

“Tag” promises a collection of colourful, thought provoking and humourous sculptures that reflect current issues of the modern consumerist movement. The ‘Tag’ is a comprehensive barcode solution that bridges the physical and digital worlds that need to co-exist in today’s consumerist society. Tags are descriptors used as a means of coding and organizing products and providing necessary information. Like most of her previous exhibitions, the title of this exhibition is more complex and multi-layered than meets the eye. It also makes references to a game played by children where you chase and tag the next pursuer. The term is also relevant in the social networking world, where tags make it possible to socialize with new people through games, shared interests, friend suggestions, browsing profiles, and much more.

Umi consistently pushes beyond popular preconceptions of her chosen medium, extending ‘ceramics’ to sculpture and installation. She is a superb artist and technician who experiments with her chosen medium until she has explored all possibilities. The result of this are whimsical, quirky sculptures that have been repeatedly fired, glazed, stained and layered until the artist is satisfied with the result. Umi uses toys as metaphors for many different issues – responses to everyday objects, as a symbol of life; reflections of desire, sophistication, politics, globalization, cultural values, consumer culture, spirituality, beauty, and transformation.

Her latest solo exhibition ‘Tag’ is her second solo exhibition with Wei-Ling Gallery and will feature at the gallery’s second space Wei-Ling Contemporary at The Gardens Mall from the 6th February 2012-6th March 2012.

Wei-Ling Contemporary is located at G212&213A, Ground Floor,The Gardens Mall, Kuala Lumpur 59200,Malaysia.
Pls call 603-22601106/603-22828323 or email weilingart@gmail.com for more information.
Wei-Ling Contemporary is open daily from 11am-9pm.
For more information visit www.weiling-gallery.com