EMERGE Exclusive, Brunei’s Heritage Seen Through Contemporary Art

EMERGE: Exclusive, Brunei’s Heritage Seen Through Contemporary Art

by Intan Abu Daniel

The ‘EMERGE: Exclusive’ art exhibition, organized by Creative Space Art Gallery & Studio, opened its doors to the public on May 16^th until May 25^th, and is hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Brunei Darussalam.

The ‘EMERGE: Exclusive’ art exhibition is the first art exhibition to be held and hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Brunei Darussalam. The opening ceremony was officiated by guest of honour Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Hj Awg Halbi bin Hj Mohd Yussof, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports.

His Excellency Mr Mehmet Suat Akgun, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Brunei Darussalam, said in his opening remarks, “For us, it’s an important day, because the Turkish Embassy is hosting an art exhibition for the very first time.”

The exhibition is a presentation of art works by a variety of artists who have sought to capture the theme ‘Being Bruneian’ through art, showing 21 pieces of artwork by nine local artists: Nomen, Syafiq Nasir, Khairul Ibrahim, Maziyah  Yussof, Erne Zainal, Khalisah, Umi Zaty, Zubaidah and Redzuan, and ceramic artwork by Dr Martie Geiger-Ho.

The ‘EMERGE: Exclusive’ exhibition keeps to that theme by embracing each artist’s personal viewpoint of being Bruneian through contemporary art. There is much to see and contemplate here, and the featured works are as varied as their makers – from the surreal horizons captured by Umi Zaty to the macro view of the Simpor flower by Erne Zainal to geometric patterns by Zubaidah and Maziyah Yussof to the energetic colours of the environment by Khairul Ibrahim.

The exhibition is curated by Khairul Ibrahim and Shathirah DHS under the supervision of Hj Osman Mohammad, the Director of Creative Space Gallery & Studio. It falls under the ‘EMERGE’ programme – an initiative created by Creative Space Gallery & Studio that began in April 2016 which aims to enrich Brunei’s local art culture by enhancing the local creative industries landscape, and to provide a platform for young and emerging local artists to develop and showcase their work.

The ‘EMERGE: Exclusive’ art exhibition is open to the public from May 16 – 25 and can be viewed at:

The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Brunei Darussalam
Spg 52, Kampong Manggis Satu, BSB

From Monday-Friday, 10am-12noon and 2.30pm-4.30pm

Find out about other art exhibitions by the Creative Space Art Gallery & Studio by checking out their website, or you can follow them on Instagram or Facebook.