Interview: Syazwan Rahim on shouting silently through arts

Calling for actions doesn't necessarily need to be vocal.

Like dreams, Syazwan Rahim’s perfectly contoured paintings appear to portray complex and mythical layers of personality. And like the best artwork, they feel both current and utterly timeless.

Can you explain to us the psychic terrain that your works depict?

The alarming situation of environmental degradation that is happening now has always been the topic of conversation in my body of work. It is one of the ways for me to create great attention for the public to take a moment to ponder about the situation, which has been neglected for many years. Instead of making something too literal, I incorporate abstract elements including lines, geometrical shapes, and contours, as well as other techniques such as collages to evoke discussions.

How would you describe your aesthetic?

To be honest, I don’t have one. I find that my aesthetic changes from time to time. The reason being my works often derive from my personal experience, my environment, sometimes world events – all these factors feed into the mood and the overall imagery that I want to showcase.

In that case, what is your current sense of aesthetic?

There is a plethora of subjects to discuss regarding the world these days but the topic that I believe deserves everyone’s attention is the economy which has been forcing many of us to keep our shoulder to the wheel in order to survive and stay sane, as well as climate issues caused by human negligence and ignorance. These are the two main talking points that I base my work around right now.

Do you follow any creative rituals?

I am very much inspired by my personal experience. I usually converse my concerns regarding certain topics with myself before I spread them out onto a piece of paper or a canvas. I also surround myself with a lot of references, most of them are text excerpts or images that I’ve found online, models and sculptures that I’ve come across and want to learn more about in term of their form and structure. If I am not at my workplace, my time is usually spent with my family and they have been my source of inspiration as well.

What does it mean to you to be named one of Malaysia’s emerging artists in 2022?

It’s a truly humbling experience. Art has been a form of escapism for me and the way that I express myself to the world, and to have it acknowledged by the public and people of likeminded means a lot to me. It also drives me to keep improving myself and to keep learning as I see myself as someone that is relatively new in the industry. There are still a lot of things that I need to learn and I’m always excited about the exploration.

Photography Herbe Yap

Creative direction and styling Syazil Abd Rahim

Makeup Joey yap

Hair Nicole Ng

Photography assistant Floyd

All outfits by COS