Umibaizurah
To Umi, clay is akin to life: unpredictable, but with many possibilities. Working with clay has taught her that depending on the complexity of form, outcomes can either be full of surprises or just pure disappointment. The process is ongoing, and intuition plays a big part in choosing the medium and materials that she works with. Clay, to her, is a form of vehicle for communication between religion and people across cultures. Umi’s clay pieces, adorned with unusual objects found around the environment, seem simple and playful. In fact, they penetrate deep beyond the superficial layer of experience and explore various issues that relate to human perceptions.
Umibaizurah Mahir received Bachelor in Fine Arts (Hons) from MARA University of Technology in 2000. Since 1997, she has participated in exhibitions in various spaces in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, and Pakistan. Umibaizurah represented Malaysia in the 2009 Jakarta Ceramics Biennale. She was among the Top 10 Winners of The Young Contemporaries 2006 by The National Art Gallery Malaysia, and was awarded Top 5 Winners for her collaboration with children in making clay sculpture at the Tokoname City Culture Hall, Aichi, Japan. Umi’s works are collected by various institutions and private collectors: National Art Gallery Malaysia, Petronas Gallery Malaysia, Asia Arts Network Seoul Korea, and Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection, Malaysia.