PERTEMUAN is a simple yet powerful word that struck home for photographer Syed Azimal Amir Syed Abu Bakar when he first saw an Odissi performance by the Sutra Dance Theatre.
Syed, a lawyer by profession, first met the artistic director of Sutra Dance Theatre, Ramli Ibrahim, during a charity show for Yayasan Kenchana in Kuantan, Pahang. There, Ramli and his troupe performed the Odissi, a lyrical dance form originating from Orissa.
To the novice with a camera, Odissi was a eye-opener and Syed felt the title Pertemuan was apt for the dance form which he believes connects the people to the “Maker”.
“I was thrilled to watch the show Odissi. In my intrepretation, the Odissi dance is the unity between a man and his ‘maker’. It is almost divine,” said Syed.
Talented: Syed Azimal Amir with his favourite photograph titled “Circling the Lotus”. Armed with a few shots, Syed who has been dabbling in photography for two years, showed his collection to Ramli who was pleasantly surprised and invited Syed to take photos at another performance in Kuala Lumpur.
Thus began his journey in capturing the Odissi and which led to a photography exhibition that began at the Pahang Art Museum.
The director of the museum, Ahmad Farid Abd Jalal and Ramli decided to host the exhibition at the musuem to introduce the art form and the photographer to the people of Pahang.
“We received good feedback from the people of all races. Pertemuan was one of the five instalments we had of the Odissi in the museum,” said Ahmad.
Unique:The photograph called “Ramli” is one of Syed Azimal’s best. Spurred by the success in Pahang, Ramli decided to bring the exhibition to the Sutera Gallery in Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur.
“When we first started in Pahang, it was great to see someone from Kuantan contributing to the Pahang Art museum. Now the people of KL should see the new talent we have found in photography,” said Ramli.
There are currently 22 pieces of photographs on canvas at the art exhibition and Syed’s personal favourite is the photograph called ‘Circling the Lotus’.
The photograph depicts a bevy of young beauties circling the lotus. He has played with the image, making it seem alive as the girls spin around in fluid motions.
Another must see is the portrait of Ramli dancing with a face full of emotion as he embodies his performance to the core.
‘Pastorial Krishna’ is a photograph of a dancer, decked in the finery of Lord Krishna, the playful god as he strikes a pose.
The photos were introduced during a launch at the Sutera Gallery which saw notable figures like Datuk Bernard Chandran and actor Mano Maniam.
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