BY AWANG MUHAMMAAD SYAHMI & NEVILLE TIMOTHY SANDERS
KUCHING: Famous Sarawak Sape songstress and painter Alena Murang has shared her favourite painting through storytelling on her exhibition “Colour of Highlands”.
The ‘Most Precious’ is one of her favourite paintings where it depicts an aunty facing the other side and wearing the ‘peta’ (Kelabit headgear).
Alena said that her culture through the years was very good in adopting Kenyah designs and also songs from Indonesia and always adapted them.
“The most important thing in this art is that our ‘peta’ has always remained the same and constant as when you see, it is a Kelabit woman.
“In addition, the reason it is called the most precious one is because of our precious bidet head and also our elders are very precious to my heart,” she said.
She said this when speaking to reporters during the online interview on general art topics and her art solo show yesterday.
Alena added that she also likes the ‘Good Morning 5 am’ where it portrayed a grand aunty who has come back from the field and wearing the sun hat.
“The reason I call it Good Morning 5 am is because whenever I went back to the village, I usually wake up at 8 am in the morning and it is already considered very late.
“The elderly usually wakes up at 5 am working in the field and will return by 8 am and that is the face that I see in the morning when I wake up,” she said.
In the meantime, she stated that she felt happy on the response she received during the exhibition of the “Colour of Highlands”.
“Even though it is sad to see the art show coming to an end, seeing the hard work that I pulled off during the art show makes me feel overwhelmed,” she said.
Her art show opened on March 18 and those who are interested can come to the Hoan Gallery, La Promenade Hall at Kota Samarahan before it ends on May 8.
