M'sian Bakat List #9: Meet The Entrepreneur-Artist Who Turns Metal Into Art Masterpieces
Sculpting at its finest.
By John Lim — 09 Jun 2016, 05:54 PM
Sculptures made from wood and stone are common but sculptures made entirely out of metal or steel are not something you see every day
Meet Nizam Abdullah, a local sculptor famous for his metal sculptures. The Limkokwing alumni's work has been featured in local and international art galleries.
"I chose to do metal sculpturing because of the 3D look it achieves. The texture of the sculpture is also very different from other sculptures made from other materials", said Abdullah who graduated from Limkokwing University in 2004 as a fine arts student majoring in metal sculptures with a minor in painting.
Over the years, he has won many accolades including second place at the International Landscape and Garden and a feature at the International OITA Sculpture in Japan.
After his graduation, Abdullah worked as a lecturer at his alma mater for three years before setting up his own studio - Nazimabdullah Studio - back in 2012
While Abdullah is not the first metal sculptor in Malaysia, he's one of first few to set up his own business. “You can call me an entrepreneur-artist. It's all about being street smart,” he said in an interview with The Malay Mail.
The first metal sculpture he made that sparked off the idea for the business was his rooster series
"The series is my personal artwork that is meant for exhibition and collectors. I made 20 different types of roosters with different finishings for this series. I chose the rooster because it is my Chinese animal zodiac. I’m also a metal rooster hence the use of the material in this sculpture,” he said.
Sculpting a rooster out of metal is not an easy feat too. “It's pretty challenging to bend metal, which is a hard, physical material and turn it into a soft look and flow of an actual rooster body,” he said.
At his studio, Abdullah and his team work day and night to come out with custom designs for clients
The pricing for each design depends highly on the complexity and finish of the work. Aside from stainless steel, he also uses industrial parts like pipes and zinc.
Abdullah's work has since expanded to interior design. He now uses his expertise in sculpting to create modern and functional furniture for the home and office.
Unlike sculpting, Abdullah makes sure that the materials are altered to suit the functional characteristics of a furniture.
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