작품 상세

A pristine freshwater lake endowed with the myth of a dragon (Naga Seri Gumum) and a fabled underwater Khmer kingdom. The lake has incredible biodiversity that led it to being bestowed Unesco Biosphere Reserve status. A settlement of the Jakun Orang Asli tribe, who had helped preserve its natural heritage, it transforms into blooms of lotus on its surface from between August to September. But over the years, Tasik Chini in the Pekan district of Pahang has been threatened by encroaching plantations, logging and iron-ore mining which even threatened marine life. The poet and artist Rafiee Ghani captures the beauty of this lake as a paradise still. Rafiee Ghani draws great inspiration from his frequent travels around the world, especially to less hospitable terrain in central, western and Southeast Asia, apart from Europe and the United States. He was educated at the De Vrije Academic, Voor Beeldende Kunst, The Hague (1980) before returning to retake his Diploma at the Mara Institute of Technology, 1985 (majoring in Printmaking). He followed up with a MA (Fine Prints) at the Manchester Polytechnic, England, in 1987. His major awards are the Minor Award in the Salon Malaysia (1991), twice in the Young Contemporary Artists competition (1984 and 1985), and one of the Juror’s Award in the Malaysian chapter of the Philip Morris Asean Art Award in 1994. He also won 2nd Prize in the Malaysian Art Open in 1994. He had taught at his alma mater, ITM, and in the Seychelles, from 1991-1993.