{"id":4071,"date":"2015-07-10T14:50:46","date_gmt":"2015-07-10T06:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/?post_type=portfolio&amp;p=4071"},"modified":"2015-07-10T14:50:46","modified_gmt":"2015-07-10T06:50:46","slug":"noor-azizan-rahman-paiman-ali-baba-and-the-forty-thieves-press-release","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/portfolio-item\/noor-azizan-rahman-paiman-ali-baba-and-the-forty-thieves-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman &#8211; Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves &#8211; Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='artists-title'  class='avia-section av-av_section-142ff43b7600746a6e970fde5cf91c57 main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-bg-style-scroll  container_wrap fullsize'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4071'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_full-2a9015ff38129c418a3f2eafba3e9512 av_one_full  avia-builder-el-1  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div '   ><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"font-family: 'eb garamond'; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left;\"><a title=\"EXHIBITIONS \u2013 CURRENT\" href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/exhibition-current\/\">CuRRENT<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a class=\"selected\" title=\"EXHIBITIONS \u2013 PAST\" href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/exhibition-current\/exhibition-past\/\">PAST<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-a6de236e6c183bbbd700292deacd2b52\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-a6de236e6c183bbbd700292deacd2b52{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-a6de236e6c183bbbd700292deacd2b52 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock  '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"font-family: 'eb garamond'; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left;\"><a title=\"Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman \u2013 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves \u2013 Works\" href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/portfolio-item\/noor-azizan-rahman-paiman-ali-baba-and-the-forty-thieves-works\/\">works<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a class=\"selected\" title=\"Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman \u2013 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves \u2013 Press Release\" href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/portfolio-item\/noor-azizan-rahman-paiman-ali-baba-and-the-forty-thieves-press-release\/\">press release<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df{\nheight:40px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-a07f7596b1fca85f6595a75d593069df hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full  '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_full-2a9015ff38129c418a3f2eafba3e9512 av_one_full  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_hr  avia-builder-el-last  first flex_column_div '   ><p><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '  style='font-size:14px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-family: open sans thin; font-size: 25px; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 1px; color: #333333;\">Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves<br \/>\nNoor Azizan Rahman Paiman<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; color: #666666; text-align: justify;\">\n<p>Third solo exhibition by Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman at Wei-Ling Gallery.<\/p>\n<p>Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is Paiman\u2019s long awaited solo exhibition. The exhibition is based on ideas and materials that the artist conjured without any sketches or physical materials but purely from his observations of society around him in the burgeoning Malaysian economy of the 1990s. These ideas came to Paiman from his extensive observations and reading of all forms of conventional media as well as the vast amount of information from the internet and various blogs. With Malaysia\u2019s freedom of expression, this information both supported and questioned the government\u2019s efforts and policies.<\/p>\n<p>As a thinking artist in a democratic society, Paiman had mixed feelings about the information that was so widely circulated and made available. The different situations and information influenced Paiman\u2019s creative journey and beliefs.<br \/>\nBased on the story \u201cA Thousand and One Nights\u201d, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is set in Persia. There, lived two brothers, Kasim and Ali Baba. Upon their father\u2019s death, the small estate was divided equally between the two brothers. Kasim married a rich widow and became a wealthy merchant while Ali Baba married an equally impoverished woman and made a living cutting wood and bringing it upon three asses to sell in the village.<\/p>\n<p>The young Ali Baba\u2019s fortunes take a dramatic turn for the better when he decides to steal the belongings of robbers from a cave. Hence Ali Baba embarks upon the slippery slope of the criminal mind, eventually becoming engulfed by jealousy, deviance, corruption, greed, conspiracy and murder. In the contemporary sense, Ali Baba would be seen as a most insincere, greedy, corrupt and petty criminal.<\/p>\n<p>Ali Babas are synonymous with the characters who lobby and engage in securing lucrative projects. These lobbyists ensure the cogs of the machine keep turning so that the dividends from these mega projects are distributed downstream. Once the contracts are secured, signed, sealed and delivered, Ali Baba looks for a new replacement contractor, sells the project onward and makes a quick and tidy profit without any project risk and without undertaking any real work. Occasionally Ali Baba takes on a nominee role in these projects and becomes a sleeping baba\u2026..<\/p>\n<p>In the contemporary context, the rules by which Ali Babas play their role is through using new policies, by which they orchestrate the situation by using politics, economics, social issues and religious scenarios. Therefore they stand as either advisors or enemies of the state. In this body of work it is therefore dependent upon the audience&#8217;s &#8216;worldview&#8217; to respond to this situation.<br \/>\nPaiman wishes to express his observations of these stage players and to study the subtle nuances of the intricate dance between awardee, recipient, nominee and the way the economy rolls, rumbles and grinds ever forward.<\/p>\n<p>Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves features at Wei-ling Gallery, Brickfields from October 2012 \u201330th November 2012<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Wei-Ling Gallery is located at:<br \/>\n8 Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-9a4b51fdc01b8b13bd201ffe5054f031\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-9a4b51fdc01b8b13bd201ffe5054f031{\nheight:35px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-9a4b51fdc01b8b13bd201ffe5054f031 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock  '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artmalaysiagroup.com\/arttalk\/detail\/92\/ali-baba-and-the-forty-thieves\"><strong>Read article in ArtMalaysia<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com.my\/story\/?file=%2F2012%2F10%2F18%2Fcentral%2F12172795\"><strong>&#8220;Forty Years of Ideas&#8221; by Jade Chan, Thursday 18th October 2012<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a title=\"\u201cAnd Now, Paiman Decides to Paint the World Around Him\u201d by Anurendra Jegadeva\" href=\"http:\/\/weiling-gallery.com\/gallery\/portfolio-item\/and-now-paiman-decides-to-paint-the-world-around-him-by-anurendra-jegadeva\/\"><strong>&#8220;And Now, Paiman Decides to Paint the World Around Him&#8221; by Anurendra Jegadeva<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":4029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"portfolio_entries":[4],"class_list":["post-4071","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_entries-exhibitions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/4071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/portfolio"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/4071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4071"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_entries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev08.mm-sb.com\/web04\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_entries?post=4071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}