PHOTOS: 24-Year-Old M’sian Artist, Azzah Sultan Debuts Her ‘Anak Dara’ Showcase In New York

By Karissa Lund  •  24 Sep 2020 in Design

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Another day, another Malaysian creative making us proud! This time around, it’s Siti Azzah Syed Sultan, or better known as Azzah Sultan, who’s first solo show, titled ‘Anak Dara’, recently opened at a boutique art firm – Trotter&Sholer in New York City.

The 24-year-old artist with a BFA from Parsons School of Design and an MFA from Washington State University experimented with textures, silhouettes, fabrics and sounds to tell a beautiful story surrounding Malaysian culture. Although her artwork is showcased in NYC, she kept it in themed by naming her artwork in Bahasa Malaysia, like Melipat, Membalut, Memasak, Menyentuh and Pukul Enam. 

According to Sinar Plus, Azzah was actually born in Abu Dhabi but grew up in Malaysia, Saudi, Finland, and Bahrain. She has been staying in America for six years now to work on her artistic skills and it seems like all those years are paying off! In fact, we think she is just getting started in her blossoming career.

 

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A post shared by Azzah Sultan (@sitisultan) on Sep 19, 2020 at 8:58am PDT

In an interview with Rojak Daily, Azzah stated that the whole collection was inspired by a family visit to Penang in December 2019.

“A lot of the fabrics and materials I used in my body of work come from my hometown in Penang, Malaysia. I was able to find fabrics, spices and objects of nostalgia simply by exploring my hometown with my parents and having them a part of the process of collecting these materials,” she said.

She also states that ‘Anak Dara’ is a tribute to Malaysia and an investigation of how she perceives herself through garments and objects of personal memories.

The term itself is a Malay term that translates to ‘a young and unmarried child, as well as a virgin’. Through this showcase, Azzah aims to reframe it into a different context – as a term of endearment.

 

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A post shared by Azzah Sultan (@sitisultan) on Sep 7, 2020 at 9:21am PDT

“Growing up in Malaysia, our culture and customs are all very important areas of familial focus. It is important to not lose touch of who we are; the rite of passage to transfer knowledge which is traditional to pass on from one generation to another. For me, religion and culture is a fundamental point of my identity, as I am physically seen as Muslim with my hijab.

But within my art I try to display those parts of my identity in a more nuanced way, where it doesn’t just symbolise the entirety of who I am but it is just a part of me, there is still so much more to me,” she said.

While you can’t physically visit ‘Anak Dara’ unless you’re in New York, here’s a look at some of Azzah’s works that are being exhibited:

Follow Azzah Sultan on Instagram to keep up with her work.