Struggle With Vitiligo Inspires M’sian Artist Nadirah’s Powerful Solo Exhibition, Open This Weekend

By Lara Kramer  •  03 May 2023 in Features

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Get ready to experience the inner workings of Nadirah Zakariya’s heart and soul at her latest exhibition, ‘Feeling Feelings Makes Me, Me’.

The show, featuring almost 40 pieces including framed photography prints, lightboxes, and a video installation, will be open to the public from May 6th to May 28th, 2023 at temu house art space in Petaling Jaya.

Although this will be Nadirah’s third solo exhibition, “Feeling Feelings Makes Me, Me” is expected to be her most significant work to date.

Her work is heavily influenced by her nomadic life; she was born in Malaysia in 1984 and raised across several different nations. Through her preferred medium of photography, she is able to freely process and express her emotions.

In addition to serving as a vehicle for self-expression, Nadirah’s art also serves as a means of self-reflection and self-acceptance. She has been more accepting of herself via her work and has been transparent about her struggles with vitiligo, a skin disorder which leads in pigmentation loss.

In fact, a feature article on this condition Nadirah has been living with since she was 16 years old was published in Vogue Italia. She is now an internationally recognised and exhibited photographer known for her intriguing self-portraits, and her openness has given others with the same challenge the self-assurance they need to go after their own aspirations.

‘Feeling Feelings Makes Me, Me’ is Nadirah’s attempt to encourage her listeners to love and accept themselves. In order to oversee the business side of things and help bring the exhibition to life, she has assembled a dream team of industry specialists. For the time being, she is focused on her hometown, but dreams of taking the exhibition to other places worldwide in the future.

Through her work, Nadirah hopes to foster self-love and acceptance, and as she works to do so, she goes through various stages of self-awareness. She views developing her skill as a means of self-expression as being crucial to her wellbeing.

Discussing how inspiration for her art frequently strikes out of the blue, she notes that she always strives to make time to honour and fully engage in the creative process because these opportunities are so infrequent and valuable.

Today, Asia and beyond are familiar with Nadirah’s powerful and alluring images.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to visit this reflective and thought-provoking exhibition.

For information on pocket activities taking place during the exhibition term, check out Nadirah’s Instagram profile, and find yourself inspired by the self-discovery and acceptance journey that “Feeling Feelings Makes Me, Me” takes you on.

Believe us when we say it’s far more than just an art display.