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At S.E.A. Focus 2023, the anchor event of Singapore Art Week, the strength and potential of NFTs as an art medium will be on full display.
The Tezos exhibition will take visitors through an audio-visual journey of artworks by six leading Southeast Asian artists, Bjorn Calleja from the Philippines, CwndDien and the late Orkibal from Malaysia, Reza Hasni from Singapore, as well Ykha Amelz and Discokid909 from Indonesia.
Curated by Tulika Ahuja of Mama Magnet, the dedicated 55m2 exhibition ‘Living System: An NFT Show’ will tie into ‘a world, anew’, the curatorial theme for S.E.A. Focus 2023.
In this article, we interview CwndDien, who will be building on the unreleased works of the late Orkibal, and presenting them at the Tezos exhibition.
Identifiable by his unique breed of character designs that live in parallel alien universes, Orkibal is a pioneer in the Malaysian urban art scene. His worlds are quirky – ripe with color and play. His characters have lively silhouettes – bold and untamed, yet cute and relatable.
He holds a legacy of two decades, having expressed his vibrant artistry through various mediums, from doodles on canvas, to graffiti, public art murals and NFTs. Orkibal’s ideas always begin with a sketch on paper, motivated by a calling to eliminate the bad, or to simply get lost in an imaginative landscape.
Orkibal passed away in March 2022. He is survived by his wife, three children, and a supportive community who keeps his zaniness alive.
You can view all the amazing tributes to Orkibal by fellow artists using the hashtag #TributetoOrk on Twitter.
CwndDien is an illustrator, concept artist and animation director based in Kajang, Malaysia. He has been working in the animation industry as a character designer for more than 10 years. His influences come from street art, animation, film, music, comics, toys and Japanese culture.
CwndDien shies away from personally labeling his art style, though he remains open to audiences describing his work based on their individual understanding.
The NFT community I’m in is NFXT io. NFXT is a community that is fun and very supportive of each other. They are very welcoming to new members and will help members who need help minting through the minting party program, which is hosted once a month.
Orkibal has left a huge impact on both the local art industry in Malaysia, as well as the art industries overseas.
We’ve lost a crazy creative touch with bright colors and interesting combinations, which has worked out in a monster world of his own creation.
“Computers make my monster look super handsome….but everything starts with a sketch on paper.” - Orkibal
I think it is necessary, because it can further develop interesting ideas not to be forgotten.
NFTs have actually helped me to get to know more artists beyond Malaysia - from South East Asia, and I was also able to collaborate with some artists from abroad.
Well, of course I feel honored to be involved with Singapore Art Week - to represent Malaysia and to be able to share Orkibal’s legacy with visitors from various countries!
This article has been edited for clarity.
