Conversation with Osveanne Osman
Gallery manager of Creative Space Brunei
By Sara Lau
Osveanne Osman conducting a workshop in the gallery space. Image courtesy of Creative Space Brunei.
First established in 2011 by artist Hj. Osman, Creative Space Brunei started out as a private studio for artists. With Osveanne Osman at the helm, the space transitioned to a gallery and exhibition space to showcase both established and young Bruneian artists. It has a focus on developing younger talent in the hopes of fostering a more vibrant creative industry, through classes, workshops and open calls. We sit down with Osveanne to learn more about the Bruneian art scene and her vision for the gallery.
Could you give us a short primer on art in Brunei?
Brunei has a very rich history in handicrafts and weaving. Within the region, it was exceptional in copper and silver smithing, and also for handwoven fabric such as the Jong Sarat and the Kain Tenunan. But all of this was slowly lost because people were not continuing the tradition. The villages that used to specialise in copper and silver are slowly disappearing as well. Due to the country’s colonisation, there are not many records or documentation of these crafts and their history, or other art forms from pre-colonial times.
Art in Brunei started the 1960s, after the first wave of artists returned from their studies overseas, most of them from the United Kingdom. In the early 1970s, the Brunei Art Association was formed, and it was active in holding exhibitions of artists such as Pg. Asmalee and Awg. Sitai, who were first-generation artists and mentors to my father, a third-generation artist. There was a lapse from the late 80s to the 2000s, and only after when Brunei Art Forum and Creative Space came about did the creative industries start up again.
Hj. Osman giving a watercolour painting demonstration. Image courtesy of Creative Space Brunei.
How did you get interested in art? I imagine that your father played a big part.
Yes, my journey in art started with him. However, I avoided the arts as much as possible when I was younger. People expected me to be good at art just because of my father. It was only in high school that I really fell in love with it, when I started to observe more closely how he painted.
When I finally decided to pursue fine arts, I had no portfolio due to my earlier aversion to it, so I spent two months building it from scratch. I managed to secure a place in Jerudong International School, which has some of the best facilities for design and fine arts. After that, I went off to Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Industries. It was stressful at times, as I had to learn and juggle different disciplines, such as contemporary dance and theatre, but it was eye-opening and ultimately beneficial to have that kind of exposure.
Creative Space Brunei. Image courtesy of Creative Space Brunei.
What was your father’s vision for Creative Space when he started it in 2011?
His vision, which I share as well, is to make Creative Space the equivalent of a national museum of art. We don’t have a national art museum or gallery here in Brunei, and so we wanted to create a space that could eventually lead to an institution on that level. We wanted a space for all generations of artists in Brunei, and in a way, we’re trying to stitch together a history of art.
Another goal we have is to have an art academy. Right now, we have many different workshops and classes for painting and sketching, but we are also expanding to include more experiences as well. One new collaboration we had this year was with Mori Farm called ‘En Plein Air’, where participants toured the farm and learnt how to paint outdoors. It did really well, and we want to continue these kinds of collaboration with local businesses.
'En Plein Air' at Mori Farm. Image courtesy of Creative Space Brunei.
What has your experience been like running the gallery?
I was doing almost everything on my own, taking on a managerial role right out of university, so I had to learn quickly how to work with the limited resources that I had. It was challenging, but I think I have grown a lot. I also had to learn how to build relationships with artists, and how to push younger artists to professionalise and develop their portfolio. With social media platforms such as Instagram, artists are enabled to manage and promote themselves, but we try to communicate to them the value of working with a gallery and what that relationship can look like.
The first three years were painful and slow. It was scary because it was a risky investment to put down money into a physical space and into these activities. One of our more successful projects is ‘Emerge’, a series of themed exhibitions. It was launched in 2016, borne from my father’s vision to provide a platform for young artists, as we were not seeing any new practicing artists. My father teaches at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, and he saw a lot of talent go to waste because there wasn’t a platform for them to showcase their work, to receive feedback and develop from that.
How did ‘Emerge’ go?
We had two ‘Emerge’ exhibitions in 2016 itself, and the second one was where we had proper online campaigns through social media. I had two interns join me in that time, and from there it was just the three of us coordinating this project. From the second year onwards, we started doing open calls, which was hard at first as we had to invite artists to participate in them, and there wasn’t a lot of organic reach. But this is also where we started creating our archives, collecting information about the artists that we have here locally. We managed to find our footing by the third year, in 2019, where 65% of the submissions were organic and we had 51 new artists. The quality of the submissions was better as well, which has been encouraging.
Beyond the activities of Creative Space, what do you think needs to be done to grow the Bruneian art scene and what are your challenges?
Education is an important aspect. When my father was still at the university full-time, he saw that a lot of students were going to school just to learn basic perspective drawing, and that still boggles my mind. It’s part of the reason why we do so many classes as well, so that students can learn basic skills at a lower, cost-effective price. Another challenge is a lack of art appreciation. There isn’t a culture of valuing art in Brunei, beyond what is aesthetically pleasing. For the younger artists that do, I feel that they need to have a better understanding of where their resources come from, and the whole journey of art-making from start to finish.
On a larger scale, we need more state and private funding. The challenge here is that unless there are specific ministers interested in art, we won’t get a lot of funding. There’s not a lot of attention on us. As for private funding, there are ethical issues to consider. We want to work with companies who match our principles and ethos. It’s hard to balance all these considerations.
Which Bruneian artists do you think deserve more local and international attention?
One artist from my generation who I think is underrated is Yasmin Jaidin. She’s been very active, having travelled and presented in Japan, Hong Kong and Taipei, among others. She produces the most amazing work, and executes it at such a high standard. There’s also Faizal Hamdan, who has great conceptual work, Nadiah Suhaili, who incorporates local narratives in her paintings and Faiq Airudin, who’s the most wonderful photographer. Zakaria Omar is a detail-oriented artist whose work I enjoy as well.
Of course, I’d also like to mention my father, Hj. Osman. He mostly paints landscape paintings and day-to-day life narratives. He has more than 700 pieces from the 1970s onwards, and they tell the story of how Brunei has changed over the years.
Things are quite uncertain now, but what do you hope to see in the future for Creative Space Brunei?
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit us quite badly. We had to close the gallery. Now, we are focusing on supporting our artists by selling their works online. Retaining our physical space is a challenge, but our short-term goal is to continue to collaborate with more local businesses, and eventually develop awards and residencies to expand the spectrum of artistic activities. We’re trying our best to keep our presence known online and work towards our larger goal of nationalising Creative Space as a museum and an art academy.
Keep up to date with Creative Space Brunei here.
