A Day in the Life: Ain
Memory, home, and displacement in ‘da lama dah’
By Ain
‘A Day in the Life’ is a series by A&M where we invite artists to share a day in their life through images accompanied by brief descriptions.
Ain. Image courtesy of FENIX.
Ain (b. 2000) has been shaped by her diasporic journey across Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan, with each place leaving a unique imprint on her sense of identity and belonging. At present, her practice centres on investigating the ongoing process of decolonisation in Southeast Asia, and encourages viewers to reflect on their own cultural, social, and emotional connections to this history. Ain continues to explore these themes in her first solo exhibition, ‘da lama dah’, at Blank Canvas, which delves into ideas of memory, home, and displacement. In this article, the Malaysia-based artist offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the exhibition.
Installation view of ‘da lama dah’. Image courtesy of Blank Canvas.
Ain, ‘Kisah Kedua Kali (Tale of the Second Time)’, 2024-2025, ash painting series, 15 x 9.8cm each. Image courtesy of Blank Canvas.
Ain, ‘Lembaran Yang Tidak Dikenali (Unfamiliar Pages)’, 2024-2025, album of ash painting portraits, 28.0 x 27.3 x 2.8cm. Image courtesy of Blank Canvas.
These images are installation views of ‘da lama dah’, my recent solo exhibition at Blank Canvas. This marks my first in-person solo show, and through this visual diary, I want to share what it is like behind the scenes as an artist bringing a deeply personal exhibition to life. Photos cannot do it justice—you have to experience the ceramics, ash paintings, furniture, and atmosphere in real life to truly feel it.
Exhibition 3D Render of ‘da lama dah’ exhibition by Ain. Image courtesy of the artist.
Before building the show, I created a 3D render of the exhibition layout. It acts as a visual mood board, an early draft that helps me explore the space, arrangement, and atmosphere I want to create. This process takes time and evolves constantly, but it is essential not just for my own planning, but also for communicating my vision to the gallery. It helps align everyone involved so we can work cohesively to create an exhibition that fully utilises the space in a meaningful, impactful way.
Behind the Scenes – Prepping Ceramics. Image courtesy of Blank Canvas.
Ain, ‘Kerabat Tak Terlihat (Unseen Kin)’, 2024-2025, series of ceramics (handmade clay), variable dimensions. Image courtesy of Blank Canvas.
As I arranged each ceramic plate, I felt a quiet mix of worry, care, and wonder. I checked for cracks, gently brushed off the dust, and looked closely at the laser-printed photographs, at faces frozen in time. I wondered who they were, where they are now, and whether my grandmother still remembers them. Some feel familiar; others are complete mysteries. Each plate holds a moment that once was, now reimagined into something new and fragile. Handling them felt like holding memory itself—delicate, fragmented, yet deeply meaningful.
Firing the Ceramics. Image courtesy of the artist.
This photo was taken before the exhibition at my supposedly backyard “studio space”, but it captures one of the most important moments in the build-up to the show, which is the firing process. I used a BBQ grill as a makeshift kiln, a tip I learned from a friend in the Netherlands and adapted here out of necessity and resourcefulness. The firing process is long, intense, and unpredictable. It takes between 9 to 12 hours, with me checking every 30 to 60 minutes to add charcoal and observe how the colours shift and develop. Charcoal burns extremely hot, up to around 1600°C or maybe more, and the ceramics are incredibly fragile at this stage. Many have cracked or even exploded in the past if they’re not fully dry, and each firing is a risk. Still, it is a process I have come to love. There is a sense of excitement as the colours change and the final textures reveal themselves. It is slow, hot, and delicate—and it is where the transformation begins.
What is also important to note is that the ash created during the ceramic firing—delicate, soft, and nearly snow-like—was carefully collected and later used for my ash painting series. It is a quiet cycle within my practice: the past transforming into material, the material transforming into memory, and memory becoming something new again.
Archive Photographs. Image courtesy of the artist.
This image shows the old photographs I used as the foundation for the laser-printed ceramic plates. Some are damaged, folded, or fading. A few have handwriting—some I believe belonged to my grandfather, while others remain anonymous, perhaps written by relatives I will never know. I blurred certain faces and aurat out of respect and care, as a way to protect the privacy of my ancestors while still honouring their presence. These photographs are more than just visual references—they carry memory, emotion, and silence. I asked the graphic designer to base the exhibition’s title font on the handwriting found on these images, letting the past subtly shape the present.
‘da lama dah’ is on view from 1 March to 25 May 2025 at Blank Canvas, Malaysia.
Follow Ain on Instagram here and visit her website to see more of her works.
Read all A Day in the Life stories here.
All images are courtesy of the artist.
About the Artist
Nurul Ain Binti Nor Halim (b.2000), prefers to go by Ain as her artist name, is an artist born in Bangkok, Thailand and raised in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan, which makes her have a diasporic identity and longing for belonging. Her practice includes videos, audio, and installations that focus on themes such as belonging, language, memories, and national and cultural identity. Her work reflects her interest in post-colonial discourses, such as cultural preservation, exoticism, craftsmanship, and archives. Besides that, she questions the position and role of artists in decolonisation, with references to Aimé Césaire, “Man of Culture”, and how one embraces a post-colonial history and reconstructs itself through culture and the arts.
