Where I tried to double park
Nov 2019, Kuala Lumpur
Komeil’s art walks closely with his status as a person in exile: questioning, searching and reimagining. As a painter, Komeil strives to create meaning, even in spaces where hope is in short supply; and to respond to a world that cuts down trees in order to reach the sky.
Two Neighbours (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 180 x 120 cm
​
This painting is a dedication to the director Akira Kurosawa.
An Unlit Lamp on the Shore
– A self-portrait (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 122 x 122 cm
​
A lamp mixes all the colours that reside within it to produce light. A people who are many individuals together, are as this lamp that has these potential colours. On a shore they await the turning of a page. They dream of a dancing flame.
View at Juara (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 194 x 112 cm
Painted onsite at Juara Beach,
Tioman Island
Remembrance (20190
Acrylic on canvas 122 x 122 cm
In the outside world,
wind sets a tree in motion.
On the inside,
remembrance rustles
the leaves of |the heart’s tree.
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Rumi (Divân 929)
Just... why?
Acrylic on canvas 153 x 122 cm
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A bird dreams
That the trees are being cut
He sees blood flowing from
the trees like a river
He hears the sound of the saw
The bird fears the saw
The Wake (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 240 x 120 cm
(Two canvasses measuring
120 x 120 cm each)
An eye in profile is looking at the moon, waiting for the day. This was painted during the seven-day long internet blackout in Iran in November 2019. 200 people were killed and 3,000 injured. This level of brutality by the regime is unprecedented in the modern history of Iran.
Homa (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 122 x 122 cm
​
Homa is a mythological bird.
A bird that has two horns and a compassionate heart.
A bird of fortune whose shadow over a person is said to bestow kingship.
Dark is the Night (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 122 x 153 cm
​
The great bird of freedom moves
slowly and steadily.
It moves forward and upward
over the dark night of the world.
A night that is filled with many sufferings,
many separations and many pains.
A night in which the people’s cries
cannot be heard.
The bird of hope does not fear the darkness,
as it knows the darker the night
the more distinct its body is formed.
The 'Yin' of the night identifies
the 'Yang' of hope and makes it visible.
An eye (perhaps of a child) within the earth
sees the bird, sees the dove, sees the hope.
And so
the great bird of hope moves
upward and forward.
It moves with great might.
Painted live at the Refugee Festival,
Penang, 2019
Euphoric Regard (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 180 x 120 cm
Composition with a human and a tree.
A tree and a figure
looking at the moon (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 127 x 112 cm
​
Man is made in the image of tree
Seated figure looking at the moon (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 122 x 153 cm
​
If the house of the world is dark,
love will find a way to create windows.
Rumi (Divân 1926)
Figure with Moon Face (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 61 x 122 cm
The Sower (2019)
Acrylic on canvas 122 x 122 cm
Untitled (2019)
Acrylic on canvas
A Blues Band (2019)
Acrylic on canvas
122 x 92 cm
Julian Mokhtar and his blues band, painted live at Improv Bistro,
Kuala Lumpur
Some memories from the opening night. Much gratitude to friends who gave their time and love so generously to make this event happen, especially Ben, Keira, Alexis, Jun E, Zarul, Allie and Amin. Thank you, Improv Bistro for being the most generous hosts. Much gratitude to my kind sponsor Ms Soo Siew Peng for your support. For those who acquired a painting, your support means so much more than you might know. And finally to everyone who came to see the paintings, thank you from my heart to yours!
Photos by Amin Kamrani
