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Tag: RAAQUU

  • RAAQUU’s FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION AT ZHAN ART | SPACE PETALING JAYA TITLED ‘LIFE: MAGNIFIED – THE MAIN SHOW’, UNVEILS THE VERSATILITY OF CERAMIC ARTIST, ADIL GHANI WITH 15 EXTRAORDINARY SCULPTURAL PIECES

    RAAQUU, Malaysia’s premiere ceramic art brand helmed by its skilled and innovative ceramic artist, Adil Ghani officially launched his first solo exhibition called LIFE: MAGNIFIED – THE MAIN SHOW at ZHAN Art | Space, Petaling Jaya last Saturday, 13 January 2024. The exhibition is currently running and open to public until 8 February 2024.

    In attendance was YB Fahmi Fadzil, Communications Minister of Malaysia who was given the honour to officially launch the exhibition. It also witnessed the attendance of Madam Zainariah Johari, Chief Executive Officer of MyCreative Ventures Group, the who’s who of the Malaysian creative industry and the city’s most discerning arts enthusiasts. Guests were transfixed and transported to another realm as they delve into the display of 15 large-scale sculptural ceramic pieces curated by the gallery. Each of the otherworldly sculptures is conceived from the imagination of Adil Ghani, who has proven himself to be one of the country’s most prolific sculptural artist.

    According to Adil Ghani,“It has been a dream of mine to put together RAAQUU’s first ever solo exhibition that highlights the brand in a more diverse and distinct light – that there is more to the brand than functional ceramic decorative items. With LIFE: MAGNIFIED, I intended to showcase earthenware sculptures that captures various facets of nature and humanity within shapes inspired by microlife such as diatomes and microbial bacterium – zooming in on elements of natural formation and my own thoughtful imagination.

    Similar to the unpredictability of Raku’s firing technique, microlife has gone through a series of evolution making it almost impossible for human to determine its shape. It has been said that mankind knows more about outer space than what goes on under the ocean. It is truly a world within a world, and Adil questions the possibility of, ‘what if these microscopic organisms and life-forms were life-sized?’. It is a reaction to this that roused the idea and narrative behind the exhibition.

    He further explains, “The whole process of ideation down to the actual fabrication, construction and production of these large-scale sculptures took me and my team 6 months to meticulously complete. As challenging and arduous as it may be, the experience has provided me with the opportunity to understand the dexterity of the Raku technique better, and its newfound beauty. On a personal level, the journey is literally ‘life magnifying’ and I must thank my family for their encouragement and patience that has motivated me to pursue this vision”.

    Desmond Tong, Founder and Curator of ZHAN Art | Space commented that, “We are thrilled to have RAAQUU exhibit with us as this marks our first official sculptural exhibition at the gallery. We believe that Adil’s mastery of Raku’s firing technique for ceramic making is world class, and should be brought to the forefront of the Malaysian art industry. We hope that this exhibition would diminish some of the ill-advised perspective and views with regards to art – that ultimately art comes in many forms including ceramic sculptures”.

    Just like RAAQUU’s tagline ‘Painted By Fire’, the sculptural pieces displayed at the exhibition are the unique result of the firing method that is done in an extremely hot kiln and then removed while the sculptural pieces is still red-hot or molten. The pieces are then placed in a reduction chamber filled with sawdust or paper, igniting the combustible material with extreme heat. The reduction chamber is then sealed for a while. In time, what happens inside the reduction chamber is the key to the one-of-a-kind and unpredictable colours of each Raku ceramic pieces displayed at the exhibition, giving them its own individual character and temperament.

    At the exhibition, RAAQUU also provided a sneak preview of the brand’s accessory line that promotes wearable art which are displayed among other notable products including the brand’s contemporary and functional home decoration pieces, particularly its ceramic vases, in various shapes and sizes.

    All of the sculptural masterpieces created by Adil Ghani, and other RAAQUU ceramic items are available for purchase at ZHAN Art | Space, located at The School, Jaya One, Petaling Jaya at various prices. The exhibition will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. If you have any questions regarding this, you may email zhanartspace@gmail.com or desmond@zhanart.my

    For more information on RAAQUU, kindly visit https://www.raaquu.com

    For latest updates on the brand, follow RAAQUU on social media as follows:

    Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/raaquuceramics

    Tik Tok : https://www.tiktok.com/@RAAQUUceramics

    Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/raaquuceramics

    YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@raaquuceramics

    Online Store : https://www.raaquu.com

    For more information on ZHAN Art I Space, kindly visit https://www.zhanartspace.my

    For latest updates on the gallery, follow ZHAN Art | Space on social media as follows:

    Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/zhanartspace

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zhanartspace/

  • RAAQUU, A LOCAL ARTISANAL BRAND TAKING A CONTEMPORARY APPROACH ABOUT ANCIENT JAPANESE POTTERY TECHNIQUES PRODUCING WORLD-CLASS CERAMIC ART

    KUALA LUMPUR, 16 November 2023 –About 15 years ago when Adil Abdul Ghani first polished Raku pottery while studying ceramics training program in Japan. He was immediately taken by the piece and found himself dig deep into the process of its creation called Raku – a firing technique for pottery that Its origins may be linked to the art of the ancient Japanese tea ceremony. Since then, Adil taking various bold steps to hone his expertise in all things Raku brings the establishment of a new company called RAAQUU CERAMIC ART (RAAQUU) in 2020.

     

    Within three years, RAAQUU has achieved a significant number of accomplishments. Adil’s brand of Raku with its five different type of finishes, namely full-copper matte, half-copper matte, smoked, carbon half-copper matte and obvara (a slightly varied technique of firing), has proven to be a hit both locally and internationally. In 2022 itself, RAAQUU recorded an unprecedented sales of more than RM1 million in ceramic art – gaining worldwide attention both online and offline in the process.

     

    According to Adil, “Raku ceramics are special because of the unpredictability of its firing technique. Just like our tagline, ‘Painted By Fire’, Raku firing is done in an extremely hot kiln and then removed while the ceramic piece is still red-hot or molten. Immediately after coming out of the kiln, the ceramic piece is then placed in a reduction chamber filled with sawdust or paper. The extreme heat from the ceramic piece then ignites the combustible material in the reduction chamber, which is then sealed for a while.”

     

    Adil continue to explain that what happens inside the reduction chamber is the key to the unique and unpredictable colours of each Raku ceramic piece. “At RAAQUU, each ceramic piece are different and cannot be reproduced. This makes each piece a unique work of art with its own story to tell. It is the main factor that drives the interest towards RAAQUU and made it into a coveted collector’s item.”

    RAAQUU’s products ranges from miniature vases that you could slip into your pocket, to experimental sculptural pottery pieces from its Life Magnified collection created by Adil as the brand’s Creative Director and Ceramicist. The variety of products especially the one-of-a-kind sculptures are created to spark interest on RAAQUU and create a talkability and shareability factor, which is extremely important in this day and age. They are made at RAAQUU’s operations base at Ara Damansara where the design studio and management office are also located.

     

    Raw materials, mainly clays, are ethically sourced from Mukim Sayong in Perak, the birthplace of another design marvel, our very own ‘labu Sayong’ or ‘water calabash’, a Malay traditional earthenware water container. “I feel that the merge between the historical elements of Malaysia and Japan where local crafts are concerned has in itself taken RAAQUU to another level of distinction and gravitas”, quips Adil on another noteworthy feature of RAAQUU.

     

    Adil is currently busy preparing for RAAQUU’s first solo exhibition that is scheduled for mid January 2024. “We hope to show at least 20 large-scale sculptural pieces that have never been seen, and we will also be introducing our accessory items too. This is on top of RAAQUU’s most popular contemporary and functional home decoration products. For now, I must say that the RAAQUU team is fired up for our next phase of expansion. My focus is of course to ensure that RAAQUU maintains its level of artistry. We are in consistent R&D mode – researching and experimenting on how we could make our products better while still honouring the tradition and culture from which these incredible pieces came from”. He concluded, “In 2024, I am looking at collaborating with designers from any discipline to create other exciting and unique products for RAAQUU, and are keen to explore new partnerships especially in the retail industry. So far, RAAQUU’s partnerships with The Datai in Langkawi, FERN Batik Collective and Gudang have created various positive impact to the brand”, says Adil enthusiastically.

    RAAQUU currently ships to 32 countries worldwide and can be purchased online via www.raaquu.com where you can also find other in-depth information on the brand. RAAQUU is also available on Etsy, Amazon, Patreon etc. Terms and conditions apply.

     

    Follow RAAQUU on social media for latest updates on the brand, as follows:

    Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/raaquuceramics

    Tik Tok : https://www.tiktok.com/@RAAQUUceramics

    Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/raaquuceramics

    YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@raaquuceramics