GERIMIS Art Project started in 2018 to reconnect with Malaysia’s Orang Asli (OA), their histories, and traditions through the lens of the arts and culture. We chose to focus on the arts and culture because it celebrates, yet touches on the inner world and way of life of the OA.
OA stories are seldom told by the people themselves. We come to know their tales in documentaries, research articles, and books, but rarely they are given the camera to film, the pen to write, or brush to paint.
With this in mind, GERIMIS took the direction of a collaborative art project and archiving initiative. We work alongside OA key figures and community members to recognise, revive, and preserve the OA arts and culture.
How we work
We work proactively with Orang Asli and other indigenous people/initiatives at local, regional, and international levels.
We practice the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), which gives a community the right to give or withhold its consent to proposed projects that may affect their private lives.
We focus on the arts and cultural knowledge and identity, including locally-based understanding of the relationships between nature, humans and the spiritual.
Our team
Wen Di Sia is a writer and researcher with an interest in topics such as indigenous knowledges, cosmologies, and eco-critical thoughts. She was trained as a journalist, has 10 years in the advertising industry, and now dedicates herself as a collaborative partner to OA communities to enable and facilitate the autonomy of their discourses, while advocating for the OA’s customary territories and the return of these lands to their custodianship.
Sharon Yap is an art director with over two decades of experience in advertising and media agencies. She believes in the power of visual communication to not only captivate audiences but also advocate for meaningful values. She is the founder & brand consultant of her boutique agency, Creative 126 Enterprise.
Sarah Amer is passionate about people and places. She has been doing events and community outreach for more than a decade, spearheading the ‘Save Pekan Ampang’ campaign in 2015 and organising ‘Kota Wanita’ in 2016. She now runs a boutique creative agency, Samasana Studios.
Sara Loh is a PhD researcher and instructor in environmental anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, US. Sara has worked as a researcher and program coordinator in social and environmental policy, community development, art and heritage conservation for over 10 years.
Fikri Husin (Popee) is a photographer specialising in portrait and wedding photography. Beyond his commercial work, he is deeply passionate about arts and culture. Through his photography, he seeks to preserve the traditions, landscapes, and everyday lives of the communities he encounters.
Vision & Mission
Vision
We want to be a platform where knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and talent generation come together to (1) make indigenous art and cultural expression in various forms more visible in order to acknowledge the power of these expressions, and
(2) spur new thinking, creativity, imagination, innovations in indigenous arts and culture.
Mission
- Mobilisation and revival of indigenous knowledge through fieldwork and collaboration.
- Archival and documentation via print and online media, as well as public events.
- Provide support to promote the transmission of knowledge, skills and practices.
- Inspire the development of new talents and encourage stewardship for the indigenous people to be the champions of their own stories.
Past Works
Gerimis Art Project is the recipient of the 2018 INXO Arts Fund, Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund, and Hai-O Arts & Culture Grant.
Some of our collaborators include Persatuan Kebudayaan & Kesenian Orang Asal Perak, Seletar Cultural & Arts Society, Gerai OA and weavers of Kumpulan Kembang Sejambak from Kampung Paya Rumput, Selangor, Kraf X, and Nature Classroom Penang.