Written by: Ong Ke Yee

Khaitama is a Singapore-based artist, creator, as well as the founder of Playnting Pte Ltd. He created a painting technique ‘Playnting’ where artworks are created using paint and drumsticks. By combining the realms of music and visual arts through drumming and painting, he is able to create a seamless avenue for expressing the rhythm of art and the self through the fluid yet powerful movements of the drumsticks. 

Khaitama started painting when he was a toddler through the influence of his mother, Mdm Su’ad Binte Ahmad. When he was six, he made an encyclopaedia of dinosaurs scrap book of 38 dinosaurs. In 2016, Khaitama took Higher Level Visual Arts for his International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

Khaitama has conducted various live art demos in Berlin, Germany and to President Tony Tan and President Halimah in Singapore.

This week, #MeetArts interviewed Khaitama to understand his arts journey and his view about arts.

Qn. Where do you get the inspiration from when you create ‘Playnting’ technique?

I found inspiration in Ushio Shinohara, a renowned Japanese artist who is known for his "boxing painting" where he would dip boxing gloves in sumi ink or paint and punch onto paper or canvas; as a means of visualising his own feelings of frustrations. This had a profound impact on me, sparking the idea of experimenting with painting using drumsticks.

I choose to paint with drumsticks since I am a drummer. I frequently experience frustration, and drums provide an outlet for me to express my emotions. Overtime, I began to explore the idea of creating art using drumsticks and paint.

Qn. Other than Ushio Shinohara, do you have a favourite artist?

Claude Monet is one of my favourite artists. He started impressionism to change people's perspective about art.

During his time, all of the paintings were very realistic. Monet’s “Impression Sunrise” marked the advent of abstract painting. In his artworks, he captured the effects of light on the objects, employing blurry and fading effects to depict the impressionism Monet aimed to convey. While Monet captured our conscious reality, in my art, I strive to capture our subconscious reality.

Qn. What does art mean to you?

Art is an expression. It is how you want to portray or express your truth. We are all creative beings and yet we are also different when we express ourselves. While we are different, we can still embrace and respect diversity in others. For it is through appreciation of all subjective truths where the bridge of transjectivity can be built upon which we can traverse together towards objective truth.

Qn. Did you plan ahead before you start painting?

I can be both Sometimes, I don’t plan ahead but paint based on my intuition, other times, I have the masterpiece in mind and create it. 

Qn. Have you ever faced a situation where you run out of inspiration? How do you handle creative blocks or periods of low inspiration?

I would not say I am short of inspiration. I am always inspired by my surroundings. However, when it comes to the creative blockage, they do occur quite frequently. I have three approaches to handle creative blocks. Firstly, I engage in stretching and deep breathing exercises. Secondly, I will stay in a quiet place to keep myself calm. And thirdly , I simply start working on something. I usually face the blocks as I have numerous thoughts going on in my head. One effective way to release some of those thoughts is by scribbling or drawing – essentially emptying the cup – allowing more ideas to flow in.

Qn. Is there a particular artwork that holds a special meaning for you?

This painting holds significant meaning for me as it was the first artwork I created solely using drumsticks. This is a self-portrait. Initially, I was doing this artwork outdoors, but when it started raining, I had to move it indoors and leaned it against the wall. That is when I noticed the paint dripping, and I found it captivating. Intrigued by this unexpected effect, I brought it outdoors for a few minutes again before taking it back inside. This painting holds a special meaning for me because it is like a collaborative creation between myself and nature, as if the universe and I were painting it together.

Also, everytime I make an artwork, I will use new drumsticks. Each of my paintings have a pair of drumsticks to go with them. I encourage people to find your voice or find what is the best way for you to express yourself. When you are doing your work, you are doing a lot of psychological work too. The artwork people make is like an essay that you can read without the words.

Qn. You have been invited to many live performances in and outside Singapore. Which performance is the most memorable to you?

The most memorable experience was at Singapore Sports Hub because that is the closest thing that I always want painting to do —- bringing people together. It was a truly beautiful event where I conducted a workshop that involved members of the public from different ages, genders, races and religions. Over hundreds people came and created artwork together on two big canvases. We had no idea what was going to happen but we made a beautiful landscape in the end. The artwork featured a pink sky with a sun peeking through from the corner. When I did my 15-minute live performance, everyone started drumming with me. Witnessing everyone unite harmoniously with the rhythm, music, and art was an awe-inspiring sight.

Qn. Moving forward, what are some of your plans for the future?

There are a lot of things that I want to do in the future. I aspire to teach people about their essence, purpose, and significance they hold but my initial focus is on educating people about art. Secondly, I want to educate individuals about their self-value and worth, emphasising that money does not determine one’s identity or purpose. I firmly believe everyone is an artist. A creator of sorts. My goal is to let them know.

Qn. Do you have anything that you want to share with the readers or any advice for the emerging artists? 

If I had to summarise in three words, I would say “just be you”. Never forsake your truth. Whatever it is true to you, hold on to it even if it is not true to anyone else in the world. But most importantly, be respectful to everyone and harm no one.

Catch Khaitama live in his art demonstration and art workshop at the upcoming #MeetArts community art carnival Arts in Action in June 23! Stay tuned to our media release for more details!

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression,_Sunrise#/media/File:Monet_-_Impression,_Sunrise.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Monet

https://playnting.art/