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Art
Scene
Young, Wild & Free
Esther Chew
sits down for a chatwith artist Haris Rashid
onwhy he enjoysmaking art about thewild side of nature.
H
aris
Rashiddidn’t think
that he would be an
artist. Just like so many
other famous artists, it
was something that he
slowly discovered and
grewa passion for. Born
in Kedah and now living in Kuala Lumpur,
Haris began his journey by getting in-
volved in arts during his high school days,
and through years of ups and downs, now
proudly showcases his artwork through
exhibitions and brand collaborations as
a full-time artist – an impressive feat for
someone who is only 22.
How longhaveyoubeenmakingart?
I may be young, but it does feel like a long
time. I didn’t actually think that I’d be an
artist. I was really into running back in
primary school and was actually good
at it – my ambition was to be an athlete.
However once I entered high school, my
growth spurt wasn’t as fast as my fellow
peers and I found that I couldn’t catch up
with them on the track. I just wasn’t fast
enough for the team anymore.
I loved to doodle duringmy free time so
mymother, who was the art teacher inmy
school, encouragedme to developmy skill
by joining school competitions. She guided
me throughout and I went on to win all
the competitions I entered. I even joined
an Adidas competition that was only for
Americans, but I still chose to join it for
the fun and experience – I ended up in the
Top 10. From there, you could say that art
was always a part of me and I spent most
of my time doing what I loved best.
What is yourmediumof choice for your
art?
I don’t have a specificmedium that I use as
I love to experiment. My works are mostly
mixed media, but my go-to choices are
usually watercolours, colour pencils and
ink. My main creative outlet is paintings
but I like exploring different mediums like
pottery, street art or just about anything
that can get my creative juices flowing.
Whatwas your journey likebefore this?
I didn’t always believe that one couldmake
it as an artist inMalaysia. I thought that the
next best thing that I could do where I can
makemoney while working on something
relatively “artistic” was architecture – you
could say it was the safest option. I didn’t
get into any courses for that, however, and
I ended up studying textile technology
in Universiti Teknologi MARA. I didn’t
stay too long due to various reasons and
enrolled in a course in The One Academy
instead. It was an eye-opening experience
for me as I got tomixwith other peers who
shared the same interest in art.
After graduation, I had a short stint in
Zalora in the graphics department where
I was exposed to fashion. I always had a
keen interest in fashion as well so it was
a good experience for me. However, the
job took up much of my time and I was
unable to focus on my art so I decided to
take a leap of faith and quit my job. I’ve
been focusing on making art since then to
see how far I can go.
What didyouhave todo toget your art
“out there”?
Ever since I was a student in The One
Academy, I’ve been joining various ba-
zaars and art fair or markets to promote
my work. I first opened a booth in Publika
under the Fuyoh Art Bazaar where I sold