Kusofiyah Nibuesa

Kusofiyah Nibuesa's artwork transports us to her homeland, the far south of Thailand, a region long plagued by religious and ethnic tensions. In her work, she shines a light on a harmonious and diverse community where Muslims, Buddhists, and Chinese residents live together peacefully. Nibuesa employs paper cutting, printing, weaving, hole-punching and stenciling techniques to craft intricate paper relief sculptures depicting the vibrant daily life of Pattani's bustling markets. Through her art, she celebrates the region's textile designs, which serve as significant markers of identity for its inhabitants. Each piece portrays a unique and nuanced perspective of daily life that often goes unnoticed. Nibuesa removes her subjects from their busy backgrounds and uses overlapping paper forms to create shadows against the gallery wall, highlighting the collective individuals within the works. Through her practice, Nibuesa celebrates the lives of those who are often invisible in the geopolitical discourses of our time. She brings to light the beauty and significance of ordinary people, their routines, and the rhythms of their daily lives. As a member of the Muslimah Collective, a group of five female Muslim artists, Nibuesa often highlights her cultural and religious heritage in her artistic explorations.

Think About/Discuss:

Discuss Nibuesa’s Multicultural through a Structural Viewpoint to answer the following questions:

How does the artist use the wall space and dimension to create further meaning to the artwork.

What does the title Multicultural tell us about the community portrayed in this artwork?

Explain how the use of pattern, line and shadow convey’s the diverse community in the market.

How do material and conceptual practice marry within this artwork?

Please visit 16albermarle Project Space’s exhibition Other Possible Worlds: Contemporary art from Thailand for more educational activities on Kusofiyah Nibuesa’s practice.