1) Where are you from and how does that affect your work?
My name is Pengiran Abd Wahab, from Brunei.Art expression is a personal journey with that we can create anything that is feasable at any given theme. On the other hand, art market and appreciation sometimes geolocation bound. Its culture, its ideal and belief.As we live in Brunei an artist should be aware that in any creation has to be in the realm of Melayu Islam Beraja (Malay Islami Monarchy), if it is for a local consumption and or even representative of that ideal internationally.
2) Who are your biggest artistic influence?
Locally Pengiran Dato Asmalee, I followed his work since on my younger days at Secondary school, and gave me a dream to be a painter one day. Other international artists, Loenardo, Picasso, Monet, Rambrant and Marc Chagall amongst others.
3) When is your favourite time of day to create?
Depends on subject, detailed work at the middle of night to early dawn. An abstract piece can be done at any time.
4) What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
The world an artist creates is a world of his own skills and talents put together, as much learning from others, self discovery on techniques, medium via experimentation and its progression is the most rewarding feature..be brave, original and the work is uniquely of one's own style.
5) If you could change one aspect of our society through your work, what would it be?
Creating and seeing one's work progression has contributed to the wealth of national art treasures, and it gains appreciation and recognition, both locally and intetnationally. Meeting the likeminded people along the journey, is a bonus as to expand one's horizon.
6) What makes you happy as an artist?
The memories, culture and history, as what make what we are, from a perspective that 'our society', meaning our Bruneian identity. It shall be reflected in our thought and any art product, but it has to be realistically that we are also international voices. The sustainable development, climate change, alienation, mental health, bottom of pyramid, the South and North, poverty are common subjects that can become a theme in any work that would / has affected impacted our live as thinking creative living citizens of the world.