Nazerul Ben-Dzulkefli is a ceramic artist from Singapore who is deeply interested in the folk beliefs of his homeland. His practice explores the possibility of communing with unseen gods and spirits. His visual language developed through his experiences growing up in Singapore in a multi-ethnic community, where cultural and religious groups had common, shared mythologies, urban legends and rituals. Ben-Dzulkefli hopes to start a conversation about religious exclusivity and care of the environment through guidance and collaboration with local gods and ancestral spirits.
This Is Where I Hope You’ll Dwell is a series of raku fired totemic sculptures. Ben-Dzulkefli created these works throughout a year-long exploration of shrines, folk belief systems and ritual practices from Singapore and the Malay Archipelago. The objects represent childhood memories of shared cultural beliefs of protective gods and guardian spirits. The process of making the totems reminds the artist of the cultural rituals around fear and reverence of these symbols while he navigates a new migrant identity in Perth.
