Nabil Nahar art commission awarded to former Cranleigh School pupil

Old Cranleighan Artist, Kimi Zoet, has been chosen as the recipient of the Nabil Nahar commission to produce a memorial artwork for the School.

Two years ago, former pupil Nabil Nahar died tragically young - aged just 45. At School his interests lay in the arts and as a businessman he acted as an art broker, running his own art gallery in Kuala Lumpa.

His OC friends came up with idea of commissioning an artwork for the School as a way of remembering him.

Art and Design undergraduates and recent graduates of the arts were invited to propose a site-specific permanent visual artwork to be placed somewhere within the School. There was no theme or particular form the artwork should take, but it was important for it to honour the values of Nabil and his family and be aligned to Islamic traditions.

The judging committee decided that Kimi Zoet’s proposal should be the recipient of the commission. Her idea of a large painting of symbolic flowers installed on the end wall of the new Gatley’s with additional decoration caught many people’s imagination and would be a worthy memorial to Nabil.

Kimi said: "The memorial piece I created celebrates the communities Nabil was a part of, illustrated through an abundance of flowers resting in Islamic vases. I chose each flower to symbolise a specific community Nabil devoted his life too. These flowers are: Alstroemeria to symbolise Friendship; Hibiscuses to symbolise Malaysia; Red Roses to symbolise England; Tulips to symbolise Islamic Faith; Bluebells to symbolise Family. The largest bouquet represents Nabil as it contains all the flowers mentioned above as well as his own favourite flowers: tuber roses.

"Hopefully when the room is filled with the chatter of pupils the painting will illuminate Cranleigh’s energetic atmosphere. I hope this piece commemorates Nabil’s ethos and way of living and brings comfort and curiosity to the Cranleigh pupils and inspires them to feel connected.”

Kimi Zoet left Cranleigh in 2015 and studied History of Art at Bristol University, graduating in 2019. Since then she has been working as an artist. Her work can best be viewed on her Instagram account: @kimizoetart.