Raja Shahriman’s contemporary sculptures are influenced by issues pertaining to Malay culture. The Api, Bayangan & Kemenyan series are the artist’s exploration of abstract and functional sculptures. The works have a commanding presence, constructed by the laborious process of forging metal, resulting in mesmerizing forms. It can hold candles too, and when it is lit up, it gives a completely different feel. Raja Shahriman’s works cover the spectrum of Nature, Religion and Culture, and are all rooted in Malayness, first captured the imagination with his Killing Tools (1994) in the Killing Tools, Lalang and Warbox exhibition. He used metal scraps for linear anatomical constructs. He had his first solo, Gerak Tempur, in 1996. He enrolled as a painting major at the Mara Institute of Technology but switched to Sculpture in the fifth semester, graduating in 1990. In 1994, after three years of teaching at the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA), he returned to his hometown Kuala Kangsar. Api, Bayangan & Kemenyan, his second solo exhibition was held at Pelita Hati Gallery of Art, Kuala Lumpur in 1998. His solo exhibition Rhythm of the 21st Century – Monologues of Raja Shahriman was held at Galeri Petronas in 2009. His latest solo called Lok was held at National Art Gallery Malaysia for four months, not long ago.