Singapore Biennale

With its biennale under way, Gareth Harris tours the art scene in Singapore, a vibrant city-state still carving out its niche in southeast Asia’s cultural landscape

JANUARY 25, 2014
by: Gareth Harris

Gareth Harris, “Singapore Biennale”, Financial Times, 25 January 2014.(Online) 

Curator Louis Ho and artist Sarah Choo, 23-year-old winner of Singapore’s ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu photography prize at Art Stage Singapore 2014

• TwitterJANUARY 25, 2014 
  by: Gareth Harris

Singaporeans, young and old, are giggling to themselves in a darkened room. They are watching a karaoke video at the Singapore Biennale made by Boo Junfeng, which presents a fictional but historically loaded scenario. The local artist imagines a Singapore that is still part of Malaysia, showing contented, doe-eyed citizens singing along to “Happy and Free”, a song commissioned in 1963 by Singapore’s Ministry of Culture to mark the union of Singapore with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia.

But the pithy wall text outlines what really happened, bluntly stating that “for Singapore, the period of political merger with Malaysia … turned out to be a tumultuous union, marked by ideological differences”. Older Singaporeans may well wince at this rupture that led to the formation in 1965 of the independent city-state known for its high standard of living and for its draconian social controls. The teenagers laugh and ponder, probably because the comic video mirrors propaganda (or “nation-building”) films produced by the ruling authorities.

The curatorial framework for the fourth edition of the biennale, which features works by 82 artists across nine sites, is a departure from the 21st-century model. In place of the usual illustrious artistic director, this biennale boasts 27 curators, eight from the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). Other southeast Asian scholars, such as Faizal Sidik of the National Visual Arts Gallery of Malaysia, helped mould the exhibition, subtitled If the World Changed.

Tan Siuli, SAM’s assistant director of programmes, said: “Many of the 27 curators are practising artists, and they often offered quite different perspectives on what they considered vital art and art practices coming out of southeast Asia. This really gave the biennale a unique texture.” Casting the net across the region has paid off with some exceptional off-the-radar works on view.

“Cosmology of Life” (2013), by Indonesian artist Toni Kanwa, is a staggering feat of craftsmanship, encompassing 1,000 minuscule sculpted wooden figures. Vietnamese artist Nguyen Trinh Thi’s intense video projection on wooden cut-outs, “Unsubtitled” (2010), shows artists quietly rising above a government clampdown simply by eating their favourite foods. And Urich Lau’s multi-channel video installation “The End of Art Report” (2013) comprises three fictional news broadcasts signalling the demise of culture, with news of the impending closure of three Singapore galleries.

The works by Junfeng and Lau reflect an unexpected and surprising degree of introspection and self-reflection at odds with western preconceptions about Singapore as a secluded and autocratic state. These impressions have been shaped by infrequent, but heavy-handed, examples of state censorship that have unsettled the developing artistic community. In 2011, for instance, an installation by British artist Simon Fujiwara featuring gay pornographic images was withdrawn from the biennale.

But Singapore seems to be slowly inching towards self-awareness. Tan, a candid and clever curator, suggests I read Article, a journal published by the International Association of Art Critics Singapore, which is distributed at biennale sites. The punchy, heavily critical content is an eye-opener.

Ong Puay Khim, a local independent curator, writes, for instance, that the biennale is a “piecemeal showcase of contemporary art from various southeast Asian cities … there was no curatorial direction.” But, crucially, Ong observes that the government has, in recent years, become actively engaged with the international art world.

The publication in 2000 by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts of a key strategy document, “Renaissance City Report: Culture and the Arts in Renaissance Singapore”, sparked an ambitious internationalisation programme. Singapore looked outwards, inaugurating its own pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2001 and launching, with breakneck Singaporean efficiency, the city-state’s first biennale in 2006.

“Governments in the region have begun to recognise the benefits that arts and culture can bring, both in terms of direct economic gain as well as branding, which is seen as enhancing the wider economy. Singapore has embraced this type of branding in a significant way,” writes Eugene Tan in Art Cities of the Future: 21st-century Avant-Gardes (2013).

Eugene Tan is the director of the $419m, 60,000 sq metre National Art Gallery due to open next year in the city hall and former supreme court buildings. With ambitions, says Tan, for it to become the main authority on southeast Asian art through its exhibition programme and art holdings, from the 19th century to today, its potential significance as a powerhouse institution cannot be overstated.

‘100 Surnames in Tofu’ by Chen Qiulin at Art Stage Singapore 2014

In a significant move, the National Art Gallery now comes under a new umbrella of organisations granted more autonomy by the government. This new grouping also includes the Singapore Art Museum. “We’ve yet to discover how the different VAC [Visual Arts Cluster] entities will come together and the [third member], Singapore Tyler Print Institute, has a commercial arm, so we’ll need to see how that works out,” Tan Siuli said.

The fact, meanwhile, that non-profit organisations, such as the Grey Projects workspace in the hipster suburb of Tiong Bahru, are coming through says a lot about the health of the cultural climate. But the best barometer of any art scene is the presence of art colleges, and Singapore has three reputable establishments, including the Lasalle College of the Arts, and the School of Art, Design and Media (SADM). It is telling that a taxi driver beamed with pride on mentioning his son’s undergraduate status at SADM, something that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago.

There is one cultural experiment raising eyebrows, though: the government’s plans to open an offshoot of the Parisian private museum Pinacothèque at the historic Fort Canning Centre site next year. The for-profit museum is run by academic Marc Restellini, who has spent several years working on a catalogue raisonné of works by Amedeo Modigliani.

The Pinacothèque de Paris will bring Old Masters and modern art exhibitions to Singapore, with government officials hoping that Restellini can repeat the success of his Paris gallery (The Dutch Golden Age exhibition there in 2009 drew 700,000 visitors).

Drawing influential, headline-hitting art world figures from overseas is a canny government strategy designed to boost the commercial and critical standing of Singapore as an art centre. The ebullient Hong Kong-based dealer Pearl Lam opened a new gallery in the Gillman Barracks arts district last week. She is the latest of about 10 foreign gallerists to have opened venues at the elegant 1930s colonial base.

Governments in the region have begun to recognise the benefits that arts and culture can bring

Eugene Tan, director of the National Art Gallery

“[The government’s] Economic Development Board has encouraged me to put on one design show annually,” said Lam, whose inaugural show explores contemporary abstract art in Asia and the west. Other gallerists based here are evangelical about this burgeoning southeast Asian hub. “Collectors, curators and artists from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand come regularly to exhibit and buy,” said Matthias Arndt, a Berlin-based dealer who opened a space in Gillman Barracks last year.

But at Art Stage Singapore last week, opinion on the floor at the 158-dealer art fair was divided about the scale of the local market, and whether its growth was sustainable, especially when compared with Hong Kong, a rival market hub and auction house mecca.

Numerous Malaysian and Filipino collectors, as well as leading Chinese art world figures such as Wang Wei, the founder of the private Long Museum in Shanghai, browsed the aisles, taking in 35 local galleries. Even film-maker George Lucas popped in (the Star Wars supremo was in town to unveil Lucasfilm’s new regional headquarters).

But the question of who is scrutinising both the art produced, and local commercial and public cultural bodies, always pops up in developing art centres. “During the art fair and the biennale in combination, Singapore gives the appearance of a regional hub for the arts but the fact is there’s a critical vacuum,” said Bharti Lalwani, an independent art critic. “However, there is so much potential here.”

“The government’s top-down approach can be an advantage for artists, and the seeds have long been sown in the form of the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore and the [new] Centre for Contemporary Art – not for an emerging art market hub but for Singapore to become an intersecting point for critical discourse in southeast Asia.”

Singapore, with its robust infrastructure, is already flexing its muscles; one day, it could be the real heavyweight of the southeast Asian art world.

Gareth Harris travelled courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Biennale runs until February 16, singaporebiennale.org

Malaysia on show at Singapore Biennale 2013

A unique curatorial model allows the Singapore Biennale 2013 to feature more Malaysian artists this year than ever before.

By Sharmila Ganesan

17 November 2013

Sharmila Ganesan, “Malaysia on show in Singapore Biennale”, The Star, Sunday, 17 November 2013. (Online)

Originally commissioned for a non-halal food hall in Kuala Lumpur, Poodien’s 'Long Live Food!' digital print has found a new home at the Singapore Art Museum cafe. The artist’s work points to the nostalgia and blatant commercialisation that attend to these propaganda images today.

THE works of the Malaysian artists showing at the Singapore Biennale 2013 (SB2013) share very few similarities, except perhaps for a common geographical point of origin. Yet, this is exactly what makes their presence at the biennial contemporary art event so exciting: the multiple Malaysias being shown – whether overtly or subtly – through these pieces.

Organised by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) with the theme If The World Changed, the fourth edition of the Biennale features works by 82 artists and art collectives from 13 different countries.

With nine Malaysians displaying the works at the SB2013, it is the biggest representation of our country at the event thus far, and certainly the first time artists from East Malaysia are specifically highlighted. The Malaysian artists showing currently showing at SB2013 are: Adrian Ho, Chi Too, Chris Chong Chan Fui, Jainal Amambing, Poodien, Sharon Chin, Shieko Reto, Tan Wei Kheng and Zulkifli Yusoff.

Ethnic identity: In Voices of Hope, the Marudi, Sarawak-born Tan Wei Kheng expresses the modern-day perils faced by tribal communities in his home state. The piece is showing at the Singapore Art Museum during the Singapore Biennale 2013.

This large presence was made possible by a collaborative curatorial effort where 27 curators from South-East Asia were brought together to allow a focused look at each country in the region – as such, 93% of the works on display are from South-East Asia. This panel of curators included Malaysians Faizal Sidik and Yee I-Lann.

Yee says she saw her postion as a curator as an opportunity to include as many “worlds” from Malaysia as possible, and was particularly excited about introducing artists from Sabah and Sarawak.

“Personally, I wanted our selection to be as wide and inclusive as it could. I was brought on board because the SB2013 organising committee didn’t know anything about art from Borneo, it was a black hole in their research. So I got very excited. This is the first time a Biennale has visited East Malaysia ever,” says the Sabah-born artist.

Longing by Chi Too is an installation/video work. At the Biennale, Chi Too extends the work by inviting
visitors to enter a small, empty room and attempt the spirit level balancing act.

“In the previous Biennales, we didn’t have a Malaysian specifically looking out for Malaysian artists, so it is very exciting to see so many Malaysians showing their works this year,” she ädds.

What she looked for when selecting artists to be showcased, she shares, were works that had resonance, were current and dealt with real and contemporary issues. This has resulted in a diverse range of works, from those that scream avant garde to those that people may even question is contemporary art.

“The word contemporary is contextual,” adds Yee. “I think it’s contemporary to include works that may not appear contemporary. We must always have space for work that doesn’t fit neatly into categories.”

Jainal Amambing’s works, for instance, which are naive art paintings of his memories of growing up in a longhouse in Kudat, Sabah, are those don’t readily fit into these categories.

“However, within a larger context, Jainal’s My Longhouse Story (pic) recognises South-East Asia’s tribal component, and is so very contemporary in terms of the experiences it speaks about,” says Yee.

For Jainal, showing at SB2013 was an opportunity to share and reflect on his own culture and lifestyle.

“I don’t think about what style I paint in; instead, I look at the theme. And the SB2013 theme, If The World Changed, inspired in me thoughts of how the world of my childhood has changed,” he says, adding that he is immensely happy to be able to show his works at such a prestigious event.

Working with professionals from Institut Sains Teknologi in Malaysia, Sabah-raised Chris Chong Chan Fu has made detailed, cartographical illustrations of various ‘species’ of artificial flowers available today in his Botanicseries.

In contrast, Chris Chong Chan Fui, who hails from Kota Kinabalu, merges art and science in Botanic. a series of botanical illustrations that are in fact of artificial flowers. They appear deceptively simple yet provoke thought on the increasing presence of the artificial in our lives.

“Having so many artists from Malaysia showing here is great, because it allows us to show so many different aspects. There’s still much more art in Malaysia that needs to be highlighted, and this is a step in that direction,” says Chong.

For Shieko Reto, showing at SB2013 was a platform to highlight an issue close to her heart: the plight of the transgender community. Her mixed media installation,Waiting Room (pic), is a recreation of a clinic waiting room, and is a tongue-in-cheek yet poignant reflection on the many episodes of “waiting” a transgender person faces.

“My work is a voice from a minority group, to shine a light on the situation in Malaysia, and being able to raise these issues in an international platform is very important,” says Shieko.

The wide array of works by Malaysians, she points out, speak of a variety of experiences and concerns.

“Sharon Chin’s Mandi Bunga (Flower Bath), for example, is a very important work. (Chin organised a mass flower bath where participants wore yellow costumes they had designed themselves). While it is about the colour yellow and how it has become politicised in the last few years, she also doesn’t want to impose her politics on anyone; it’s almost like a group hug,” she adds.

Other perspectives include Adrian Ho’s paintings, Fruits Of Life and Full Production,which ruminate on the nature and progress by contrasting the benefits of oil palm plantations with the potential damage, while Tan Wei Kheng’s Voices Of Hopeexpresses the threats faced by tribal communities in Sarawak through a large composition of paintings that are both visually-striking and symbolic.

Poodien’s digital collage mural Long Live Food! has also been given a new lease of life as it features prominently at the Singapore Art Museum cafe. For reasons unknown, the piece was taken down from the feature wall of the E.A.T. Food Village hall in Publika, Kuala Lumpur last year.

To conclude, Yee says the best thing Malaysians can do for our artists is to engage with these works, and visit the SB2013.

“The exhibits are so South-East Asia. It’s all about what’s happening in the region, and how Malaysian art joins or doesn’t join in that dialogue. For our art to grow, we have to participate, and that includes the audience.”

> The Singapore Biennale 2013 is being held until Feb 16, 2014, in a number of arts spaces in the Bras Basah, Bugis precinct, including the Singapore Art Museum and National Museum Of Singapore. Tickets, priced at S$10 (RM25.40) for adults and S$5 (RM12.70) for students and senior citizens, are available at the exhibition venues and online at SISTIC (www.sistic.com.sg). For more info, visitwww.singaporebiennale.org.

http://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/arts/frame-up/2013/11/17/malaysia-on-show-at-singapore-biennale-2013

Art-ful island

In Malaysian artist Sharon Chin’s (left) participatory work Mandi Bunga (Flower Bath), members of the public had to make their own sarongs at a workshop, and then use them to take a bath in a public park at the National Museum of Singapore last Saturday.

By Sharmela Ganesan

Sharmila Ganesan, “Art-ful island”, The Star, 3 November 2013.(Online)

Singapore Biennale 2013 immerses itself in art from the region’s unique, diverse cultures and communities.

WHAT do a garden of disembodied dolls’ heads, mountain-like bamboo structures, a public ritualistic mandi bunga (flower bath) or a giant mound of vivid red saga seeds have to say about the complex, diverse and dynamic region that is South-East Asia? The answer, perhaps, depends on what you’re looking for. This year’s Singapore Biennale 2013 (SB2013), where the abovementioned works are currently on display, is very much about the nature of contemporary art itself: what it is, what it isn’t, and how the line between these definitions can often blur.

Organised by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) with the theme If The World Changed, the fourth edition of the island state’s biennial contemporary art event features works by 82 artists and art collectives from 13 different countries. Interestingly, unlike the past Biennales, SB2013 aims to look at the growing body of work in the South-East Asian region, foregrounding issues, practices and viewpoints that are, more often than not, unique to this part of the world.

To achieve this, an unusual approach was taken when it came to SB2013’s curatorship: a team of 27 curators from the region were brought together for a collaborative effort that allowed a more introspective look at each country’s visual arts scene. The result? The strongest Asian representation to date, with 93% of the works on display coming from South-East Asia.

The Malaysian art scene was further represented at SB2013 by an impressive nine artists, the most to have ever shown at the event. They are: Adrian Ho, Chi Too, Chris Chong Chan Fui, Jainal Amambing, Poodien, Sharon Chin, Shieko Reto, Tan Wei Kheng and Zulkifli Yusoff. The panel of curators also included Malaysians Faizal Sidik and Yee I-Lann.

SAM director Dr Susie Lingham admitted during the media launch last week that it was an ambitious undertaking, but one that was necessary for the type of exhibition they hoped to put together.

“People kept asking us, why such a complex project? And yes, it was quite a challenge working with so many curators, but it was also absolutely necessary. South-East Asia is complex by nature, and nature of this collaboration helps reflect the complexity of the region,” she explained.

We Never Fell by Nguyen Tran Nam of Vietnam is an installation seeking to balance social and political realities.

SB2013 project director Tan Boon Hui shared that part of this year’s aim was to extend the capacity of the Biennale to engage with the art of the region.

“If we ourselves don’t say we believe in our own art, how can we expect others to?” Tan said. “Hence, we looked for curators from the region who have very deep knowledge of specific arts scenes that we at SAM don’t.”

Works from Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as several other international artists, spoke of a wide variety of local and global concerns, from environmental degradation and our place in the universe to personal histories and sexuality.

Filipino artist Oscar Villamiel’s Payatas, for instance, an installation of thousands of dolls excavated from a landfill, is a haunting testament to the thousands of inhabitants, including children, who scavenge for usable items.

Equally thought-provoking is a video installation by Vietnamese artist Nguyen Trinh Thi, where images of artists eating is projected onto life-size cut-outs, a subtle and powerful commentary on artistic freedom and surveillance.

Anahata by Malaysia-born Kumari Nahappan, who works in Singapore, meanwhile, is a seemingly-simple yet emotional work where 4,000kgs of saga seeds collected from across South-East Asia is heaped in a pile – an expression of change and a rumination on the power of possibilities.

Filipino artist Oscar Villamiel’s Payatas, which consists of thousands of dolls excavated from a Manila landfill.

Nasirun of Indonesia’s Between Worlds, on the other hand, links tradition with modernity by creating an installation of wayang kulit puppets inside glass bottles and beakers, mimicking the effect of television.

Malaysia’s Sharon Chin, too, framed the centuries-old Malay tradition of mandi bunga, where one bathes in water infused with flowers to ward off negative influences, within a modern context with her performance art work Mandi Bunga (Flower Bath). About 100 people were engaged to design yellow costumes with flowers, and take part in a mass flower bath during the opening weekend of the Biennale last weekend.

The sheer diversity of the works also gives rise to interesting discussions and observations on what constitutes contemporary art in the first place, and whether certain tribal or traditional art forms, so commonly seen in South-East Asia, can successfully cross over into contemporary works of merit.

With so many curator styles and visions, not to mention types of artists, the SB2013 does occasionally feel rather scattered, with some works struggling to achieve the quality and depth that one would expect in an event like this. The strong regional focus, however, means the works feel not only current, but somehow personal, to both artist and viewer.

“In trying to curate so many works, we realised that there is no one theme,” said Susie. “Even though If The World Changed is the hanger all these works hang on, they are all so different and diverse, and that really says something about the work being produced in this region.”

The Singapore Biennale 2013 is being held until Feb 16, 2014, in a number of arts spaces in the Bras Basah, Bugis precinct, including the Singapore Art Museum and National Museum Of Singapore. Tickets, priced at S$10 (RM25.40) for adults and S$5 (RM12.70) for students and senior citizens, are available at the exhibition venues and online at SISTIC (www.sistic.com.sg). For more info, visit  www.singaporebiennale.org.

Singapore Biennale 2013! Viva Southeast Asia! Curators galore!”

                                                                                          BY

MAYO MARTIN

PUBLISHED: 4:37 PM, JANUARY 18, 2013

Mayo Martin, “Singapore Biennale 2013! Viva Southeast Asia! Curators galore!”,Today,  18 January 2013. (Online)

We started the week with biennale news and we'll end it with more biennale news.

Details of next year's Singapore Biennale were revealed today. And in a nutshell, there are a lot of changes.

They've moved it to the latter part of the year, from Oct 26, 2013, to Feb 16, 2014.

It'll be held around the Bras Basah-Bugis area (roughly, think Night Festival territory).

Next year's theme title is If The World Changed (sounds like a James Bond movie!). And to echo that, the big, big focus will be on Southeast Asia.

Which is why there won't be any artistic director with a couple of curators. There will be 27 curators. Yes, 27. And a couple more on the way.

Basically, it's kind of decentralised a bit, with artists/curators from different SEA countries going in-depth to dig up more than the usual artists. The Singapore Art Museum, of course, is still in charge, says, director Tan Boon Hui, but the curatorial decisions and the selection will be "collective".

The 27 were here for the past week brainstorming and they are:

Singapore: Tan Boon Hui, Khairuddin Hori, Joyce Toh, Tan Siu Li, Michelle Ho, David Chew, Naomi Wang and Fairuz Iman Ismail (all from SAM), Tay Swee Lin and Seng Yu Jin (both ex-SAM), Tamares Goh from the Esplanade and Charmaine Toh of Art Incubator and Objectifs.

Malaysia: Faizal Sidik and Yee I-Lann.

Indonesia: Aminuddin TH Siregar "Ucok" and Mia Maria.

Philippines: Claro Ramirez, Kawayan de Guia, Charlie Co, Abraham Garcia Jr.

Thailand: Ark Fongsmut and Angkrit Ajchariyasophon.

Vietnam: Tran Luong and Nguyen Nhu Huy.

Cambodia: Erin Gleeson.

Laos: Misouda Heuangsoukkhoun.

Myanmar: Aye Ko.

The biennale will also have a programme advisory committee comprising museum advisory board chair Jane Ittogi, National Arts Council deputy CEO Khor Kok Wah, art historian TK Sabapathy and artist/critic/curator Susie Lingham.

These are some pretty curious changes, starting with the region-centric approach, or, as Tan described it, a "refocusing of the lens" towards the region. The decision to gather all those curators was also partly inspired by the strategy for the first Asia Pacific Triennial.

There are, of course, some big questions to be asked here, and I guess the most pertinent one is how this relates to the recent Venice Biennale pullout--considering that in the statement released by the NAC, which is one of the SB supporters, one of the counterpoints given was that more money has been pumped into local arts efforts, and SB was cited. (Although according to Tan, the budget will roughly be the same as the last SB.)

Unfortunately, no official response yet. We'll have to wait until next week.

But there are lots more to ask!

For instance, what happens to SAM? Eight curators are are from the museum.

From a logistical standpoint, they'll be working concurrently on museum stuff and SB stuff (Red Bull anyone?).

But from an ethical and aesthetic standpoint, Sabapathy pointed out that this is one issue that needs mulling over. How different will a SAM show be (considering SEA is its main focus anyway) from SB, he asked. And indeed, is it possible to set aside one's museum curator hat when on biennale business? Or how does the act of museum acquisition figure in the scheme of things?

Gleeson pointed out the possibility of tension between the curators and the museum as an institution. It's all early stages, so hopefully they'll be able to figure how to deal with, as Sabapathy described it, "the fissures and faultlines" of this situation. (Which isn't entirely unique--Queensland Art Gallery, for example, organises APT.)

Another thing is the change of date. Tan categorically denied that the move was not related to Art Stage Singapore's own dates (which is in January). Instead, he cited the Sharja Biennale and Auckland Triennial, both in March 2013 (presumably giving the SB works a chance to travel after it ends?) and also feedback from schools. Not to mention a return to the original dates of the earlier SB editions.

Finally, there's also an Open Call for entries until Dec 21, 2012. Details here.

So there you go. Singapore Biennale 2013. Now I shall leave you to digest all of that. Watch this space.

Interpretations of Independence

By: Geetha Krishnan

The loss of freedom is the focus of Faizal Sidik's charcoal paintings.

Geetha Krishnan, 'Interpretations of Independence' Published by The Star (Metro), 14 Sept 2006, sec M14-15.  (PDF) (Online)

THEY are a group of artists who have mastered the art of batik painting on canvas. 

Converging at a small studio nestled deep within Pulau Meranti in Cyberjaya, they fine-tuned their techniques. And, they are more than willing to share what they have learnt with others, for free.  

“Anyone willing to learn batik painting on canvas is welcome to join us. Lessons are free – all they need is to bring their own materials,” said group leader and full-time artist Mohamed Abdullah.  

He said it was not easy to do batik painting on canvas and one needed to persevere.  

Some artists, he added, had an innate talent for the technique, like Bangladeshi student S.M. Sagor. 

“The studio currently has 15 students, including four other foreign students from Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Thailand.  

“If you are keen on learning more about the subject, browse our websites,www.artisthabitat.com and www.matdollah.com,” he suggested. 

Mohamed and a few other artists are exhibiting their works in an art exhibition themed Merdeka' 49! Pekikan Merdeka: MerahBiru-KuningPutih at the MTDC Multimedia Gallery in Serdang. 

A large batik painting on canvas of the late Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood graces the walkway leading to the gallery.  

The piece, by Mohamed and entitled Penyayang, is in honour of Endon, who tirelessly sought for the revival of the batik industry.  

According to Mohamed, the background comprises the logo for the Piala Seri Endon and the logo for the Penyayang Foundation. 

Opposite the painting hangs Morning Call by caricaturist Tazidi Yusof, an acrylic on canvas scene of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi making a telephone call to a mysterious VIP designated to be the Kedah Mentri Besar. 

“Politics has always intrigued me, even when I made my living as a cartoonist forGila Gila. I guess it was a natural transition for me to transport political satire on to canvas,” said Tazidi. 

His other piece in the exhibition, The Between Tower: Pak Lah and Najib, has the two men shaking hands with their bodies stretched to resemble the Petronas Twin Towers. 

History buff Sahrila Udin, who is keen on the history of Selangor, has painted the late Sultan Abdul Samad and palace officials gathering for a historical event in 1875.  

The painting Sidang Perbendaharaan is based on a photograph taken then. 

“For Telepuk Kasih, I extracted the late sultan and his late grandson Raja Sulaiman.  

“The focus is on them because Raja Sulaiman ascended the throne as a teenager and was responsible for numerous changes in Kuala Lumpur,” he said. 

Sharila, who is in the midst of working on a collection of batik-on-canvas pieces for his upcoming solo exhibition, also honoured Leftenan Adnan in a painting of the decorated hero entitled Pejuang Kemerdekaan. 

The only artist in the exhibition who attempted charcoal on canvas was Faizal Sidik.  

His interpretation of Merdeka focuses on war victims and the lost fight for freedom, conveyed through Merdeka Yang Hilang and Tiada Lagi Kemerdekaan. 

Artist Shahidi Saadin's interpretation of Merdeka is through the innocent eyes of a child holding a flag while peering out from a window with bars, Saya Anak Malaysia.  

Former street busker Abd Rashid Abd Hamid weaves a fun theme into his works,Tango: Merdekaria and Jazz: Merdekarama.  

His acrylic on canvas works feature the joy felt by unknown individuals on gaining independence. 

For his only piece in the exhibition, artist Hamdan Ameruddin experimented with a unique technique in which he combined batik, acrylic paint and lively colours, featuring a maiden dancing for joy, in Harmoni: Di Taman Kebebasan. 

The exhibition at the gallery at MTDC Multimedia Academy, Block K, UPM-MTDC Technology Incubation Centre 1, Silicone Valley, Serdang (03-8941 4626) ends on Sept 18. Admission is free.