Art KL-itique

Krystie Ng's catalogue essay begins with: "They called it the quarter-life crisis; it is in which a person begins to feel doubtful about their own lives, brought on by the stress of becoming an adult, having to face the reality after graduating from schools." This uncertainty manifests in the exhibits at "Knot" organised by Ongoing Projects, a collective of five Dasein graduates. Krystie's' summer photographs of Europe blanks out a former lover, where the act of editing out a physical presence from a vacation, only serves to prolong a niggling pain. More transient are Kang Mei Yi's snapshots of time spent with friends, the pictures too blurry to effectively portray wasted youth. Abortive also are Lee Sin Yee's rotating white boxes, its ambient noise hardly registering a notice from the conditioned urban visitor.

Installation view of Race Phua - [left] Property Phenomena (2014); [right] Bubbles (2014)

Illustrated vignettes from daily observations are hung haphazardly by Race Phua for 'Bubbles', but her more interesting installation is the overflowing pile of house-for-sale signboards, the artist condensing her experience as a property agent into an artful presentation. Burning paper creates an irresistible visual texture, which approach is utilised by Chong Yi Lin, her abstract forms captivating the viewer via contrasting colours. Shades of black and brown recall the earth, although the real void is present not in the solid shape, but in the white background. Life maybe knotty, but artists organising their own exhibitions are an assuring sight, as an increasing number of middlemen peddle art for the wrong reasons.

Chong Yi Lin - Void and Tranquil (2014)

Alternative art space Kedai presents two young artists who draw fully from their demographic background – the urban Malay– to “…reflect(s) the deliberateness in their practice of addressing sensitive topics – an explicit strategy used to question the everyday in Malaysia.” Greeting the visitor is a sofa inscribed with Hidup Terlampau Selesa, the furniture itself an art piece that cheekily depicts the comfortable effects of social engineering. Stacked tin cans in two supermarket trolleys are wrapped with drawings of ejaculations in a bathroom, its labels hinting at the portliness of the male subject. Akmal Borhan's illustrations are droll and sometimes salacious, especially the series of under-armpit pictures exhibited in a covered box. This peephole installation invites an unsuspecting audience to a voyeuristic view, of one lewd personal fetish.

Installation view of Akmal Borhan - Bilik 5 (2014) [picture from Kedai's Facebook page]

The overbearing smuttiness is present also in the "Bilik" series, which illustrates different situations related to a spoken expression. Uncomfortable scenes in 'Sakit Tak' and 'Jangan Takut' depict trepidation well, but Akmal's output is too cartoonish to invoke serious reflections. Wordplay drawings such as 'Janda Baik' and 'Kuih Lapis' by Engku Iman, denotes one who keenly records her observations with a strong sense of irony. The self-taught artist is assured in her cultural commentaries, from marriage ('Makan Free') to religion ('Dipaksa Sembahyang'), not sparing even the goreng pisang makcik munching on a pack of Doritos ('Mewah'). The Malaysian experience cannot be complete without a reference to juvenile times, as awkward wax-cast hands bring a smile, and an immediate urge to replicate the hand positions shown.

Installation view of Engku Iman - Anak Celaka (2012) [picture from Kedai's Facebook page]

Her installations are stronger projections of the same themes – 'Pertandingan Lilit Tudung' mocks conformists, while 'Duduk Sama Rendah, Berdiri Sama Tinggi' depicts the insecurity of pursuing one's dreams. From her blog, Engku displays a keen knowledge of art history and occasionally appropriates familiar images with great effect. While Tracey Emin's 'My Bed' gets auctioned off for ~RM13.9 million, a messy bed with a mannequin still lying in it, is clearly visible from Kedai's storefront. A cursing mother drawn onto the wall, and an XPDC poster flank the mattress, 'Anak Celaka' capturing a clever and acute memory of young Malays across Malaysian suburbia. Kudos to Kedai's administrators for allowing young artists a space to express such daring works, appropriate or not.

Installation view of Hidup Terlampau Selesa exhibition [picture from Kedai's Facebook page]

The new player continues to struggle as The Edge Auction 2014 sold 51.8% of its 83 lots on offer, despite focusing its pitch on the wider region of Southeast Asia. Weeks of publicity cannot conceal its middling quality on display – even the Malaysian lots only registered a 58.3% sales rate, bought-in pieces including works by Ahmad Zakii and Sharifah Fatimah. It also has to suffer the embarrassment of withdrawing works that featured in the business digest’s own article about dubious art. 4 out of 13 Indonesian lots sold, including one Yusuf Hasim with a low estimate of RM 10.5k but sold for RM 2.5k; Two Singaporean works also went for bargain-basement prices. Paintings by Thai artists captivate, but more popular were the six Filipino works, which include one beautiful vista by Ernest Concepcion. Other smart-value acquisitions went to those with bigger wallets – a breezy Yusof Ghani, a well-preserved Chuah Thean Teng, and a powerful new “Seascape” by Latiff Mohidin, round up proceedings in a subdued affair.

Zulkifli Yusoff - Tiada Lagi Kopi Untuk Tuan II (2009)

KL Lifestyle Art Space rebounded from its poor April showing with 94% of 77 lots sold, made up of mostly abstract paintings, and modern masters whose market value continue to appreciate, i.e. Khoo Sui Hoe and Khalil Ibrahim. Notable movements include the first Hamidi Hadi to appear on the secondary market, and a Latiff Mohidin which last sold a year ago at a 40% mark-up. Two dubious paintings by Yong Mun Sen are seen at Masterpiece, whose July offerings include 20 lots that have multiple artworks bundled in a single lot. Nonsensical combinations like one seaside scenery and one bird portrait are packaged together, while viewers cringe at the horrendous Klimt copy by a Penang collector. Curious statistics include one unsold Jalaini Abu Hassan, and the low-margin flipping of recent works by Bayu Utomo Radjikin and Mat Ali Mat Som. Great quality lots by Zulkifli Yusoff enlighten the marketplace in these two months, amidst the ridiculous scenes of traders clamouring over Awang Damit Ahmad.

Hamidi Hadi - Invisible-Cage-Grid (2000)

Ismail Hashim once stated, “when we take pictures of the sunrise or the turbulent sea, for example, are we aware of the other occurrences between the sunrise and the sunset? Things will naturally occur.” After his untimely demise having fell off a motorbike one year ago, the photography artist is given a posthumous tribute in the form of a “hybrid exhibition”, curated by Wong Hoy Cheong. Granted permission by Ismail’s estate to unpack and examine in-progress works and left-behind items, Hoy Cheong‘s repackaged presentation is nothing short of excellent, given the practical constraints of a short time frame. The enclosed space is reconfigured into five rooms that start with a mini-retrospective of wall hangings, then a categorised collection of desk prints, before ending with a wistful tribute. In between are two sections of exhibits which reveal the strong hand of its prominent curator, whose astute set up goes a long way to highlight Ismail’s own genius.

Old Chairs – still serving (2002)

Supplementary notes and poetic quotes affirm the overarching humanist characteristics apparent in Ismail’s works. In the first room Tributes, the uninitiated is treated to a selection of the crème de la crème in Ismail’s oeuvre. “Every picture has a story”, but in Ismail’s case, the story does not just come from its picture, but also from its title. ‘We shall overcome’ snaps one schoolchild running in the rain, its title inducing the viewer into an uplifting mood. Puns and its hilarious potential occupies Ismail’s mind, evident in the absurd juxtaposition in ‘Lesen lembu (Cow or L-license)’. Semantic arrangements imbue deeper meanings into the sublime diptych ‘Bahagian Dapur: Siang Malam, Luar Dalam’. Two self-contained pictures depict both sides of a window and simply-arranged kitchen stuff, its perfect compositions secondary to the projection of binary opposites – light/dark, in/out, from/to – which underscores the cracks between our sense perception.

Bahagian Dapur: Siang Malam, Luar Dalam (1992)

Green tints appear also in ‘Kedai Gunting’, its swivelling Koken barber chair and strong contrasts capturing the viewer’s immediate attention. Less vivid and more compelling is ‘hand-crafted bed, rosary, heart-shaped stool, ashes from mosquito coils, plastic flowers…’ Its description recreates the author’s on-site fascination when photographing this scene within a government quarters, and restates the human involvement in the displayed objects, where beliefs and time’s passing manifest in rosary beads and burnt ashes. The peeling wall is a recurring subject matter – seen in the series “A Thing of Beauty” – where such imperfections form an essential component in Ismail’s pursuit of romantic idealism. By highlighting the mundane, he depicts the dynamic nature of life and empowers reality, as people with high self-awareness do.

hand-crafted bed, rosary, heart-shaped stool, ashes from mosquito coils, plastic flowers… (1987)

Self-aware folks also tend to siok sendiri, seen in the many snapshots of a friend’s animated facial expressions, arranged in a grid. Intentional or not, this arrangement eventually became “an anti-hierarchical form that flattens time and de-narrativises images”, contrary to what another describes as “a means of storytelling”. Looking at the collection of post boxes and bicycle seats, many which are beautifully tinted, a previous thought still rings true – “Ismail Hashim's assemblage depicts the essence of life – man-made objects utilised for man's livelihood, tempered by time (erosion of material) and fate (dents and ruptures). Innovation is utilitarian, nature is oppressive (…) repudiates existential exposition in favour of invigorating the human condition.” An insightful distraction in this room are the essays written by friends and family, which recollections remember the man as a committed artist.

Penunggu-Penunggu Surat Sepanjang Jalan Bagan Serai (Post Boxes Along Bagan Serai) – Taiping Road (1993)

‘Old Chairs – still serving’ moves away from the archival grid, to an assemblage of pictures with different sizes. This allows for imagined narratives beyond the source materials discerned, as one sees a chair placed in a room corner, or notices a rooster lingering behind a formica seat. While static degraded objects represent the consequence of human intervention, Ismail’s assemblages with lively subjects capture the immediate moments of human reaction. ‘Sayangkan Anak (Loving One’s Children)’ shows pictures taken at the 1998 Merdeka parade in Kuala Lumpur. “It’s a celebratory piece, one that embraces the joy and protective nature of parenthood (…) Parental love is a given. You love them from young, and guide them through this beautiful chaos we call life”, recounts the artist’s daughter Wanis Suwini. Its title also references the anak bangsa present at the event, which happened three weeks before Anwar Ibrahim’s arrest.

Sayangkan Anak (Loving One’s Children) (1998)

Other masterpieces by Ismail such as kopitiam scenes are absent from Tributes, but this mini-retrospective is still a highly satisfying walk-through. Many of these works are well-known to the Malaysian art enthusiast, and one can only imagine the euphoria the curatorial team felt when given access to the late artist’s studio. They went bananas. Equipment and materials utilised by Ismail are exhibited in the next room, along with a reconstructed workplace, which was arranged “…exactly the way he had left them before he died”. Going Bananas displays photographs of bananas, the colloquialism a metaphor of Ismail’s passion for art, also describing the enthusiasm felt within one’s curatorial research journey. The exhibition notes imply that the banana is a symbol (à la Jalaini Abu Hassan), an unlikely suggestion since trigger-happy photographers have an affinity with what is visually interesting. The artist probably just liked bananas...

beer bottles and bananas gateway (2005)

...This in-between room exposes the visitor to the artist’s method, and is the first of two significant spaces that bookend the main exhibits. Practical questions arise – for non-photographers, is this paraphernalia more interesting than the wonderful ‘beer bottles and bananas gateway’ hanging nearby? Is this room just a typical how-stuff-works section within a tourist destination? No, this heuristic set up allows the invested visitor a break – the Japanese kire– and a place to catch one’s breath after seeing a collection of great art. Inspecting film negatives with a magnifying glass hints at what comes next, where one is treated to untitled photograph prints laid across slanted tables. The exhibition space Going Bananas, and its presented contents, pivot the show’s excellent layout and its archival contents. Like the row of broken plastic chairs seen here, a simple yet visually attractive configuration, leads one to uncover the gold behind it.

’Ke pesta’ or 3 arrows (1987)

Six general categories are laid out “in this corridor-like space” themed Looking Out, which makes reference to Ismail Hashim’s favourite poem Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson. From the straight roads and pathways in Journey, to the roadside captures in Streets, the photography artist is always cognizant of the space surrounding his subjects. Horizon points tend to be high, reflecting light onto a man washing his motorbike, or onto dilapidated houses overshadowed by apartments. Context stimulates the imagination to create stories, its linear narrative built from intersecting subjects and matters via manufactured chance. Ismail’s works are usually commended for invoking a “collective memory”, but photographs of makeshift shacks and an abandoned barber chair, denote one who readily acknowledges modernisation in the urban environment. For those who have visited Daiso shops in huge malls, a ten-cent mini market is only nostalgic now.

Snapshot of desk prints in Looking Out: Streets

‘’Ke pesta’ or 3 arrows’ reminds one that Ismail was a former lecturer in graphic design. White-fill rigid shapes outline an imagined poster, each marker pointing its audience to their own destination. The largest arrow is for the public, the medium-sized arrow is for a section of the public, and the small arrow is for the private. This humorous picture is hung opposite a junction within the venue, the opening Looking In to more personal subjects, yet to continue on the same “trajectory” is no less intimate. Photographs of Ka’u posing with a Javanese cigarette are displayed alongside funny-man Dolah and schoolchildren in People. The care that went into hand-tinting ‘My students like a big family’, indicates “the artist’s faith in human relationships”, and showcases an aspect of his work not commonly discussed. Limiting his palette to the contrasting impossible colours – red, green, blue, yellow – are Ismail’s choices a visual, natural, or practical one?

My students like a big family

Snapshots of kopitiam chatter and resting blue-collar workers lead on nicely to the next section, Work. ‘Berdiri Atas Kaki Sendiri Atas Dua Roda’ celebrates industry by isolating the two-fold laborious acts of cycling and hauling oversized baggage. In this astonishing early work, Ismail demonstrates empowerment via arresting images. Hoping to voyeur into the artist’s mind, I enter Looking In and flip through newspaper clippings and a retrospective catalogue, sitting on a sofa from Ismail’s home. This second break allows for reflection, as the sub-themes here echo – and narrow down to the personal – of those found in the corridor outside. Each Journey begins from and ends at Home, the People there are Family & Friends, and observing happenings Around Home is the same with observing the Environment. ‘Show time crow time’ first shows a usual backyard scene, to be subsequently disrupted by one attention-seeking cockerel.

Berdiri Atas Kaki Sendiri Atas Dua Roda (1977)

Test prints of smiling kids and sleeping cats, imply an inhibition towards imposing grand themes onto domestic happenings. One exception is ‘I Can Sleep Through Even If The Bomb Explodes’, the monochrome version shown failing to ignite visual interest. Photographs devoid of human presence, however, enchants with its sense of intermediate space. “These poignant scenes are imbued with a sense of light and time of day (…) a strong human presence permeates through these silent spaces – it is in this absence that memory and longing are brought forth, and the desire for home in the past and present is imagined.” In ‘Belum serlah macam otak baru bangun tidur / Like a mind just awakened not so bright’, two interior scenes are distinguished only by a small time difference. Waking up at daybreak, plodding from bedroom to living room, family still sleeping – this pensive mood is encapsulated perfectly in this enthralling work...

Belum serlah macam otak baru bangun tidur / Like a mind just awakened not so bright (2010 / 2011)

...Back to Looking Out, juxtapositions of rubbish dumps and beautiful vistas occupy the Environment table. Sliced into half horizontally, this heaven/hell configuration projects a moralising message that regresses into what Jacque Rancière calls the “ethical regime of art”. Not being able to fully express his disdain at such behaviour shows Ismail Hashim as one truly passionate about social concerns. The next section Human Rights expands on his activist persona, where cleverly designed graphics include a play on Barisan Nasional’s flat-bottomed dacings. Perhaps the link between photography and graphic design is much closer than previously thought, since both disciplines require work on flat printed surfaces. Tennyson’s poem closes off this corridor, but at this juncture, the issues – and ethics – of “curating posthumously” are already apparent. General categories suit an archive, but how suitable is it for a gallery exhibition?

Graphic designs in Looking Out: Human Rights [picture from Aliran's Facebook page]

A personal take will be to view the works in Environment right after Streets, then Work and People, in order to appreciate better the notion of human presence in Ismail’s works, given the break into Looking In midway down the corridor. The next area is more problematic when interpreted at face value, as one can argue that the Passing of Time is by default applicable to all Ismail’s works. Bookending a selection of untitled test prints, the curator repudiates ambiguity to re-present an outstanding characteristic. Sequential snapshots of a dying papaya tree din the point to ignorant visitors. Exhibits in this area act as a counterpoint to the introspective Going Bananas section. Prints displaying the Growth & Decay of plants are curiously coloured, as if the real world only sets in, when a being’s natural lifecycle reaches its end. Journey’s End documents the last bullfight in an extinct village, a diversion into photojournalism.

The Looking Out corridor [picture from OUR ArtProjects website]

Before & After shows pictures more easily associated with Ismail, including eccentric sequences of a plant coming back to life, or a girl disappearing from a doorway. Curator Hoy Cheong describes a hallmark in Ismail’s works, “…the way he look for idiosyncratic elements within photographs, that take him to the next level of an ordinary photographer…” Works here are titled but not framed – one rolling back mists, the other revealing human spoils – both waiting to be labelled as masterpieces. In Narratives, ants carrying a dead cockroach pique curiosity, as much as noticing which picture is coloured and which is not. Time-lapse images of ants lured by drops of honey, its sequence manipulated by Ismail, again shows the photography artist and his preoccupation with time’s passing. Dwelling in this room, one feels that the curator was ruminating about the “irrepressibility of time” within his research journey, as much as about the theme itself.

Now you see her, now you don't

Emily Dickinson’s tragic ‘I Died for Beauty’ wraps up the exhibition, the hand-copied poem displayed alongside fleeting images of clouds, plants, and landscapes. “It is our basic nature to be attracted to beauty”, said Ismail. Wordplay injects a quirky dimension to these serene pictures, notably in the three distant captures of a propelling sampan titled ‘Kayuh! Kayuh! Kayuh! – nun di sana Pulau Tikus / row! row! row! and yonder is Pulau Tikus’. His romantic side reveals itself in a title given to a photograph of water lilies: "When light touches water, we are privileged to witness miracles; when light, flowers and sun come together, we have a glimpse of paradise." Nature is awe-inspiring and transient, as this wistful tribute themed Truth & Beauty, ends with 300 photographs found on Ismail's digital camera when fate took his life. Last Engagements projects an unending memorial, as one ponders what has become and what could have been.

Kayuh! Kayuh! Kayuh! – nun di sana Pulau Tikus / row! row! row! and yonder is Pulau Tikus (2001)

Fellow photographer and friend Ooi Cheng Ghee remarked about Ismail telling him once that “God may be found in the bathroom”, and I am inclined to agree. Utilitarian acts contribute to renewal, in a publicly private space. This observation sums up Ismail’s approach, which he utilises the common image to highlight the subconscious and in-between, informed by the culture in his home state Penang. Ismail’s oeuvre and quotes indicate one who lives his life through art’s context, but is also sufficiently self-aware to know what a perfect work should be. Coming full circle back to the lady in ‘Doktor Jam’, most proceed with life without taking in the many absurdities present in one’s immediate environment, and Ismail points that out with charming wit. These multi-layered interpretations are evident in this exhibition, where its brilliant title alludes to a physical activity, a curatorial process, a re-presentation, and best of all, a reference to Ismail’s penchant for words.

Snapshot of desk print in Looking In: Home

“UNPACK-REPACK” will be remembered as the Ismail Hashim exhibition curated by Wong Hoy Cheong, archival process notwithstanding. "...(T)asked to invade (his) privacy" and "...to think through how to honour the assets and archives because the artist is not here for a dialogue", the curator's selection of works and configuration of space demonstrate a masterful exposition. In a rare move for Malaysian artists, Ismail’s family initiated an archival process to document his belongings, which beneficiaries hopefully extend beyond local art collectors. Unpacking continues when the exhibition travels to Balai Seni Visual Negara next year, together with the release of a monograph, as I anticipate the opportunity to make sense of the four pictures on a black board seen in Streets. To sum up this tribute show and its curatorial effort in Ismail's own words, “Respect the space, respect the subject”.

Doktor Jam (1979)

Subtitled “Aku Hanya Seorang Tukang Cerita”, this collection exhibits the artworks from one adventitious prodigy, if we believe the story. The narrative hook begins with a Buddhist temple from Alor Setar, together with a tale about a missing bird, which welcome the visitor into Gallery 2B. Next to it is a small painting with sinuous lines, done in green because the artist had only that colour at that time. ‘Langsir Hijau’ won prizes when he was 16 years old, and affirmed Anuar’s outstanding technical skill for one so young. At 20, his seminal work ‘Kelahiran Inderaputera’ was disparaged for only focusing on the surface (by Sulaiman Esa), and described as mystical (by Choong Kam Kow). In the same year, Redza Piyadasa bought and painted his work black, then renamed it as an ‘Art Proposition’. Not everyone was dismissive, as Syed Ahmad Jamal did declare Anuar as “the new sensation of the Malaysian Art scene, perhaps its brightest star yet”.

Tanpa Tajuk (1985)

Following on his initial success, the artist utilised the Malay folktale to imbue mythical interpretations, seen in works such as ‘The Journey of Inderaputera’, ‘Sementa Pura’, and ‘Gegak Gempita Jin Dikar Agus, Jin Tamar Buga’. Its luminescence mesmerise, where colours and lines seem to be derived from prisms, and fantastical creatures manifest within cloud and ice. Influenced by the Devils Mountain scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, his subjects are always portrayed in the act of emerging. Skyward projections visually uplift, as subsequent series “Wind, Water and Fire” and “Flight to Paradise” reinforce a distinguished style. Fortuitously for Anuar, brilliant paintings with little figuration was popular during this time after the implementation of the National Cultural Policy.

The Journey of Inderaputera (1979)

The Anak Alam member travelled around Europe after his early success, where some interesting watercolours from this period are displayed here. ‘Tanpa Tajuk’ shows a man torn apart by natural elements (ground, water, fire, wind, and light), pointing to the horrors of war that he may have come across during his travels. Exhibits in this gallery ends with a story of a friend who died after ingesting poison, one day after Anuar was chased out of his temporary residence by the National Art Gallery’s former director. The recalcitrant artist takes the opportunity to reproach Redza – “…aku tidak pasti dia dapat memahaminya.” – in a wall text for ‘Leaking In Cube’. Taking into account ‘Kelahiran Inderaputera’ produced a year earlier, this small work displays a keen sense for space and scale, and also a disposition for parallel dimensions seen in his more recent illustrations of wormholes and vortexes.

Leaking In Cube (1977)

The separation between the two exhibition spaces and its contents is unnecessarily vague – one is labelled “The End of a Beginning”, while the other “The Beginning of an End”. Representative works from his earlier series are shown in the former, yet ‘Leaking In Cube’ is placed in the latter space, which cavernous interior suits large format works better. Visitors are dwarfed by huge fantastical pictures that fill the hall, many which are inscribed with reflective Arabic verses. 'Assalamualaikum Ya Bani Adam' overwhelms anyone near the doorway, while the seven paintings that make up “Asma Al-Husna” is breathtaking to view at one go. Deference to the creator leads to compositions that distance the viewer far away from the canvas, like watching an apocalypse movie in a cinema. Flying steeds dominate as a subject matter – from the Malay Merak Emas to the Islamic Burāq, the Greek Pegasus to the contemporary jetliner.

Installation view of "Asma Al-Husna" series

The stunning visuals in these new works are repetitive and prosaic, signifying “The Beginning of an End”. It is obvious from the wall labels that Anuar’s re-emergence in the local art scene after 20 years, is financially rewarding. Abstract splendour is again in vogue, especially if Jawi writings are included, for those who prefer art that illustrate the Muslim component in Malaysian identity. Anuar’s transition from reliance on the Inderaputera myth, to depicting the transcendental journey of the Mihraj, indicates one soul-seeking individual who found peace with God, artistic development notwithstanding. Viewing paintings of a landing aeroplane, Stargate, and a Dassault Mirage fighter jet, one cannot help feel that in this unfortunate year of aviation incidents, magnificent pictures with imagined narratives can be a story worth looking out for.

Pangg! Sebelah Sayapnya Ditampar, Ia Tiada Lagi Disitu Israk Miraj - Jet Seq-11 (2013)

The Malaysian visitor is confronted with media art from acclaimed regional artists, which curatorial theme "relates to how can artists from newly formed nation-states create works that reflect a sense of being part of a place that is culturally deep and yet nationally new." Walking past a non-functioning bell into the black box, one is captivated by Singaporean works presented across five screens. A rope stretched across an undulating sea in Charles Lim's 'Sea State: Drift (Stay Still Now to Move)', underpins the futility of demarcating a physical border in nature. This image anchors one adjacent video of a man floating diagonally over a split-screen projection of the sea, its fluid action equally applicable to a metaphor for life. Showing more than one perspective is the common approach utilised among the exhibiting artists, perhaps a necessary method in this multipolar world.

Snapshots from Charles Lim - Sea State: Drift (Stay Still Now to Move) (2013)

In one video from his ironic "Ju Yi Fan San" (举一反三) series, Cheo Chai-Hiang splits and shares a durian with his mother, trading obligatory courtesies and bantering in Hokkien throughout. Exhibited alongside is a live feed from the gallery's library, where four bookends of hands holding up/down bottles, are placed among the rack of art reference books. Will oral tradition and/or documented opinions stand the test of place/time? As one adept at situating multilayered contexts within his art, excessive reading into Chai-Hiang's presentation is inevitable. Red water scoop, blue waste basket, green tissue box, pink string wrapped around bronze fingers - suggest potentially delusive associations. The first video ends brilliantly with a 'beh tauge' (拔豆芽) quip, implying that life goes on regardless of social manipulations. Plucking the ends off bean sprouts, is just a natural action to get rid of what one deems unpleasant.

Video stills from Cheo Chai-Hiang - Ju Yi Fan San - Eating Durian (2013)

Frontiers form personal histories for Brisbane-based Tintin Wulia and California-raised Dinh Q. Lê. The former's performance of stacking then toppling passports is re-enacted by local artists Race Phua and Mohd Amirul Roslan, but this attempt to localise the artwork's clichéd commentary is weak, especially when compared to Chai-Hiang's presentation. Scenes from Apocalypse Now and Platoon are juxtaposed by the latter, 'From Father to Son: A Rite of Passage' focusing on Martin and Charlie Sheen, and their roles in popular movies set during the Vietnam War. Moments of doubt are woven together to cast suspicion onto a bloody conflict, and its American-propagated storyline. The cross-generational reference is clever and leaves a strong impression, as one reads headlines about yet another air strike on Iraqi soil.

Video stills from Dinh Q. Lê - From Father to Son: A Rite of Passage (2007)

Held in NTU Singapore during its first iteration, "Immaterial Frontiers 2.0" includes local artists for a supposedly more relevant exposition. However, projection of lines onto frosted acrylic and an interactive game fail to inspire, apart from a 'mencari lena'pun suggested by one reviewer. Old lexicons printed with coastline images, are literal manifestations of Sharon Chin who "...imagined these languages floating in the sea towards Penang, and landing on its shore." Grass mats and cardboards cover the floor, to augment a generalised and romantic view of the pendatang. Particularly alluring are the history textbook (Balik Pulau) and Hokkien dictionary (Gurney Drive) editions, its respective political and cultural intimations infusing additional context into beautifully-made and collector-friendly artworks. Frontiers may be immaterial for art-making, but its dividing line of power must be recognised, in order for boundaries to be pushed.

Snapshots from Sharon Chin's "Pendatang/Arrivals: Pocket Seas" series (2008): [top] Balik Pulau (Malihom), 6.55pm - Textbook; [bottom] Gurney Drive, 12.08pm - Hokkien

Hung precariously above accumulated rainwater on a concrete rooftop, one life-sized paper boat buoyed by a fishing net is subjected to the Malaysian thunderstorm. The vessel collapses and slowly disintegrates after being overwhelmed, while tall cranes occupy the city skyline. Allegorical and beautiful, Low Yi Chin's installation sets the tone in this show organised by four artists, which unifying themes include "...interrelated topics engendered by local contexts existing in contemporary Malaysian society." Physical borders pose a challenge for exhibiting within an independent art space, but forms a larger preoccupation for Chong Kim Chiew. Tarpaulins layered with map tracings depict changing frontiers, and will not be out of place if shown at NVAG. One accompanying video locates these research markers in uninhabited public environments, its self-reference to power negated by the lack of human presence.

Snapshots from Chong Kim Chiew - Boundary Fluidity (2014 - ongoing)

Human lust for power, and a perpetual state of distrust as portrayed by the local media, manifest within Liew Kwai Fei's paintings, markings, and found objects. Less derisive and more flamboyant than Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman, his waggish output combines surreal compositions and Mandarin wordplay, with a quaint dose of literal translations. This zany characteristic is apparent in the exhibition title, where its three terms are only related if one is willing to stretch one's imagination. Pulau Melayu refers to one enigmatic painting-sculpture, which looks like three ridiculous figures fused together, then its centre hollowed out. Inside the core is a tudung-wearing mermaid and dinosaurs with songkoks, all bouncing along to flashing disco lights. An asymmetrical construct with multiple aspects craft unexpected perspectives, but this remains a most perplexing work.

Installation views of Liew Kwai Fei - Orang, Melayu: Do, Re, Mi 无来由的人 (2012-2014)

Placed around 'Pulau, Melayu: X, Y, Z 无来由的岛' is a triptych of oil paintings mounted on wooden frames like bulletin boards. 'Orang, Melayu: Do, Re, Mi 无来由的人' is easier to interpret, where colourful caricatures and phallic/yonic symbols are plentiful and obvious. Marking each work is a sign inscribed in Chinese characters, Latin alphabet, and Jawi script, which use puns referring to the 人 (person) ideogram and its compound multiple 从 (follow), and 众 (crowd). Urban development covers the picture landscape – chopped trees, high-rise buildings, MRT train – and grotesque beings dominate the foreground. As advised in the artist's statement, no reason is required to decipher the illustrated motifs. From patriotic hibiscus to ribald fruits, sacrificial bull to frightened pigs. the facetious and sometimes vicious presentation gives an impression of an ethnocentric outlook. Should curiosity lead so quickly to judgement?

Snapshots from Liew Kwai Fei - Barbie Fatimah the Puteri Mutiara 人鱼芭比法蒂玛 (2014)

The keris and a rubber tapping tool reinforces this bigoted view, yet Kwai Fei's satirical commentary is effective because of its gaudiness. He states in a previous solo exhibition, “(t)he Chinese have the tendency to dehumanize the others. This self-centred attitude does not only trivialize but tends to form clichéd judgement about other ethnic groups.” Deliberate textures and a whimsical visual also describe his found objects, where one glossy fairytale book is punctured and drawn over, resulting in a hilarious account that reveals an anxiety about censorship. Hung on the wall are jigsaw puzzles similarly reworked, which together with his painting-sculptures, surround a construct of four tongkats labelled 巫岛/誤導 and 半岛/絆倒. This assemblage is the realPulau Melayu, where the artist condemns a country crippled by its citizen's passive prejudice, as lively toy snakes wreath down a static bamboo pole.

Malaysian contemporary art? (clockwise from top left) Works by Low Yi Chin, Chong Kim Chiew, Minstrel Kuik, Liew Kwai Fei

Socio-political concerns escape Kuantan-based Yi Chin, who documents the natural ecosystem on Pulau Ular, by isolating textures, specimens, and sounds. From one illustration of a venomous sea snail, to two piles of blood cockle 螄蚶 shells, the island theme is migrated from the physical realm to an emotional one. Pantai Remis-raised Minstrel Kuik's installation begins with a book of astringent poems, followed by photographs of feminine subjects, that surround 'The Island of Repentance'. Varying-sized prints recall a measured cadence, as formal visual properties like repeating shapes and tactile surfaces, fade into a beguiling display of one's internal conflict. The photographer's hidden hand amalgamates symbolic objects and personal subjects, whilst upholding an aesthetic ideal, then occasionally reveals itself as the assertive gesture it really is.

Installation view of Minstrel Kuik - Flowers in The Pigsty (2014) [photographs], and The Island of Repentance (2014) [installation]

Confined within a narrow walkway, "The Prayer's Room" sees a thick braid of hair laid upon a single-sized bed. A prostrating woman hangs above it, informing of one's reflection that is visualised in the gallery through an opening. Reproduced on newsprint and folded into squares, this panorama of photographs is soul-stirringly beautiful. Memory is preserved in implicit human action - young men perform a wheelie, plants wilted, durians eaten, ground razed, girl plays with pinwheel, cherry stems plucked, insects conglomerate, and more durians just because durians are awesome. Saga seeds and clay sculptures lie in mounted boxes, these amulets protruding from the wall like containers of hope. Opposite this passage is 'The Prisoner's Landscape - after Pudu Jail', where cut-outs of the prison wall are pasted on softboards, while old captures of ambivalent passer-bys hang from the string divider.

Installation views of Minstrel Kuik - The Prayer's Room (2014), including Perak Woman (2014)

The solid and fractured landscape represents a rearrangement of the same puzzle, as unresolved notions remain open in this phenomenal installation by Minstrel. Binary concepts oscillate via self-doubt - informed/intuited, sympathy/apathy, fear/acceptance... what does freedom/captivity from the male gaze mean? On a lighter note, it is interesting to see the influence of partner Kwai Fei's works in hers, and vice versa. Research-based practice takes a back seat in this contemporary art exhibition, as one contemplates about the action/reaction dynamic between artist and audience, while the irritating Barbie Doll resounds incessantly. With political bickering hogging the headlines, despite the nation still mourning the demise of two planes, perhaps the next independent group show can be called "转弯抹角 - Kepala Pusing - Truth and Lies".

Installation view of Low Yi Chin - Sailing the Map (2014)

Despite reading essays about art and abstraction, it is a struggle to describe my fascination with this category of painting, or why I get lost in Mark Rothko’s colour fields but walk past Jackson Pollock’s allover drips. Referring to Wong Perng Fey’s “Equilibrium” body of work, Martina Ziesse writes that “(t)he fascination of abstract art lies in the idea that the work might offer a glimpse into a different reality, a reality subjective to the artist and to each individual beholder. A painting on the wall may offer a gateway into an unknown but strangely familiar world.” Relocated to Beijing four years ago, the artist moves on from melancholic plants and awful Chinese zodiac animals, to a less figurative yet very powerful group of paintings. Utilising slow-drying oils as the bottom layer and glossy hard enamel paints on top, Perng Fey sculpts his materials to create forms and visual depth.

Paintings prefiguring the Equilibrium body of work

This process is better explained by Haffendi Annuar, “(t)hrough a wide variety of techniques such as painting, pouring, scraping, sprinkling and spraying, he would carefully lay and peel away skins of paint, each gesture a response to a specific piece’s image build-up, physicality and material presence. These tactile, richly coloured works are created through the acts of image erasure and layering, echoing the process of palimpsest. The unstable surfaces crack, revealing vivid colours below and creating sculptural and seductive palpable bodies.” Hung behind the office table and opposite it, are five smaller works that mark the start of this series, its horizontal brushstrokes a fit example about “erasure and layering” and “crack, revealing”. Fatuous discussions about materiality, however, are irrelevant.

Untitled #003 (2013)

Amanda Lai wrote for a previous solo exhibition, “...Perng Fey tries to capture and make permanent the fleeting nature of change, and of transitions.” Swathes of paint are typically used to surround or cover the subject, which depicts a wistful presentation that recalls neither an observed scene that long ago, nor a spell as short as a fleeted moment. Now, broad strips boldly occupy the foreground, which outline the picture composition only after rich layers of oils have been painted. The exhibited untitled works denote the transition from initial approach to current result, where specific textures and brushstrokes are applied and scraped away, on a black background. Traces of the old approach are obvious in the beautiful colours underlying ‘Untitled #003’, while ‘Untitled #004’ contains parallel horizontal lines like ridges on folded paper.

Luminous Silver #1 (2014)

Thick dripping paint from such tactile effects augment diagonal blocks in ‘Luminous Silver #9’, the pièce de résistance among the major exhibited series painted in metallic silver. Geometric forms indicate a human barrier, and act as an effective foil to the abraded surface present in other works, a characteristic easily interpreted as time’s passing. On the contrary, the decrepit presentation is more progressive than just illustrating nostalgia, as visual memory is recounted in a contemporary sense via inscription. Perng Fey’s approach towards layering has always portrayed such anecdotal notions, but when impastos are scraped away to reveal stalks and mountains (like in ‘Luminous Silver #1’ and ‘Luminous Silver #6’, respectively), the representation of visual cues become even more powerful. Not sure why, though.

Details of painting surfaces in Perng Fey's works

Personally, pictures of new village houses, vast grasslands, and isolated palm trees, are more attractive. Nevertheless, Perng Fey charts a compelling development in his artistic output that is worth appreciating. Beijing’s dreary landscape and hard-nosed people are memorable, but is that environment really the impetus behind the artist’s change in style? Or is exposure to a challenging contemporary art scene the driving force? Figuration takes a minimalist turn, the immediate compositions are more striking and tactile, but also less sentimental. "Equilibrium” includes paintings with pink and red splashes, to be exhibited later in Beijing and Korea. Judging by the positive bookings, Ronald Kiwitt's pronouncement is perhaps only half correct. “Now, Perng Fey can undoubtedly be defined as an international artist.” Did the curator missed out one word on purpose - abstract?

Luminous Silver #9 (2014)

From one graduates exhibition to this diploma show, Yau Sir Meng’s accomplished presentation continues to stand out. Two installations comment on the Malaysian education system, including school uniforms planted in pots, and a sugary construct melted by humidity. Short-term research into waste disposal habits and its environmental impact is difficult to take seriously, while a wall covered in paper sheets is hardly noticeable even when highlighted. Works by two artists allow for unintentional interpretations - Emir Nazren’s distorted portraits made with a photocopier, and broken pencils stuck onto white panels by Kay Lee Pei Chyi. The former’s reproductions of anguish parody existential angst prevalent in the current age; Graphic design and less sophisticated materials encroach onto the latter canvas, also a dig at the lofty notion of fine art. Students must be mindful that contexts and self-reference matter in contemporary art, while honing visual techniques.

[from l to r] Emir Nazren - Botak 1, 4, and 5 (2014)

Goh Ah Ang's retrospective involves five series displayed across three floors, a non-chronological outlay for 42 years of art. Raised in Klang and tutored by Chuang Kim Siew in his secondary school days, Ah Ang's teenage output includes oil paintings and etchings that contain expressionist backgrounds, and compositions that recall Khoo Sui Hoe. Upon graduation he worked in advertising, and took the opportunity to submit a Chinese ink work ('荷花') to the renowned Chung Chen Sun for review, whom praised his technical prowess. Without a formal art education, Ah Ang proceeded to open his own art school and has 12 solo exhibitions to date. This inspiring story about one self-made man that did it all for passion, is part of the exhibition's kitschy appeal, apart from some fantastic works on show.

混乱中的宁静 Peace in the Midst of Turmoil (1997)

Groupings of displayed works cater to the popular, or perhaps what the artist regards as most significant. Western notions of exhibition hanging are non-existent, evident on the ground floor where Ah Ang's famous "蚁之旅 Life As Ants " series is presented alongside the newer "生生世世 Time After Time" series. Metaphorical creatures are not new in Chinese painting, but to highlight an insect for its strength en masse, is rare for a culture whose art inclines towards heroic subjects. Ant drawings are paired together with crumpled paper, which tactile surface projects visual depth, utilised to great effect in works like ‘缝隙 The Gap’ and ‘混乱中的宁静 Peace in the Midst of Turmoil’. Formication is mercifully not felt while appreciating these works, because of its artful presentation and stated analogies.

怀古 Cherish I (2001)

Bronze script 鐘鼎文 is copied as a personal reflection in the latter series, its juxtaposition of black background and copper patina unexpectedly enchanting. Archaic characters stimulate the cultivated longing for ancient wisdom, an intrinsic sentiment manifest withini works like ‘怀古 Cherish I’ and ‘对语 Conversation’. Oddly hung among the introspective pieces is ‘生命。希望 Life. Hope’, which seductive silhouette hints at more figurative works to come. The next section “方框与窗 Frames and Windows” employs a simple yet highly effective pictorial device. Spiders and cockroaches hang from painting frames, while moths and birds flock around windows. Such scenes are easily infused with metaphor, via its title. An admirer of Piet Mondrian, Ah Ang’s use of grids and colour blocks are few but interesting, denoting a potential area for further artistic development.

窗里窗外 Outside And In (1999)

Exhibited upstairs are more expressive swirls, and a number of outstanding paintings done in the early 90’s, upon the artist’s visit to China after travel restrictions was lifted. ‘祈求 A Prayer’ and ‘龙的传人 Descendants of the Dragon’ demonstrate the power of one fluid monochromatic medium, while Chinese ink’s transparent qualities contribute to the wistful serenity in ‘钟声的沉思 Bell Toll Musings’. Commenting about his practice as a traditional ink painter, “I have always thought of tradition synonymous to the winds of yesterday. They could not move today’s trees but the rain falling down today is the cumulative result of yesterday’s winds.” Adept at analogies and technically sound, Ah Ang’s success as a Malaysian artist is a well-deserved one, as I purchase a catalogue out of goodwill.

钟声的沉思 Bell Toll Musings (1991)

Entering a white box gallery, one looks around and immediately sees the circular dots stuck onto printed labels. Each red spot indicates a measure of success – a well-regarded artist, surely. The gallery attendant flashes a welcoming smile. There must be something in the art shown here…

Entering a museum exhibition, one framed painting is hung prominently on a black wall and spot-lit. The small label beside the artwork indicates the artist, title, dimensions, year made, medium, and sometimes its owner. The museum sitter’s expressionless face reminds one to be solemn. There must be something in the art shown here…

The dot and the label are exaggerated in “There is nothing outside the text”, representing art as a consequence in this capitalist world. Carlos Llavata’s amplified paintings/labels address haphazard topics beyond those quoted, his utilization of texts as visual cues humorous when critiquing modern painting genres like ‘Still life, apple in the window’ and ‘faceless selfportrait’. Exotic portraits and event snapshots are still confined to art references, while titles like ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ and ‘9/11 landscape’ extend outside the gallery space, invoking learned trepidation at the same time. A smashed pot and soiled floor are remnants from his performance on opening night, while a recorded diatribe loops within an enclosed space at the back. The eccentric presentation augments the arbitrary range of topics, where ‘Landscape of 13 May 1969, KL’ is hung above the toilet, and ‘Tiananmen still life’ states a dimension that is obviously wrong.

Text is structure. Texts impose structure. Labels utilize texts. No labels, no things. No things, no talk, nothing. Performance is heard, seen, sniffed, tasted, felt. The five senses are reality. No structure. Before structure, there was chaos. What’s wrong with chaos? Cue Carlos: "I'm not going to tell you..."

Texts are continuously coded and decoded, a necessary procedure in this digital age. Constructed from ones and zeros, narrated events and described adventures capture the imagination, but numb our real senses. Academic categories and unnecessary particulars dilute art appreciation. These reflections make Carlos’ proposal an attractive one – there is nothing outside the text. Only real life.

As compared to one assertion that Latiff Mohidin's latest series of works emanates from two 1965 drawings, Johnni Wong's opinion is more germane. He writes, "(b)oth his parents were Minangkabau and to this day, Latiff is still enamoured with the Minang world view, which includes "the acceptance of the paradox of life". The Minang proverb alam terkembang menjadi guru helps sufficiently to apprehend Latiff's art, contrary to T.K. Sabapathy's ornate proposal to "rethink his entire painting practice and to weigh it chiefly and specifically as embodying landscape as a presiding idea or concept.""Seascape" features similar compositions of rocks jutting out to the sea, with a horizon in the distance. In an interview published in the catalogue, Latiff claims to portray silence in these pictures, which kitschy titles make reference to Chopin and Debussy compositions.

Interior Landscape 3 (2010)

Another exhibited series"New Landscape" is more brooding, as the artist forcefully depicts a personal amalgamation of alamraya and manusia, via oil paints. "Interior Landscape" sees puffy smoke and a boat image embedded within one room, an imagining of nature's presence in the studio's absence. Fleshy colours in 'Ancient Lake', and neon streaks in 'Memory of Stones', denote strong emotional recollections derived from serene observations. Another suite of paintings attempt to "...get into the rock forms, into their structure, into their content and make up." While no excuse is required for artists to launch into gestural abstraction, it is fortunate that these geological records culminate to formidable paintings like 'Rock Landscape' and 'The Rock'. Malaysian visitors get to appreciate many new works, as unsold pieces from the notorious Opera Gallery are displayed also.

Amber (2014)

Latiff remarks, "I used all techniques that I have developed in the past (...); I like to get closer to the grain, to the texture. But all of this is very restrained, not very expressive as in the Gelombang or the Rimba series." His painting output is powerful and occasionally experimental, but remains strictly confined by the boundaries of modern expressionism. Floating rocks resemble grotesque fingers, thick strokes of primary colours draw contrasts, black & blue drips & dots persist incessantly, and fluid colour blends create attractive abstract pictures about rock interiors. Sabapathy's high-flown essay states that "Latiff's seascapes are powerful testimonies of our perceptual connections with nature." Its six-figure price tags are also evidence that the rich can afford these missed perceptions. Indeed a paradox of life we need to accept.

The Rock (2014)

Beautiful renderings of nature are considered a mockery to contemporary art, but deserve its own category in the local art canon, where a resourceful and peaceful environment has greatly enriched many Malaysian lives. Zainal Abidin Musa escapes his day job to paint monsoon storms on the peninsula east coast, employing an impressionist approach that captures the “Tengkujuh” season. This outdated mode projects a persisting attribute that illustrates effectively long spells of rain, especially in the dissolved scenes painted on linen, a fabric that deteriorates fast in humid weather. Sketches made for this series indicate a high level of technical skill, and are rightfully exhibited alongside a body of work which spans five years. Blue and yellow pastels on brown paper draw one stunning river panorama, while purple watercolour clouds enchant with its transparent qualities.

Pagi di Seberang Takir (2013)

Curator Azzad Diah Ahmad Zabidi describes Zainal’s weekend trips in translated prose, “(a)s a visitor it is certain that his experience differ from those of the local residents...” Completed in the studio (more Degas than Monet), the artist’s passion to capture natural landscapes fortunately includes human figures, which “…is just symbolic to the situation – to express the emotional atmosphere of the moment.” Silhouettes of men resting inside wooden huts are unsentimental, its vagueness necessary to portray people gathering because of forced proximity and time’s passing. Another interesting perspective is to capture an industrious moment, like the man crouched beside a small fire, smoking muntjac meat as rain pours outside. Contemporary impressionist painting may be romantic, but its approach can still remain relevant outside luminous landscapes.

Menyalai Pelanduk, Batu Rakit (2012)

Two galleries collaborate to occupy a large exhibition space in the upcoming Art Expo, displaying new works from a collector’s stable of favourite artists. Hamir Soib’s giant canvas is the show’s highlight by virtue of its size, the golden steed (RM 200,000) a poor follow-on painting from last year’s big fish. Another horse takes the shape of the Ferrari logo, made by Al-Khuzairie Ali for his current series of ceramic skeletons. Two constructs on pedestals by Umibaizurah Mahir intrigue, while Ahmad Shukri’s shoddy ‘Open House ‘SOLD’’ (RM90,000) looks terrible in the presence of Azrin Mohd's work, whose unambiguous found object aesthetic is superior to Shukri's. Suhaimi Fadzir hangs up tools (RM 110,000) used by construction workers and food stall operators, one golden detached wheel on the floor reminding all to take a break. It also acts as a prompt for Malaysian art to stop making superficial claims about perpetuating national unity.

Suhaimi Fadzir - ’Warung Kita: Teh Tarik dan Nasi Lemak (Duality) (2014) [picture from Artcube's Facebook page]

Not exhibited are installations by Zulkifli Yusoff and Annabelle Ng, but already publicised by the galleries whose announcements have different meanings for the ‘M’ in "GMCA". Great in size but boring in content are works by Masnoor Ramli Mahmud (RM 50,000) and Tan Chin Kuan (RM 200,000), while Eng Hwee Chu’s ‘Beyond Border’ (RM 110,000) projects a rare optimism. In ‘Monabukelisa’ (RM 55,000), Fadli Yusoff combines the gallery’s name among texts, together with Ibrahim Hussein lines, to create an incompatible painting which approach may be developed further. Ruminations cover Fauzin Mustafa’s ‘Cerita Ceriti I’ (RM 60,000), his imposing figure shrouded in batik shreds also posing identity questions. Blown-up iPhone covers sprayed with automotive paint gloss over the notion of Western capitalism, since purchasing each of Azad Daniel’s creations is equivalent to buying six iPhone 6’s on launch day.

Fauzin Mustafa - Cerita Ceriti I (2014)

Zena Khan’s writings set contexts well, but her superlative plaudits shroud the entire show with the shadow of a collector’s ego. With an objective “…to include those artists who set international level benchmarks within the Malaysian art industry”, only few of the represented artists have exhibited internationally in recent times. The trademark show itself has not travelled overseas, and is co-organised by a first-year gallery. This group exhibition settles on the immediate spectacle that negates individual art practices. Its eye-bulging price tags turn away knowledgeable art viewers and potential foreign institutions, nullifying the show’s objectives. Like the black hole entropy formula drawn by Ahmad Fuad Osman, there may be solutions to difficult problems like the Malaysian art market. Setting a Malaysian benchmark on what is acceptable internationally is not the way, but a local habit.

Ahmad Fuad Osman - Blindspot (2014)

Strolling past the gallery, an eye-catching work by Mustapa Ibrahim draws one in, ‘Bahasa Gerak Badan (Diptych)’ a wonderful tribute to fellow Anak Alam member Zulkifli Dahalan. Hung beside is a beautiful rendition of the National Art Gallery’s former site, Mansor Ghazali’s oil painting a captivating scene with dark clouds overhead. Brilliant turquoise sets off the illustration of one breastfeeding mother, Yusof Abdullah’s simple lines capturing the expression of practical tenderness. Above average works by established painters like Yusof Ghani and Bayu Utomo Radjikin are also on display, this selling collection superior to the typical auction house holdings. Replications of celebrity photographs aside, Jalaini Abu Hassan’s ‘Fish and Tree’ recalls a time when the artist employed collage and abstraction, yet his signature style of utilising bitumen and drips were already obvious.

Yusof Abdullah - Ibu (1979)

Entering Long Thien Shih’s retrospective exhibition, the visitor is greeted by a figure in white hazmat suit, holding out a rainbow-coloured banana. Known for his surreal prints, what is revealing about this 2013 image is how it is no longer surreal, or perhaps reflects the surreal times we live in. Early paintings denote a strong influence by Cheong Soo Pieng, as the artist recognises that his change in approach happened after joining the Wednesday Art Group. Experimentations include sewing a ‘Kampung Nelayan’ scene onto burlap, and illustrating a cubist perspective of tin mine workers in ‘Big Investment’. At 20 years old, Thien Shih studied lithography in Paris, also enrolling at Atelier 17. One wall exhibits his output during this time, the drawings resembling Cheong Laitong with its gaudy colours, but its sinuous lines are evidence of his tutelage under Stanley William Hayter.

Let's Joy Together (2009)

Hung at the end is ‘Susan’s Birthday’, a sexually explicit drawing that leads on to the series of erotic prints produced in the early 1970’s. Body parts take the forms of food and plant, the titillating images capturing personal desires à la Salvador Dali. Minimal juxtapositions in ‘Foot, Hand and Hair’ and ‘Tongue and Egg’ enthral with its simplicity, while the pink tone and overt representations in ‘Chestnut Spikes’ verge towards pornographic content. Visual depth is an apparent concern in works from the later part of that decade; A distant horizon is created via window frames and grounded textures, prefiguring the well-composed prints of Raja Zahabuddin Raja Yaacob. Portmanteau combinations such as a furry hackney carriage and a primitive skeleton, contribute off-kilter elements in Thien Shih’s signature aesthetic.

Chestnut Spikes (1975)

Less interesting are exhibits from the 1980’s, which employ the birdcage as an ideological symbol. ‘Earth, Water and Air’ depicts one cooped up orchid floating above a pigeon, the repressed flower seemingly a response to the modernism associated to Patrick Ng Kah Onn’s painting of a similar title. As a sexual metaphor, the Cattleya is depicted together with a melted bed, or joined together with floating coconuts in the suggestive ‘Cattlya and Coconuts Airborne’. Delightful etchings hung in this section suggest the loss of natural habitats, such as ‘Run Tree Run’ and ‘Three And A Half Candle’. Another highlight is ‘Kuala Lumpur Art Festival’, which fascinating design includes propped-up facades of an iconic building, a ribbon of patriotic colours, and a red lantern amalgamated into a Mughal-style mosque. Tourism promotional posters have seen better times.

Kuala Lumpur Art Festival (1985)

A 1967 study depicts blurred lines created from ink wash and roller, which effect is utilised to great result for expressing loss of culture. Traditional objects are distorted in etchings ‘Where Are We?’ and ‘Head Dress of Borneo’, while a spectral fire consumes a living artefact in ‘Borneo Anthropoloque (Call From The Wild)’. Thien Shih’s paintings are equally powerful in his social commentary, by recognising what is visually familiar to the urban audience – tribal dance scenes are distorted by poor television transmission (‘Faulty Image’) or pixelated images (‘Dissolved By Progress’). Works from the past seven years continue to address habitat issues and the cost of progress. Utilising the CMYK model for his colour palette, surreal paintings project a strong artificiality, although its relatively large size makes it less attractive.

Where Are We? (1989)

Hasnul J Saidon’s interpretation of the superb ‘Bar Coded Man’ is on point – “(d)engan memetik dan mengolah-semula karya Leonardo da Vinci secara digital seperti robot (Leonardo meletakkan tubuh manusia sebagai sukatan untuk segala benda), Abang Long seakan menyindir bagaimana manusia kini disukat menerusi nilai konsumsi atau daya belinya.” By composing an ink drawing from newsprint, capturing and re-printing it, the additive modes of reproduction highlight the ethical issues about replication, visual or not. Exiting this wonderful retrospective of a progressive modern-era artist, curator Tan Sei Hon leaves the visitor with an incisive quote, “(h)is grasp of the visual language and mastery of the elements of art, delivered in wry humour sets him apart in a scene that still lingers in nostalgia and parochialism, that mistakes dour solemnity as a sign of intellectuality.”

Bar Coded Man (2001)

Despite occupying a larger space and expecting a larger crowd, the overwhelming presence of rectangular paintings and metallic sculptures mark this year’s exposition as a collective bore. Hard-edged works are glimpsed at the Austrian embassy and Fujian Contemporary, but otherwise one has to settle at the Taksu booth for good international art, at the same time taking in Sabihis Pandi’s deliciously quirky ‘Slurp’. Azad Daniel’s clever phone covers and Zulkifli Yusoff’s multilayered grids draw visitors into the GCMA section, the latter work’s subdued tone and long texts depicting the necessarily tedious nature of a government program. Other local art galleries and solo booths peddle new works, some at inflated prices, as artists and collectors capitalize on art as commodity.

Installation view of Sabihis Pandi - Slurp (2014) [picture from Studio Pohon Rendang's Facebook page]

Henry Butcher’s displays include captivating large works by Ahmad Fuad Osman and FX Harsono; Otherwise one can appreciate older paintings on show from the collections of University of Malaya and AmBank. Twelve selected young artists showcase their output at a prominent junction, notwithstanding its poor presentation and jargon-laden wall texts. Cheng Yen Pheng’s newspaper-covered balloons stand out for its visual impact, while Yau Sir Meng’s melted construct is always a delightful sight to behold. Critical art is an unrealistic expectation at an art fair, just like the notion of art investment being a superior asset class, although the sales pitch by Art Futures Group was interesting. As tastemakers blinded by price tags jostle for position, one can spend this weekend better by driving past Jalan Duta, and appreciate better art at the National Visual Arts Gallery.

Installation view of Cheng Yen Pheng - Kabar Angin

Framing pictures and creating contexts are the basic skills photographers need to utilise, and street photography provides one avenue of expression that tests these competencies. Guest submissions offer forgettable snapshots, as compared to the studio’s usual line-up. Linda Chin continues her focus on the subject of women, with a picture of Kyoto geishas strolling in the late evening, and another of one geisha bowing as a respectful act. Complementing these photographs is one snapshot of umbrellas crowding underneath an affectionately-titled signboard in Jiufen 九份, tying her exhibits under the exploratory theme of cultural clichés and concealed gestures. Razlan Yusof’s pictures are taken when the decisive moment is secondary to the exotic subjects, his choice of black & white dampening the foreign images.

Linda Chin - Gion 1 (2014)

Paul Gadd shows off his confident technique with coloured and beautifully-framed photographs, taken in Korean subway stations and Bangladeshi ports. A blank signboard creates contrast in artificial light; Sampans arranged in a lotus configuration and an earthy building fronted by stationary trishaws, leave a striking impression with its day-lit captures of human industry. Paul’s other set of monochromatic pictures are taken in Kuala Lumpur, where suggestive compositions like ‘Man’, and ‘M is for…”, are interesting but less compelling than the coloured series. Black blurry borders are a tiresome framing approach, employed also by Shareem Amry, whose back lane snapshots fit literally with the exhibition title “Up Your Alley”. A long wedding veil and a child beggar project a moralistic outlook, which background characters inject additional context into her photographs.

Paul Gadd #6 (2014)

Group exhibitions are missed opportunities for those whose output can potentially form a powerful series of works, like Linda, Shareem, and Alex Chan. A child cups her hands over her ears at a lion dance performance near Jalan Alor. A dark silhouette and a long shadow occupy a vertical picture that looks like New York City, but is in fact KL. A partially covered shot inside a roadside café sees one man slumped onto his seat, his anonymity amplified by a ghostly mirrored effect. These three photographs by Alex feature one protagonist each, the environment provoking a personal reaction/consequence that represent an urban experience. With the widespread usage of digital cameras and large-capacity memory cards, the decisive moment becomes even more important in street photography, and that includes the post-production decision to colour or not.

Alex Chan #2 (2014)

Knot @ Feeka

Hidup Terlampau Selesa @ Kedai

Pulse: May / June 2014 Art Auctions

UNPACK-REPACK @ The Whiteaways Arcade, Penang (I – Unpacking)

UNPACK-REPACK @ The Whiteaways Arcade, Penang (II – Still Unpacking)

UNPACK-REPACK @ The Whiteaways Arcade, Penang (III – Taking a Break)

Mihraj @ NVAG

Immaterial Frontiers 2.0 @ NVAG

刻舟求剑 - Pulau Melayu - Lost and Found @ Lostgens'

Equilibrium @ Richard Koh Fine Art

Under Construction @ MIA Gallery

鸿•图 -- 吴亚鸿60回顾展 @ Wisma Kebudayaan SGM

There is nothing outside the text @ Lostgens'

Seascape, Recent Paintings @ The Edge Galerie

Tengkujuh @ Artelier

Great Malaysia Contemporary Art (GMCA) II Preview @ Artcube

Hanging @ R A Fine Arts

Man of the Times @ NVAG

Art Expo Malaysia 2014 @ Matrade

Up Your Alley @ The Print Room