Even before entering the exhibition gallery, “Negaraku” makes a loud statement via the hanging of Zhang Zhou’s ‘Keranamu Malaysia’ (who?) at the lobby, flanked by a mixed media painting by Ahmad Shukri Mohamed with people & place names emblazoned across it, and two installations by Zulkifli Yusoff. The latter is a visual translation of the agricultural diversity program Rancangan Buku Hijau, launched by Tun Abdul Razak in 1974. With its layered canvas strips, resin-encased protrusions, and wall-height display, Zulkifli’s work seems to encompass all five of the exhibition’s curatorial themes: Landscape, Social Interaction, Beliefs, Abstract and Inheritance/ Independence. For all its virtuosity, there is only one reason why it is presented in Balai’s lobby – as a talking point when the current Prime Minister (and namesake reference) opened the “Negaraku” exhibition on 16th June. My country, indeed.
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| Zulkifli Yusoff – The Green Book (Razak Series) (2014) |