SPEAK CRYPTIC
  • WORK
    • 2019 >
      • OPEN MY HEART, EASE MY TASK, LOOSEN THE KNOT ON MY TONGUE
      • SING ALONG IF YOU KNOW THE WORDS
      • IN ALL DIRECTIONS
      • CROSSING SHORES
      • IN THE CLOUDS
    • 2018 >
      • FLYING SUPERMARKET
      • A STATE OF DECLINE
      • ANATOMY OF A HEARTBREAK
    • 2017 >
      • KNIVES IN THE WATER
      • HEMERA'S FEAST
    • 2016 >
      • THE TRIBE
      • BETTER APART
    • 2015 >
      • SORRY, NOT SORRY
      • KAMAR KAMILLION
      • PRESENT CONDITION
    • 2014 >
      • BEN-DERA
      • MINOR CITIES
    • 2013 >
      • FENOMENA
      • AGIT
      • WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK
      • BOOKS ACTUALLY
    • 2012 >
      • KA-KHÉ
    • 2011 >
      • SLOW AND STEADY
    • SELECTED DRAWINGS
    • PRIMARY MOTIF
  • ABOUT
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"FENOMENA"
an installation commissioned by the Singapore Art Museum for the Singapore Biennale (The National Library Building, 2013).
12 pieces, chinese ink and acrylic paint on cloth
300 x 205cm each


"The work focuses on the subject of Malay identity and its impact on the personal landscape. It addresses the concerns surrounding the potential loss of this ethnic identity due to the adverse effects of globalisation. Using signifiers of Malay identity along with the artist's invented icons, the work visually narrates his impression of the current position of being Malay as a result of Western and Eastern influences, existing on the fine line between cultural hegemony and subservience. By employing a mix of cultural signifiers in the work, the artist creates a reflection of what he thinks to be the state of contemporary Malay identity, while questioning the current positioning of the Malays and ethnic identities in general."

Copyright © 2020
  • WORK
    • 2019 >
      • OPEN MY HEART, EASE MY TASK, LOOSEN THE KNOT ON MY TONGUE
      • SING ALONG IF YOU KNOW THE WORDS
      • IN ALL DIRECTIONS
      • CROSSING SHORES
      • IN THE CLOUDS
    • 2018 >
      • FLYING SUPERMARKET
      • A STATE OF DECLINE
      • ANATOMY OF A HEARTBREAK
    • 2017 >
      • KNIVES IN THE WATER
      • HEMERA'S FEAST
    • 2016 >
      • THE TRIBE
      • BETTER APART
    • 2015 >
      • SORRY, NOT SORRY
      • KAMAR KAMILLION
      • PRESENT CONDITION
    • 2014 >
      • BEN-DERA
      • MINOR CITIES
    • 2013 >
      • FENOMENA
      • AGIT
      • WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK
      • BOOKS ACTUALLY
    • 2012 >
      • KA-KHÉ
    • 2011 >
      • SLOW AND STEADY
    • SELECTED DRAWINGS
    • PRIMARY MOTIF
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • STORE
    • THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
    • DOWNLOADS
    • BACKGROUNDS
  • LINKS