1 M A L A Y S I ACONTEMPORARY ART TOURISM

sparkles in Penang

1 M A L A Y S I ACONTEMPORARY ART TOURISM

sparkles in Penang

1Malaysia Contemporary Art TourismSparkles in Penang1 September - 16 October 2010

Contemporary Art CampusAdiwarna Gallery School of the Arts& 6 other locations around USM campusPenang International Print Exhibition (PIPE) 2010 Balai Seni Lukis Pulau PinangPIPE 2010: Tera Muda Galeri 27, School of the Arts, USM PIPE 2010: Ketumbukan, Seni Cetak Alternatif Malaysia Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah, USMSolo Print Making by Juhari Said entitled “BEFORE”Group Exhibition by Asean ArtistsGaleri Seni MutiaraVibrant Art ShowcaseEquator Academy of ArtHeritage Penang II - Paintings, Drawings & Sketches by Local and International ArtistsGaleri Art Point Solo Exhibition by Mr. A.RashidPenang Malay Art GalleryGallery ArtistsAlpha Utara GalleryFlame of FlowersIdo GallerySolo Show by Loo Foh Sang and Mohd Khizal SaatPeter Liu Art GalleryIntermission Volume 1 Art & Design ExhibitionGallery @ KDU

Online Exhibitionhttp://mgtf.usm.my/exhibit/php

Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing- in- Publication Data

Hasnul Jamal Saidon, 1965- 1 Malaysia Contemporary art tourism / Hasnul Jamal Saidon. ISBN 978-967-10008-1-6 1. Art--Malaysia--Exhibitions. 2. Malaysia--Social policy--Exhibitions. I. Universiti Sains Malaysia. Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah. II Judul. 759.9595 ©2010 1Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism Festival and Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah, Universiti Sains Malaysia. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced except for the purpose of research, critism and review, without prior permision from the artists and publisher.

Tel: 04 6533888 ext-3261/2137/4789/4788/4786/3294

Fax: 04 6563531/6535060Email: dir_muzium@notes.usm.my

Website: www.mgtf.usm.mywww.mgtfusmpenang.blogspot.com

www.tagged.com/mgtfusmwww.facebook.com/mgtfusm

www.twitter.com/mgtfwww.youtube.com/mgtfusm

Contents

Defining Contemporary ArtUnder-deconstruction – Contemporary Art in Malaysia After 1990

Message by Y.B. Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen Minister of Tourism, Malaysia

Sparkles in Penang

Introduction to “Contemporary Art Campus”

USM’s Modern and Contemporary Art Legacy Prof. Tan Sri Dato Dzulkifli Abdul Razak

Vice-ChancellorUniversiti Sains Malaysia

Sustaining RelevancyHasnul J Saidon

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUSAbsorbing Future Shock:

Video, Digital & New Media Art Adiwarna Gallery, School of the Arts, USM

Reading…’Women’Women’s Development Research Centre USM

Reading…”Women’Penerbit USM

Abstraction / Social Criticism / The Semiotic of the BodyHamzah Sendut Library USM

Animal Kingdom / Nature HealsUSM Medical Centre (Pusat Sejahtera)

The Sublime Pusat Islam USM

Built EnvironmentSchool of Housing, Building & Planning USM

Socio-Cultural IndexUSAINS, Eureka Complex, USM

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PENANG ART TOURISM TRAILPenang International Print Exhibition (PIPE) 2010

Balai Seni Lukis Pulau Pinang

PIPE 2010: Tera Muda Galeri 27, School of the Arts, USM

PIPE 2010: Ketumbukan, Seni Cetak Alternatif Malaysia Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah, USM

Solo Print Making by Juhari Said entitled “BEFORE”Group Exhibition by Asean Artist

Galeri Seni Mutiara

Vibrant Art ShowcaseEquator Academy of Art

Heritage Penang II - Paintings, Drawings & Sketches by Local and International ArtistsGaleri Art Point

Solo Exhibition by Mr. A.RashidPenang Malay Art Gallery

Gallery ArtistsAlpha Utara Gallery

Flame of FlowersIdo Gallery

Solo Show by Loo Foh Sang and Mohd Khizal SaatPeter Liu Art Gallery

Intermission Volume 1 Art & Design ExhibitionGallery @ KDU

THE TEAM

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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1MALAYSIA CONTEMPORARY ART TOURISM

Sparkles In Penang (SIP)

Defining Contemporary Art

The term ‘contemporary’ connotes something that is

modern, current, up-to-date, fashionable, present day and

existing. The term ‘art’ here refers to many different forms

of expression that are prevalent in the today’s visual art

practice such as painting, printmaking, sculpture, drawing,

photography including digital print, video art, new media

art and installation art. Current practice of contemporary

art also includes many diverse forms of alternative

media, process and methodologies that include youtube

video, web-based collaborative project, experimental

and site-specific performance and installation, situational

and instructional art, sound art, light art, artist’s book,

graffiti, ready-mades, ephemeral art, intervention art,

expanded painting, quilt, fax and mobile phone. There is

also a tendency to combine various media, process and

methodologies as well as to explore beyond the confine

of gallery wall and its white cube paradigm amongst the

contemporary art proponents today.

Despite the emergence of non-conventional, experimental,

multi-disciplinary and alternative new forms, traditional

forms such as painting still persist. In fact, painting (in

its many variations) has continued to play a central role

as an important form of contemporary expression in the

Malaysian art scene.

It has to be noted that whatever that is contemporary today

will become ‘historical’ in another ten or more years to

come. Contemporary then, also connotes relevancy and

sustainability of artworks in cutting across the time-space

dimension. It is on this basis that several critical and

seminal works that were produced more than ten years ago

are also included in “SIP”.

Under-deconstruction – Contemporary Art in Malaysia

After 1990

For those who subscribe to a very linear reading of time

and notion of progress, contemporary art in Malaysia

after 1990 may seem a bit puzzling. In fact, writer Ooi Kok

Chuen uses a colloquial term ‘syiok’ as a pun for future

shock that the local artists had to encounter as Malaysia

engaged with globalisation, free market capitalism and

information technology during the 1990s.(1)

If one is willing to forsake one’s dependent on the

dominant master-narrative that has been used to

construct the history of Malaysian art, one may encounter

a contemporary art scene that is marked by ironies,

paradoxes and contradictions, as much as probabilities,

possibilities and potentials. They are rather prevalent

if we look into the fact that even the notions of history,

modernism and postmodernism are not spared from being

‘deconstructed’ and contested. It seems like the discourses

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of contemporary art in Malaysia since 1990 until today have

been ‘under-deconstruction’ and in a state of flux.

Michelle Antoinette in her essay Different Visions:

Contemporary Malaysian Art and Exhibition in 1990s and

Beyond describes the period during the 1990s as being

marked by ‘a climate of openness’ where ‘critique in art

has emerged’. She further states that it is a period where

‘constant flux and fragmentation is taken as a defining

feature of Malaysian culture and society’.(2)

The discourses of contemporary art in Malaysia are marked

by several key issues. Amongst them include :

1. A shift from master-narrative to multiple

discourses, which include the paradox of

‘deconstruction’ and the emergence of ‘other’

narratives that challenge the idea and reliance on

singular historical narrative in reading the practice

of visual art in Malaysia.

2. Preludes to postmodernism, which highlight the

importance of certain seminal works in the 70s

and 80s as important preludes to several forms of

contemporary art practice today.

3. Rethinking of ‘Malay proclivities’, which

questions the highly ethnocentric reading of the

role and contribution of UiTM especially during

the 80s towards visual art practice in Malaysia.

This includes acknowledging the contribution of

its lecturers and graduates in questioning blind

adherence to the Western notion of art and

aesthetic, reclaiming local and regional values

and elements, as well as enriching and expanding

visual art practice in Malaysia during the late

80s and early 90s. Several obscured but critical

trajectories in UiTM should also be highlighted

especially in functioning as important preludes for

many forms of contemporary art practice today.

4. Response to a perceived hegemony of the so-

called ‘Malay revivalist proclivities’ by writers and

several influential visual artists.

5. The three catalysts of change especially

during the 1990s, which include the imperative of

globalisation, free market capitalism and the impact

of information and communication technology.

6. Multiple and intertwined trajectories in dealing

with social concerns and reflecting postmodern

encounters.(3) Such trajectories also include a

convergence of modernist and postmodernist

paradigms, emergence of new forms and the

sustainability (or superiority) of painting. Another

important development is the emergence of new

writers-curators, new spaces, young movers and

new institutions.

7. Emergence of several key artworks that reflect

the neo-expressionist impulse, Malay angst and

dilemma; echoes of resent, reasserting the ‘others’

and reclaiming obscured histories; and challenges

in moving beyond racial polarity.

For a comprehensive review of contemporary art in

Malaysia, especially after 1990, one can refer to an essay

entitled ‘Under-Deconstruction – Contemporary Art in

Malaysia After 1990’ in Timeline, published by the National

Art Gallery in 2008.

Notes

1. This colloquial term was coined by Ooi Kok Chuen in ‘A

Comprehensive History of Malaysian Art’, in Dr. Tan Chee Khuan,

200 Malaysian Artists, The Art Gallery, Penang, 2002, p. 42.

2. Michelle Antoinette, ‘Different Visions : Contemporary Malaysian

art and exhibition in the 1990s and beyond’ in Caroline Turner

(ed), Art & Social Change : Contemporary Art in Asia and the

Pacific, Pandanus Book, Canberra, 2003. Through this essay,

Michelle focuses on the “defining moments and seminal figures

of contemporary Malaysian art from 1990s to the present, by

tracking the different and multiple trajectories along which recent art

production has evolved.” p. 232.

Safrizal Shahir in his essay, ‘Art Criticism in the Appreciation of

Malaysian Contemporary Art’ proposes that:

“The nascent point of Malaysian contemporary art, which embraces

or allows for the emergence of postmodern ideas, relatively could be

traced back to the late 1980’s. Indications and profiles suggested by

artworks in the period after that year mostly observe and are ascribe

to postmodern traits. Therefore any appreciation regarding the ideas

and practice of Malaysian contemporary art must revert to that time

frame’.

See Safrizal Shahir, ‘Art Criticism in the Appreciation of Malaysian

Contemporary Art’ in sentAp! Issue no.2, 2006, pp. 9-10.

3. Post-modern condition in the Malaysian art scene has been

explicated amongst many by: Zanita Anuar, ‘Ebb and Flow:

Observations on the cognitive tide in Flow/Arus. National Art Gallery,

Kuala Lumpur, 2000; Redza Piyadasa, ‘Melangkau Sempadan’

in Rupa Malaysia. Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur, 1999;

Niranjan Rajah, ‘The End of Globalization? Malaysian Art at the

Close of the 20th Century’ in, Fukuoka Triennial, Fukuoka Asian

Art Museum, Fukuoka,1999; Hasnul J Saidon, Takung, National

Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2004; See also a chapter on ‘From

Modernism to Post-modernism’ in Syed Ahmad Jamal (ed), The

Encyclopedia of Malaysia : Crafts and The Visual Arts, Didier Millet,

Singapore, 2007; and the seminal Digital Collage, Ismail Zain Solo

Exhibition, Galeriwan, Kuala Lumpur, 1988. Serena Abdullah, in her

article ‘Positioning Malaysia’s Postmodernism’ in sentAp!, issue no.

3, 2006, states that “even though, the “postmodern art” and changes

happening in Malaysian culture can be seen as an upshot of the

postmodern conditions through the globalisation process but does

postmodernism really manifests in Malaysia?”. She further proposes

that “a different strategy must be taken in positioning this latest trend

in the Malaysian art world” p. 8. In this regard, it is important to note

that, as Safrizal writes, “blind acceptance of Western-oriented theory

and its vague application onto Malaysian artworks only produces

an intentional fallacy, due to the fact that Malaysian contemporary

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art itself is deeply rooted in a local socio-cultural space which has

experienced hybrid fusion.” Refer to Safrizal Shahir, pp. 9-10. He

further reminds that “Deconstruction, Intertextuality, Perversion,

Simulacra or Hyper Reality are several typical theoretical principles

that could be adopted as tools for art criticism of Malaysian art.

However, profound and sincere observation on the functions of

criticism shall accordingly inspire us to search for the sustenance

of ‘hikmah’ intelligence with regards to the whole practice of art

criticism” p. 10.

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MESSAGE BY Y.B. DATO’ SRI DR. NG YEN YENMINISTER OF TOURISM, MALAYSIA

Malaysia’s wealth of culture, beautiful landscapes and exotic foods has been documented numerous times before. In fact, these are some of the main reasons for travellers to choose Malaysia as their holiday destination. However, there is one aspect of Malaysia that many have yet to discover: our beautiful and priceless art heritage.

In recent years, Malaysia’s art scene has grown to become an impressive force simply due to the good number of old and new artists populating the scene with their talent, and the amount of work they produce each year. The sizeable number of private galleries especially in the major cities has also encouraged the growth of Malaysian art by providing artists with a space in which to exhibit their works. In addition, these art galleries play an important role in identifying and discovering talented artists and grooming their careers as an artist. The presence of both corporate and individual art collectors and many others who are becoming well-acquainted with the benefits and pleasures of art, have also boosted the Malaysian art scene.

The Ministry of Tourism recognises the growing importance of art in respect to tourism. Malaysian art is the canvas upon which our culture, our lifestyle, our landscapes and people are featured. It is an important – and beautiful – documentation of Malaysia, the state of our country, the feelings of our people, the sense of nationhood. It is the perfect reflection of the 1Malaysia concept that the Malaysian Government envisions.

In this respect, I am happy that Malaysian art can be brought centre stage through this publication, as well as other initiatives planned for the development and promotion of Malaysian art.

I believe that these efforts will go a long way in promoting a love and appreciation for Malaysian art and similarly a love for Malaysia as a destination worthy to explore and discover.

“MALAYSIA TRULY ASIA”

Y.B. DATO’ SRI DR. NG YEN YENMINISTER OF TOURISM, MALAYSIA

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1MALAYSIA CONTEMPORARY ART TOURISM

“Sparkles In Penang”

The Penang chapter of 1Malaysia Contemporary Art

Tourism (MCAT), “Sparkles In Penang” (SIP) features

thirteen offerings of contemporary art exhibitions in ten

different venues throughout September 2010. These

venues have been known as amongst the prime movers

of contemporary art exhibitions and activities in Penang.

The biggest offering is called “Contemporary Art Campus”,

a major exposition of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

Fine Art Collection at several locations in the USM

main campus. Other major exhibitions include Penang

International Print Exhibition (PIPE) at the Penang State

Art Gallery and several other locations in USM and

Georgetown.

SIP is also complimented by public programmes such as

artists talk, exhibition tour and workshop to engage various

sections of the public and community with contemporary

art. A seminar entitled “Penang as a sustainable

international hub for contemporary art tourism” is scheduled

to take place at the Eastin Hotel in conjunction with SIP and

the MCAT campaign in Penang.

As a historical state known for its rich variety of cross-

cultural heritage, Penang has also been known for her own

unique flavour of art scene. Other than the conventional

forms of fine art practices, sparks of new, innovative, fresh

and exciting approaches have also been witnessed in

many parts of Penang for the past ten years. These sparks

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have been mostly instigated by the younger generation

of more experimental contemporary artists with support

of local institutions, NGOs and special-interest groups.

They provide sparks that will hopefully turn Penang into an

exciting international hub for contemporary art tourism in

this region.

So, come and visit Penang. While you are in Penang during

the month of September, don’t forget ‘to take a ‘SIP’’!

“SIP” is jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism

Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia Penang, Muzium & Galeri

Tuanku Fauziah and the School of the Arts USM. It is

supported by nine major galleries in Penang.

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1MALAYSIA CONTEMPORARY ART TOURISM

Sparkles In Penang (SIP)

Introduction to “Contemporary Art Campus”

Leading the ‘sparks’ of SIP is a major showcase of

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Fine Art Collection at the

Adiwarna Gallery, School of the Arts USM. The showcase,

aptly-named “Contemporary Art Campus” also spills out to

several other buildings, turning the whole campus into an

art gallery. This bold initiative, perhaps the first to be taken

by a local public university, compliments the University’s

‘garden’ concept. It also affirms USM’s commitment in

promoting a sustainable symbiosis of the arts and sciences

as the University steers it’s transformative drive as the first

APEX-status University in Malaysia.

USM Fine Art Collection has been acknowledged by

many local and international scholars as one of the most

important repositories of modern art in the Southeast

Asian region. Several works from the Collection have been

featured in many major exhibitions as significant signposts

and milestones for the Malaysian and regional art history.

Works by Ibrahim Hussein, Latiff Mohidin, Ismail Zain,

Joseph Tan, Nirmala Shanmughalingam, Zulkifli Buyong,

Patrick Ng, Dzulkifli Dahalan, Ismail Hashim, Lee Kian

Seng, Redza Piyadasa and Ruzaika Omar Basaree in

this Collection for examples, can be read as the early

trailblazers and roots of many forms of contemporary art

practice today. Artworks by these pioneers and trailblazers

are currently complimented by recent acquisitions of rare

drawings as well as cutting edge video, digital prints and

new media artworks by contemporary Malaysian artists

today. In fact, USM is perhaps the only institution in

Malaysia that has been comprehensively collecting video

and new media works as a part of its acquisition, curatorial

and research practices.

Spearheaded by the Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah

(MGTF) USM, the showcase intervenes with the existing

spaces of several strategic buildings in the campus in order

to bring the Collection to the campus community and public

at large. Using such creative intervention as a part of its

curatorial and audience research method, “Contemporary

Art Campus” presents a unique approach in engaging

the campus community with modern and contemporary

art. This initiative also epitomises MGTF’s transformative

stance in enriching interpretations of its precious, diverse

and important Collection. By turning several interior spaces

of the campus into public art galleries, MGTF hopes

to sustain the relevancy of its Collection, especially in

balancing USM’s scientific endeavours.

The showcase is divided into seven themes, spread into

eight different locations in USM :

1. Absorbing Future Shock – Video, Digital and

New Media Art

Adiwarna Gallery, School of the Arts USM

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2. Reading… ‘Women’

Women’s Development Research Centre USM

Penerbit USM

3. Abstraction / Social Criticism / The Semiotic

of the Body

Hamzah Sendut Library USM

4. Animal Kingdom / Nature Heals

USM Medical Centre (Pusat Sejahtera)

5. The Sublime

Pusat Islam USM

6. Built Environment

School of Housing, Building & Planning USM

7. Socio-cultural Index

USAINS, Eureka Complex USM

Central to the campus-wide exhibition is ‘Absorbing Future

Shock (AFS) –Digital, Video and New Media Art’ at the

Adiwarna Gallery. The exhibition features digital prints

and video works by internationally-renowned Malaysian

artists such as Wong Hoy Cheong, Hasnul J Saidon,

Yee I-Lann, Hayati Mokhtar, Nadiah Bamadhaj, Ahmad

Fuad Osman, Masnoor Ramli and Nur Hanim Mohamed

Khairuddin. Complimenting these are works by the younger

generation of experimental, conceptual and new media

artists such as Faizal Zulkifli, K.Azril, Roopesh Sitharan,

Sharon Chin, Vincent Leong, Tengku Azhari, Kamal

Sabran, Fadly Sabran, Rini Fauzan, Anuar Ayob, Ekram Al-

Hafis, Colmann Abdullah and Haris Abadi. Rare collection

of digital collage prints by the pioneer of computer art in

Malaysia, the late Ismail Zain are also featured.

Contemporary Art Campus

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AFS represents MGTF’s boldness in acquiring critical but

commercially-challenging artworks created by some of

Malaysia’s best talent in the contemporary art practice. It

also epitomises the changing realities that surround the

contemporary Malaysian art practice towards and beyond

the 21st century.

AFS also feature non-electronic-based artworks that

reflect artists’ response towards technological intervention

and existentialist’s interpretation of self, identity and

representation in today’s age of global telecommunication

and industrial mechanisation. Works by young artists such

as Ruzzeki Harris, Abd Latiff Ahmad Padzali, Al-Khuzairie

Ali, Mohd Faiz Shukor, Azmin Hussein, Umibaizurah Mahir

and Khairul Azmir Shoib represent such response.

The showcase also offer precious opportunity for visitors to

enjoy rare collection of preparatory drawings by prominent

and influential contemporary artists such as Sooshie

Sulaiman, Fauzin Mustaffa, Noor Azizan Paiman, Tengku

Sabri, Mastura Abdul Rahman, Shamsul Bahari and Eng

Hwe Chu. These rare drawings are complimented by

architectural sketches by Pheh It Hao and Penang-based

Ch’ng Kean Kiean.

Fauzan Omar, Tang Hon Yin, Sharifah Fatimah Zubir,

Hamidi Hadi, Sabri Idrus, Fathullah Luqman Yusuff and

Rahmat Haron are also represented. They are known

for their commitment towards abstract pursuits, intuitive,

formalist and perceptual leanings. Their works also feature

romantic, poetic and extended formalism through colours,

patterns and textures of nature. The abstract school of

works is further added by the inclusion of Lim Eng Hooi,

Joseph Tan, Choong Kam Kow and Fadzil Othman’s

formalist exposition of optical and minimal art. Paintings

and prints by Md Sani Md Dom, Cheah Ewe Hoon, Zakaria

Ali, Raja Azhar Idris’s, Ismail Kadir, Mohd Shaparel and Ilse

Noor represent a more representational and picturesque

works in the Collection. Paintings by Penang-born/based

artists such as James Sum, Chong Hon Fatt, Chai Chuan

Jin, Chuah Siew Teng, are also featured.

Other special features include early works of Jailani Abu

Hassan, Mohd Ekif Amir, Romli Mahmud and Haron

Mokhtar. All these works were created during their student

days or early phase of their career, thus placing the works

as amongst the most valuable if not rare components of the

USM Collection. Mixed media are represented by the works

of Mohd Noor Mahmud and rare sketch of Fauzin Mustafa.

Zulkifli Yusoff’s painting, Raja Shahriman’s sculpture and

Bayu Utomo’s print represent expressive approach towards

human figure.

All the works mentioned above are exhibited under several

different themes and locations as listed before.

With the green and scenic USM campus as an ideal setting

for visiting, “Contemporary Art Campus” is certainly a

more than worthy showcase to be explored, enjoyed and

appreciated.

Ismail ZainAl Kesah (1988)Computer Print20cm x 28cmPurchased

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In this regard, the late Hamzah Sendut’s vision and

forwardness in planting the seed of fine art in USM in

1971 was indeed far ahead of its time. This seed was

later nurtured to grow into an Art Center, which was later

upgraded to the School of the Arts. The presence of

the Art Center had paved the way for the establishment

of a museum in USM, which now houses one of the

most important and valuable collections of modern and

contemporary Malaysian art in the region.

2. MGTF and the Future Stance of USM Fine Art

Collection

As MGTF encounters the imperatives of the 21st century,

it has to do so with a strong rooting in its own rich and

diverse cross-cultural heritage. This heritage is marked by

the spirit of creating a sustainable cultural ecosystem.

Asian artistic legacies can be traced in its rich cross-cultural

heritage of pictorial recitations or performed paintings in

countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam,

Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, China, Japan, Iran and India.

They reflect the products of a sustainable ecosystem. Can

this sustainable ecosystem be retained and conserved

in today’s regional matrix of Asian contemporary art,

considering the rapid changes that have taken place as we

race and engage with the challenges of the 21st century?

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

USM’s Modern and Contemporary Art Legacy

1. Revisiting The Pioneering Spirit

39 years ago in Malaysia, the idea of introducing fine art

as a scholarly endeavour within the matrix of a tertiary

science-oriented institution like Universiti Sains Malaysia

(USM) would probably be dismissed as preposterous.

Even today, the lingering possibility of such a dismissal

still persists despite the increasing call for a convergence

between art and science. The call itself reflects the

imperativeness of developing a more balanced knowledge-

based human capital to meet the growing demand of the

industry, especially the creative industry. More importantly,

there is also a pressing call for a sustainable development

which entails cross-disciplinary initiative and pro-active

engagement from experts in both the arts and sciences.

As Malaysia positions itself within the global matrix and

changing realities of the 21st century, the demand to

facilitate inter-connectedness within and across multiple

disciplines simultaneously escalates. It also calls for the

redefining of the mismatch in our current higher education

ideals as we take a leaf from Eastern wisdom which

declares that ‘learning is about being and not about having’

as articulated by Confucius, or that of Islam that regards

knowledge as a source to not only create material wealth,

but also to create spiritual well-being.

31

Prof. Tan Sri Dato Dzulkifli Abdul Razak with

Pago-Pago (1965) by Latiff Mohidin.

should also include artworks that feature cutting edge

experimentations with new media. This may expand the

reading of art beyond a formalist interpretation. In addition,

the explication of the collection may not anymore be

confined by a closed definition of fine art according to the

Western tradition, but enriched by non-linear and multiple

discourses related to pressing contemporary issues, with

a strong rooting in the rich tapestry of local and Southeast

Asian cultural heritage.

USM’s Fine Art Collection has to be supported by

substantive supporting programs that will further enhance,

diversify and sustain its relevancy with the changing

times. MGTF has to embark on extensive research and

publication activities to explicate its Collection. MGTF also

has to sustain a healthy link with other major institutions

that own extensive collections of modern and contemporary

art in Asia.

“Contemporary Art Campus” reflects MGTF’s response to

the above-mentioned imperatives. In addition, MGTF has

established links with institutions such as the Singapore Art

Museum, the National University of Singapore Museums,

Vargas Museum of the University of the Philippines,

Soemardja Gallery of Bandung Institute of Technology,

the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and the Queensland

Art Gallery. It has also sustained its collaboration with

the Penang fine art community, NGOs and activists, the

National Art Gallery of Malaysia, the Petronas Gallery and

many galleries in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Melaka and Johor

Bharu.

Can the need for preservation and conservation as well as

revitalisation and adaptation be reflected in USM’s Fine Art

Collection in the following years?

It is in the spirit of reflecting the motion towards inter-

connectedness and conserving a sustainable cultural

ecosystem that MGTF should chart the future direction of

its acquisition.

USM’s future art collection should reflect how Malaysia creatively navigates herself within the complex matrix of the contemporary ‘glocal’ society. Emphasis should be given to artworks that reflect the challenges of absorbing the so called future shock, diverging and converging consumerist lifestyles, the pressing and sensitive issues related to ethnicity, religion and gender, the imperatives of the free market economy and the impact of ICT.

The future collection should also echo the changing face

of contemporary art practice in Malaysia and in the region.

Presently, several interesting new talents are steering their

careers as a means to engage with cultural and ideological

contestation and to negate prescribed values. Others are

interested in exploring the relationship between knowledge

and power and to lament the lost of meaning in their society

of spectacle. Young talents represent new consumers

of communication technology, new cultural agents and a

new breed of net generation. In this regard, the collection

Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak receiving a donation of Red & Purple Interlude by the Late Ibrahim Hussein from Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Chairman of AmBank Group, in Mei 13, 2008

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USM’s ‘garden’ metaphor reinforces the fact that knowledge is diversity in unity and transcends what meets the eye. The term ‘tree of knowledge’ in fact is an ancient one that mirrors on the ‘oneness’ of knowledge in a very interconnected way, at least at the philosophical level. It is all-encompassing and marks the convergence of meaning both in the tangible sense as well as in the intangible sense – the later is often being marginalised.

Through continuous efforts of substantiating USM Fine

Art Collection, the intangible aspect of knowledge will

hopefully not be marginalised anymore. As the guardian of

the Collection and as one of the oldest departments in the

University, MGTF USM should be acknowledged as one

of the most significant cultural institutions in the State of

Penang, Malaysia and the region. Hopefully, it will continue

to grow, transform and mature into a global player or leader

that will contribute proactively towards the shaping of a

sustainable international contemporary art scene. Such a

stance, will certainly compliment USM transformative drive

towards attaining a world-class stature according to its own

terms and cultural tradition.

4. Parting Note

As a closing note, USM is honoured to offer its deepest

gratitude to YB Dato’ Sri Ng Yen Yen and her highly

dedicated team at the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia for

having a good faith in USM to co-organise “Sparkles in

MGTF’s extensive collaborative record has been extended

by the inclusion of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia. The

collaboration with the Ministry in organising the MCAT

chapter in Penang aptly called “Sparkles in Penang” is

timely, especially in complimenting MGTF’s interest in

diversifying into the ‘blue ocean’ of educational, cultural

and heritage tourism. In this regards, MGTF and USM

are certainly honoured to be working with the Ministry of

Tourism Malaysia under the auspice and forward-looking

leadership of YB Dato’ Sri Ng Yen Yen, Minister of Tourism

Malaysia. MCAT will certainly provide critical momentum in

substantiating USM Fine Art Collection.

Other collaborative efforts, too lengthy to be explicated in

this essay, have also been taken to further substantiate

USM Fine Art Collection.

3. Transformation of a Legacy Into A Global Player of

Contemporary Art

After about 39 years of existence since the initial idea of

establishing a Museum and Gallery in USM was mooted by

the Late Hamzah Sendut in 1971, USM Fine Art Collection

has stood proudly against the test of time. It has become

an incomparable testament of USM’s commitment in

preserving and sustaining its own cultural legacy for the

future generation. In recollecting USM’s modern and

contemporary art legacy developed over the years, one

would be tempted to admit that the Collection represents a

unique achievement, considering its presence in the midst

of scientific endeavours that are customarily used to define

USM as a university.

Penang” as a part of its nation-wide MCAT initiative. USM

is also grateful to receive positive support from all the

participating galleries and Malaysian visual artists. The

collaboration and support are sure signs of more positive

sustainable development in regards to the future of

contemporary art tourism in Penang.

Prof. Tan Sri Dato Dzulkifli Abdul Razak

Vice-Chancellor

Universiti Sains Malaysia

34 35

process re-discovering USM’s very own trans-disciplinary

and multi-cultural heritage by reframing its diverse

Collections through its own converging lenses, rather than

the typical reductionist lenses of the ‘machine-age’ and

‘industry-factory’ paradigm. In reframing the Collections

through Malaysia’s own socio-cultural, philosophical

and cosmological perspectives, MGTF may rejuvenate

Malaysia’s rich heritage and reinforce the University’s

‘garden’ metaphor.

In addition to reframing, MGTF has also been engaged

in audience research and surveys of various exhibition

technologies, including new projection systems such as

video reflection, 3D video mapping, motion tracking and

many more.

The idea of turning USM into a contemporary art campus

compliments the University’s current transformative,

re-discovering and re-framing drives. It accentuates the

‘garden’ concept of USM, especially in championing a

sustainable symbiosis of the arts and sciences. It was also

inspired by the positive momentum of contemporary art

practice and activities in Malaysia for the past few years.

Undeniably, one of many catalysts of such momentum is

the emergence and presence of private galleries as well as

influential collectors such as Aliya & Farouk Khan.

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Sustaining Relevancy

Activities organised by the Muzium & Galeri Tuanku

Fauziah(MGTF) reflect Universiti Sains Malaysia’s

(USM) continuous rejuvenation and transformative

mode, especially in charting new territories, advocating

sustainability and shifting from defunct paradigm. They

employ principles such as portability, audience-centered,

people-defined, choice, modularity, inter-dependence,

contextual, non-linear, interactivity, simultaneity, multiplicity,

connectivity, flexibility, convergence and trans-disciplinary.

These principles are not only complimentary to and

intrinsically inherent in Malaysia and Southeast Asia’s very

own trans-disciplinary and cross-cultural heritage, they

are also fundamental in providing an elemental shift of

consciousness for contemporary art practice in the region.

MGTF USM believes that sustainability starts from the very

essence of our own consciousness, our mind, always in

a state of awareness, always in presence, always in the

‘now’, always in the state of ‘being’, thus MGTF’s tagline

“BEyond seeINg”

Several preliminary steps have been initiated to further

facilitate the above-mentioned spirit, including reviews

of many studies on the human brain and mind as well as

consciousness. In reviewing, MGTF also returns to its own

unique and diverse collections of traditional, modern and

contemporary art. MGTF has been engaging in a

37

an important platform to survey several key issues, routes

and themes that are pertinent in discussing about Malaysia,

especially after 1990.

By establishing the relevancy, significance and importance of the collected artworks through research, publication, exhibition, teaching, learning and other alternative forms of audience engagement activities, contemporary art practice in Malaysia can also be further placed as one of Malaysia’s treasured gifts for her international visitors. In this regards, the initiation of MCAT is fitting and timely indeed.

The Penang chapter of MCAT entitled “Sparkles in

Penang” is a massive undertaking that requires a spirit

of camaraderie, vibrancy and creative energy amongst

several major players and movers of contemporary art

in Penang. The fact that there are thirteen exhibitions

held concurrently in ten locations in Penang during the

month of September is a testimony of such camaraderie,

vibrancy and creative energy. A special seminar on the

need to turn Penang into a sustainable international hub

for contemporary art will also take place. MGTF and

the School of the Arts USM are indeed honoured to be

appointed by the Ministry of Tourism to take a leading role

in this project.

The showcase of “Contemporary Art Campus” (CAC)

highlights the significance of USM Fine Art Collection.

The Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection (AFC) is fast becoming

one of the most important collections of contemporary

Malaysian art that have emerged since 1990. As a part

of MCAT project initiated and funded by the Ministry of

Tourism Malaysia, several thematic exhibitions of this

seminal Collection have been curated by the indefatigable

and talented Sooshie Sulaiman, who happens to be one

of the most internationally-acclaimed Malaysian artists

herself. The exhibitions can be taken as an upshot of a

major publication of the Collection that was launched by

the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin

in mid 2010. This seminal publication has strategically

substantiated the Collection in many ways. It serves as an

important milestone for a concerted and massive effort in

documenting and presenting a Collection. It also provides

a professional benchmarking for the effort of positioning

contemporary Malaysian art as one of the major forces in

the regional and global contemporary art practice.

Of course, no single collection can claim absolute

superiority. Similarly, no single collection can stand on its

own to claim absolute representation of the diverse forms

and varieties of Malaysian contemporary art practice.

Therefore, it is imperative to acknowledge the need to

work inter-dependently in showcasing several critical

institutional and private collections in a more collaborative

manner to compliment the more isolated approach. These

collections, including the USM Fine Art Collection, embody

various responses of Malaysian contemporary artists to

postmodern conditions brought about by globalisation, free

market capitalism and information technology. They provide

Hasnul J Saidon in front of The Element of Surprise (2008) by Fadzil Othman.

38 39

CAC is also an important part of MGTF’s research project on USM Fine Art Collection. It allows MGTF to gain pertinent data on accessibility, public engagement and enrichment of interpretation, alternative curatorial strategy, exhibition design and technology, exhibition management, branding and audience development.

CAC will certainly bring up several issues and new

hypotheses. Amongst them include the existing policy and

criteria of acquisition itself (which is traditionally dominated

by a ‘white cube’ paradigm), curatorial methodology,

arrangement and placement of works, physical setting (how

to deal with spaces that were not designed and built as an

art gallery or white cube), physical condition and function

of the selected spaces, users’ profile, movement and flow,

accessibility and visibility, lighting (natural light vs lighting

fixtures), zoning and mapping, security status, different

levels of exposure, interpretation and response. CAC will

be an ample platform to compile crucial data in regards to

these issues.

Upon endorsement from USM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Tan

Sri Dato’ Dzlkifli Abdul Razak, CAC began with a process

of surveying, documenting and studying several selected

spaces that scattered across few buildings in the USM

campus. This was followed by a process of matching

the selected spaces with appropriate themes. Not all

the spaces were designed or built as an art gallery. This

Selected works from the Collection are clustered into seven

themes and spread over eight different locations in the

USM campus. It necessitates collaborative engagement

between MGTF and various departments in USM. In doing

so, it further reiterates the fact that MGTF has to work

inter-dependently and collaboratively even with people and

departments that may have no apparent connection with

contemporary art. It demands MGTF to practically apply the

principles underlined before.

Central to CAC is its exposition of recent acquisitions of

USM Fine Art Collection. MGTF approaches acquisition

practice as a critical part of research, teaching and

learning. In short, a collection is approached as a

knowledge repository, not just a mere showcase meant

for bragging. One main feature of the recent acquisition

is the focus on digital print, video and new media art, as

well as works that reflects how Malaysian visual artists

respond to the ‘future shock,’ so to speak. Naturally, the

theme “Absorbing Future Shock – Video, Digital and New

Media Art” is placed at the Adiwarna Gallery, School of the

Arts. Other than reflecting the School’s proactive stance

in engaging with the challenges of the future, the theme

also encompasses one of its research focus and niches

in media art. Consequently, this theme is extensively

elaborated as an anchor for this catalogue. Other themes

will be presented in a rather generic manner, mostly due

to the fact that they will be explicated in MGTF’s future

publication.

several critical reasons, most of the artworks have ended-

up being placed in secured areas such as conference or

meeting room, main office, lobby and counter, reading

space and even enclosed staircase. An audience-response

and visitors’ profile books are placed at each location,

together with a generic synopsis to invite interpretation and

response.

Interestingly, MGTF has already received several candid,

if not intriguing responses from several hosts. At the

Women’s Development Research Centre (Kanita), a

visually imposing masterpiece by Joseph Tan received

a different reading. The strong display of American flag

in the work was read by one of the support staffs as an

act of adoring the USA even though the original context

of the work was meant as a strong respond towards the

atrocities against Asian women by American soldiers. On

a rather positive note, the Director of the Centre finds her

own favourite artist and artwork in Chuah Thean Teng’s

Tanpa Tajuk (1972), which she considers as a ‘classic’.

The Director of Penerbit USM picked Dzulkifli Buyong’s

masterpiece as his choice to be hanged on the wall of

the meeting room. The Head Librarian was very pleased

to have the existing and new library buildings adorned by

abstract masterpieces from the Collection. On the other

hand, he appeared rather nervous about hosting the

more politically and visually challenging three dimensional

artworks under the theme “Social Criticism”.

These are some of the preliminary responses that we at

MGTF have managed to compile during the installation

presented a curatorial challenge as well as opportunities.

MGTF also had to be tactful in approaching each host while

avoiding from appearing too imposing and patronising. The

whole process was rather organic and entails negotiation

with the hosts, particularly the Directors and Deans. Other

than the Directors and Deans, CAC also hopes to engage

with other stakeholders of each host, including its officers

and supporting staff, academicians, researchers, students,

visitors and other relevant parties.

With extensive experience in working with various

communities, MGTF did not expect its hosts to be

well-versed with contemporary art, or even the arts in

general. The hosts in return, had probably expected to

receive beautiful and decorative artworks meant to make

their place of work looks nicer. Artworks are normally

taken as a part of home furnishing and furbishing. Such

expectation is nevertheless common and relate to the

common notion, perception and assumption about art in

general. Commonly, art is perceived as something light,

entertaining and beautifying, without any academic or

other forms of practical values. CAC will hopefully induce

the fact that contemporary art can also be employed as

means to engage with deeper analysis, thinking, reflection,

meditation, contemplation and expression.

Thankfully, MGTF and the idea to spread the Collection

were positively and proactively received. For this, MGTF

is very grateful to find welcoming and supportive hosts

for the Collection. Most of the time, MGTF was given a

free hand in deciding on ‘what to place in where’. Due to

40 41

process of the project. Regardless of whatever responses

that may emerge, MGTF believes that CAC will provide

a critical opportunity to create new audience for the

Collection. In doing so, CAC will hopefully assist MGTF in

sustaining the relevancy of the USM Fine Art Collection.

As a parting note, and on behalf of MGTF, I would like

to extend my gratitude to the staffs from the Ministry

of Tourism Malaysia (KL and Penang) for their faith,

confidence and support. CAC also reflects MGTF’s way of

honouring the participating artists, by making their works

accessible to the public. Compliments should also be given

to all the participating hosts who, under the inspirational

leadership of their forward-looking Vice-Chancellor, have

endorsed and supported the project enthusiastically. A

special credit should be given to all the staff members

of MGTF, especially its curators, assistant curators and

museum assistants for their professional attitude, efficient

performance and tireless strive towards excellence and

perfection in making CAC, SIP and MCAT a success.

Salam 1Malaysia.

Associate Professor Hasnul J Saidon

Director

Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah (MGTF)

Universiti Sains Malaysia

September 2010.

42 43

Absorbing Future Shock: Video, Digital & New Media Art

Adiwarna Gallery, School of the Arts, USM

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Associate Professor A. Rahman Haji MohamedDean

46 47

experimentations emerged in the midst of what can be considered as amongst the peak periods of Malaysian modernism, with abstract, water colour, big and pleasing paintings dominated the local art scene then. One example of such experimentations is Ismail Zain’s Digital Collage (1988), a solo exhibition consisted of his Macintosh-based digital prints. The exhibition can be taken as the early trailblazer of electronic art (e-art) in Malaysia. It has also been acknowledged for introducing new theoretical frameworks for contemporary art practice, especially in relation to media semiotics, information theory and globalisation.

Bahaman Hashim and Kamarudzaman Mat Isa (lecturers at UiTM) also started to use computer technology in the late 1980s to produce their silkscreen and photographic works. Around the same period, Ray Langenbach (with his students at the Universiti Sains Malaysia/USM) explored the use of video and electronic robotics while Liew Kungyu, who is known for his witty and wry multi-dimensional works, exhibited his single-channel video installation entitled Passage Through Literacy at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia in 1989. It was during the late 80s also that expanded painting and multi-arts engagements continued to be revitalised by groups such as the 4 Persepsi (Hasnul J Saidon, Taufik Abdullah, Fauzin Mustaffa and Mohd Noor Mahmud), Centerstage lead by Normah Nordin and Najib Nor and Five Arts Center lead by Krishen Jit and Marion D’Cruz.

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Absorbing Future Shock – Video, Digital & New Media Art

1. Trails of Early ExperimentationsThe novelties of information and communication technology and the emergence of new media especially after 1990 have provided an important context for the contemporary art practice in Malaysia. Technology has provided a platform for global networking, enabling artists to form a web of non-hierarchical relationship or multi-directional link with other artists around the world. Such link has instigated cross-cultural encounters, creating a more inter-connected or inter-dependent environment for artists to steer their career. They have begun to embrace a set of new paradigm, marked by convergence, virtual presence, hybridity, interactivity and modularity. Currently, websites, blogs, chatrooms, online videos, youtubes, facebook, virtual galleries, online database, sms and mms provide free access to myriads of information for artists, especially those of the younger generation.

Since the 1990s, several artists have responded by using new media technology itself to make their works. Others have responded by expressing their feelings and thoughts on the impact of new technology. Art establishments, institutions and commercial galleries have also responded by organising exhibitions, projects, developing website, online tour and database.

The seed of experimentations with video, electronic and digital technology was planted in the late 1980s. Such

Ismail ZainThe Magic Marker (1988)Computer Print28cm x 20cm Purchased

48 49

boundaries. Their interest and sentiment echoed similar preference towards installation and experimental approaches in the international art scene then. In doing so, they drove several interesting trajectories during the 90s whilst diversifying (if not deconstructing, albeit temporarily) certain privileged and dominant practices during the late 80s and early 90s.

It was during the 90s also that artists such as Wong Hoy Cheong, Hasnul J Saidon and Niranjan Rajah began to experiment with video and computer technology in producing their works, mostly due to their conceptual and multi-disciplinary stance. Wong Hoy Cheong for example, produced Sook Chin in 1990, an experimental documentary that was also presented in a form of collaborative performance at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia. Hasnul, who came back to Malaysia in 1993, produced several video works during his stay in the USA in the early 1990s and continued to showcase his video art and collaborative electro-acoustic performances actively

Faizal ZulkifliRoad Runner (1996)Video Art13 mins 34 sec

Mohd Noor MahmudBunga Pahat (2007)Acrylic on Wood on Canvas213cm x 91cmDonated by Mohd Noor Mahmud

Early 1990s saw the emergence of experimental works that include site-specific installation, video, performances, plus expansion of issues beyond aesthetic and formalism, such as identity and representation, cultural marginalisation, local politics and the economy. Installation art was spearheaded by several young artists then, such as Wong Hoy Cheong, Liew Kungyu, Zulkifli Yusoff, Tan Chin Kuan, the MATAHATI group and Noor Azizan Paiman. These artists, together with several other students from UiTM (Universiti Teknologi MARA) and MIA (Malaysian Institute of Art) toyed with mixed media and expanded painting, converging multiple fine art disciplines into one expanded installation, experimenting with computers and videos, inserting performative element, revitalising conceptual approach, doing research-intensive work, exerting angst and revisiting expressionism through figurative works.

They were interested in researching, testing, challenging, expanding, experimenting, questioning and exploring

of Malaysia, Malaysian Video Awards (started in 1994) organised by the Malaysian Video Awards Council, Sony Video Art Festival (1994) organised by Sony Corporation, HYPERview (1997) a solo exhibition of electronic arts by Hasnul J Saidon, and X’plorasi (1997) organised by the Faculty Of Applied & Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).

UNIMAS had also developed and launched a web portal and online discussion forum called E-Art Asean Online in 2000 (now defunct) while its artists were invited to participate in the Screen Culture and Virtual Triennial sections of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (1999), organised by the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia. Since then, the Faculty has been consistent in encouraging and exhibiting technology-based works of its final year students through its annual

Niranjan RajahThe Failure of Marcel Duchamp (1996)Webwork

CIPTA (Cetusan Inspirasi Pelajar Tahun Akhir) showcase. Its faculty members have also been consistent in exhibiting their technology-based works such as in the recent e-CITRA (2010) exhibition. Other than UNIMAS,

throughout the 90s. Niranjan Rajah on the other hand, employed the internet as the platform of his online works as well as means to investigate the different paradigm between online and offline space. Other than instigating several new dimensions in the local visual art practice then, these three artists then began to be known for their multi-faceted roles as a lecturer, researcher, writer and curator, amongst many. Hoy Cheong was even actively involved in politics and social works.

The experimentations and explorations of the artists above were further enriched by other artists such as Ponirin Amin, Zulkifli Yusoff, Zulkifli Che’ Haris, A. Rahman Mohamed, Faizal Zulkifli, Suhaimi Tohid, Syed Alwi, Lau Mun Leng, Liew Teck Leong, Low Yii Chin, Masnoor Ramli Mahmud, Azman Ismail, Muhd Faizal Sidik, Ling Siew Woei, John Hii and Alizam Hassan.

Other than video and computer-based art, artists such as Chuah Chong Yong employed the use of fax print for his work Pre War Building for Sale:Welcome to the Era of the Biggest, the Tallest and the Longest (1999). Other artists had also responded to media technology and the emergence of cyber world. Ahmad Shukri’s Insect Diskettes series II (1997) and Long Thien Shih’s Bar Coded Man (2001) are two examples. Recently, prominent Malaysian artist Zulkifli Yusoff, utilised computer-based process to produce images for his paintings and large-scale installations in his major solo show, Negaraku (2010).

Amongst the significant exhibitions that focus on video and digital-based art forms are International Video Art Festival (1990 & 1994), 1st Electronic Art Show (1997) and Flow-Arus (2000) organised by the National Art Gallery

50 51

2. Video Art in Malaysia – An OverviewHistorically, as a discipline of visual art and as a subject of study, video art in Malaysia is relatively new in comparison to other more traditional forms of fine art practices such as painting, printmaking, sculpture and drawing. Its’ presence throughout the history of fine art practices in Malaysia has been rather sporadic and scattered. Furthermore, other than the National Art Gallery and Universiti Sains Malaysia, institutions or private collectors have not been known to collect video art. Despite such situation, video art in Malaysia emerged years before her neighbouring countries, through Liew Kungyu’s, Passage Through Literacy (1989).

For the past two decades, there have been occasional efforts in presenting video as an art form through solo exhibitions, public screenings, festivals and entries in art competitions. Since 1989, several local visual artists with experimental tendencies have dwelled into video as a part of their artistic repertoires. Artists like Ray Langenbach, Wong Hoy Cheong and Liew Kungyu were amongst them. Their video works have also been shown internationally.

USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia) and UPSI (Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris) had jointly organised USM-UPSI Digital Exhibition (2001) in Ipoh. Meanwhile, the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, MMU (Multimedia University), since its inception, has also been known to churn out digital works by both its faculty members and students.

Other seminal events include an online exhibition in Pekan Seni Ipoh in the late 1990s, curated by Niranjan Rajah, and a series of online projects called Museum Without Wall, curated by Wong Hoy Cheong. Video was also featured in experimental theater and musical productions such as Rama & Sita – New Generation (1996), a theater production directed by Janet Pillai and Charlene Rajendran, Skin Trilogy (1996), a multidimensional art performance directed by Krishen Jit and curated by Wong Hoy Cheong, Jambori Rimba – An Audience-interactive Video with Sound Installation and Concert (1996) by Hasnul J Saidon in collaboration with Barton & Priscillia McLean, Jati (2000) directed by Hamzah Tahir and Antara Semangat (2001) directed by Luiz Algreti. Multi-arts festivals such as Klue (2001) also include video art works by local artists. Perhaps, the most exciting and fertile ground for exposition of artworks that incorporate the use of video and digital technology is the Young Contemporaries Awards, organised by the National Art Gallery of Malaysia once every two years. Youtube-based video festivals as well as several online and community-oriented projects have also emerged for the past few years, spearheaded predominantly by individuals or cross-disciplinary collectives who are interested in exploring the seemingly ‘democratic’ posture and promises of online paradigm.

projects, with collaborative engagements and networking that often reach out beyond institutional or gallery wall, even beyond the national border towards regional collaborations. Such collaborations have also expanded the way contemporary art is engaged, especially in reaching out to non-conventional audiences. These collaborations have also introduced many fresh, trans-disciplinary and innovative modus operandi, strategies and methodologies in organising contemporary art events.

Post 1990s artists who are more conceptual and open-ended towards their visual art practices such as Niranjan Rajah (now based in Canada), Hayati Mokhtar, Nadiah Bamadhaj (now based in Indonesia), Noor Azizan Paiman, Masnoor Ramli, Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin, Yee I-Lann, Vincent Leong and Ahmad Fuad Osman, have also shown their video-based works internationally. Video art however, has not been practiced singularly by any Malaysian artist. It has mostly been used in tandem with other mediums.

Amongst the international highlights of video art practice by Malaysian artists include Hasnul J Saidon’s Kdek!Kdek!Ong! (1994), an installation with video which was exhibited at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Triennial (1996) in Brisbane, Australia; Wong Hoy Cheong’s Re:Looking (2003), a multidimensional installation which was shown at the prestigious 50th Venice Biennale (2003) and Hayati Mokhtar’s Near Intervisible Lines (2006), a 4 channel video projection which was shown at the Sydney Biennale (2006). Other highlights include Nadiah Bamadhaj’s Beyond Recognition (2005) which was screened at the TV-TV, Week 34, Video Art Festival (2006) in Copenhagen, Denmark and Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin’s se(RANG)

Ray for example, produced several significant and critical video works in the early 1990s. Towards the late 1990’s, the presence of video art as a part of e-art has been further acknowledged by the inclusion of multimedia category in the prestigious Malaysian Young Contemporaries Awards.

The early history of video art in Malaysia as well as e-art in general, has been introduced through the 1st Electronic Art Show held in the National Art Gallery in November 1997, curated by Hasnul J Saidon and Niranjan Rajah. It has been supplemented and further expounded by the initiation of E-Art Asean Online, an internet-based portal funded by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in 2000. It was launched and made available in offline or printed version (a book) by the National Art Gallery, in conjunction with the launching of an international collaborative exhibition entitled Flow-Arus (2000) between Australian and Malaysian artists, curated by Zanita Anuar and Wayne Tunnicliff. The portal, consisted of a database, e-forum, e-journal, web art and e-link can now be taken as amongst the earliest form of community-oriented online initiative for the visual arts in Malaysia. It was unfortunately left to suffer a premature online demise due to directional change of its institutional owner.

Fortunately, video art practice in Malaysia after the year 2000 did not suffer similar fate. In fact, it has been featured quite prominently in many exhibitions, competitions, festivals and screenings. Several young artists began to employ video in expressing their ideas and feelings. In the past few years, video has been an instrumental tool for art collectives, cultural activists and groups, alternative spaces as well as small scale exhibitions, private screenings, experimental performances and community

52 53

in many local video art competitions, including the annual Festival Filem Pelajar (Students Film Festival) organised by FINAS (Filem Nasional). Concurrently, such development has placed video art at a fluid trans-disciplinary juncture of cinematic art or narrative film, fine art, literature, advertising, design, music, sound art and animation. In a way, it necessitates its practitioners to be multi-dimensional in their approach.

Younger artists such as Anuar Ayob, Diffan Sina, Fadly Sabran, Fairuz Sulaiman, Fariza Idora Al-Habshi, Harris Abadi, Helena Song, Ily Farhana Norhayat, John Hii, Kamal Sabran, Khairul Azmir Shoib, Kok Siew Wai, Ling Siew Woei, Mohd Ekram Al-Hafiz, Muhammad Colmann Abdullah, Rini Fauzan, Roopesh Sitharan, Roslisham Ismail, Saiful Razman, Sharon Chin, Suzi Sulaiman, Tengku Azhari Tengku Azizan, Ting Ting Hock and TC

ga (2005) which was shown at the Nafas – Contemporary Art From the Islamic World (2006/7) in Berlin and Stuttgart, Germany. Hoy Cheong had recently produced and presented a video work during his residency in conjunction with the Fukuoka Triennials (2010) in Fukuoka, Japan, while Hasnul J Saidon and Niranjan Rajah held a two-man show, Relocations (2007) coordinated and curated by Roopesh Sitharan in Singapore as a partner exhibition of the ISEA 2007 (International Symposium of Electronic Arts). Other artists, such as Masnoor Ramli Mahmud has been relatively prolific in churning out video art and installation throughout his career. Video art from Malaysia in short, has been featured quite prominently in both local and international platforms.

Video art in Malaysia post 2000 may perhaps be an interesting and engaging subject of further in depth and comprehensive studies, both historically and theoretically. It has also found its place under ‘experimental’ category

Hasnizam had also collaborated with Khairul A Azlin and Hamzah Tahir in producing an experimental performance called Wayang Virtual in 1997 that combined the traditional shadow puppet performance with real-time 3D animation and computer music.

Kok Siew Wai, who co-founded SiCKL(Studio in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur) and EMACM (Experimental Musicians and Artists Co-Operative Malaysia) has been active in organising, producing and performing experimental video and sound projects for the past five years. Goh Lee Kwang on the other hand, has been active predominantly in Germany and Europe and known for his electro-acoustic performances. Both Goh and Siew Wai are also known as the proponent of highly experimental, raw, improvised and collaborative sound art.

Kamal, together with Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin lead a group called Space Gambus Experiment (SGE) that has been prolific for the past few years in performing improvised sound performances in several premises. Kamal Sabran had also produced and performed a collaborative experimental performance of live acoustic with computer music composition and multiple video projections based on sounds from the outer space, at the National Planetarium of Malaysia. The performance, called Sonic Cosmic (2006) was a result of Zamalah Karyawan Tamu – a unique and newly-established ‘art meets science’ residency program pioneered, sponsored and organised by the Agency Angkasa Negara (ANGKASA), Ministry of Science and Technology Malaysia. Kamal’s younger brother Fadly, is currently one of the members of another experimental group called SoSound. He is also known for the use of digital video in his installation works.

Liew have also been known for their multi-dimensional approach in the use of digital video, digital photography and printing. For examples, young artists such as Sharon Chin and Roopesh Sitharan, are also known for their writings and curatorial works. Sharon also runs Arteri, an online collective that are meant, amongst many, to engage online community in Malaysia with contemporary art. Roopesh Sitharan has been actively researching and writing on several issues pertaining to contemporary art, especially on new media.

Roslisham Ismail on the other hand, is known for his link with Indonesian-based international event called OK Video as well as the SentAp! magazine. Colmann and Ekram are a part of a collective known as Pixel while Anuar Ayob, Tengku Azhari and Rini Fauzan, all lecturing at UNIMAS, USM and UNISEL (Universiti Industri Selangor) respectively, are known for their video and sound installations. Harris Abadi, as the most recent addition, had recently exhibited his highly inventive video mapping installation in the Outer-Inter exhibition (2010) at the hip 360. Other than digital video art, artists such as Hasnizam Wahid, Goh Lee Kwang, Kok Siew Wai, Kamal Sabran and Fadly Sabran are also known for their trans-disciplinary electro-acoustic and experimental sound performances.

Hasnizam Wahid for example, has been performing and presenting his electro-acoustic works mostly outside Malaysia. He had also collaborated with Hasnul J Saidon and Mohd Hafiz Askiak in establishing the eclectic EAG UNIMAS (Electro-acoustic Group, now defunct) in 1997 that converged gamelan with electronic and rock music.

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Wong Hoy Cheong (in collaboration with Arifwaran Shaharuddin for video and Chimera Design for website) Re:Looking (video documentary version) (2003)27 mins

Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin se(RANG)ga (2005)11 mins 10 sec

Despite its seemingly marginal presence, plus the dominance of more established forms of contemporary art such as painting, video art is still kicking, especially amongst the young cyber generation.

3. Collecting and Researching Video Art The screening of video art in AFS will provide a window for further studies of video art practice in Malaysia, via the Video Art Collection of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Some of the works have become a part of this Collection, while few others are kept on a loan basis. It has to be noted that the screening is limited to screen-based (or single-channel) works only (or a single-channel adaptation of installation video pieces).

It has to be noted also that USM is the only institution in Malaysia (not to mention, university) that substantially collects video art as a part of its larger collection practice through its Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah.

MGTF has also been active in working with several individuals, alternative collectives as well as diverse communities

Post-colon – A Video Anthology is a series of video shorts based on the artist’s cross-cultural experiences during his 3 year stay in the USA. This introspective video looks into the artist’s own displacement of his ethnicity, nationality, historical and cultural background as well as personal memories, within the context of his host country USA and the spectacle of mass media.

Title : Anxiety – A Video Anthology Artist : Anuar Ayob Year : 2005 Duration : 18:00 The work consists of five short experimental videos that relate several Malay proverbs to anxiety that the artist experienced during his stay in the USA. It delves into the impact of American foreign policies on Muslims, globalisation and its war against terrorism. The work uses media semiotics, metaphors and deconstructive collage to create a series of personal responses towards such domineering policies.

Title : se(RANG)ga Artist : Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin Year : 2005 Duration : 11:10 The works comments on the power of global media in demonizing Islam and echoes the growing distaste for media imperialism and how the hegemony of global media capitalizes on conflicts to achieve economic and political domination. It also makes a wry comment about fabricated reality, which seems to affirm the post modernist’s proposition that we live within the sway of mythology conjured for us by the mass media, movies and advertisements.

4.2 The Transient Nature of Space, Memory and History

Title : Re:Looking (video documentary version) Artist : Wong Hoy Cheong (in collaboration with Arifwaran Shaharuddin for video and Chimera Design for website) Year : 2003 Duration : 27:00 Note : Originally presented in a form of multi-dimensional installation, other than a website Re:Looking challenges our usual perception of given national history and collective memory. In deconstructing the official narrative of Malaysian history, Hoy Cheong meticulously infuses the work with layers of intertwined political and socio-historical issues related to colonialism, post-colonialism, identity, racism, power relationships, migration and empire making. It features a rewritten history, proposes that Malaysia had conquered the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The video contains fictitious historical

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Kamal SabranSonic Cosmic (2006)

in Penang and the northern region of Malaysia. By doing so, MGTF has allowed itself to expand its operational strategies especially in exploring non-conventional methods of engaging its audiences with its diverse collections. Such collaborations with several alternative fronts have also expanded the category of MGTF’s audiences. MGTF believes in working and learning in an inter-dependent way.

This screening will add another significant milestone for MGTF’s effort in exposing and sharing USM Video Art Collection with the rest of the world.

4. The Screening

Synopsis4.1 The Politics of Displacement and (Mis)representation

Title : Post-colon – A Series of Video Shorts Artist : Hasnul J Saidon Year : 1993 Duration : 40:30

record, doctored archival photographs with Austrian and Malaysian historians taking part in a fictitious documentary video discussing the conquest and its implication on modern or post-colonial Austria and Malaysia.

Title : Places Artist : Tengku Azhari Tengku Azizan Year : 2006 Duration : 24:39 Places is a conceptual video that re-questions the sense of locality and social presence in our (often times politically-constructed and economics-driven) material reality. For those ‘thinking type’ who like the idea of sound-scape, this piece is for you.

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Title : Penawar Artist : Hayati Mokhtar Year : 2007 Duration : 19:50 Note : Created for installation of single- channel projection onto wall, in a continuous loop This video work records the clearing-out and closing-up of a house in Ayer Itam, Penang. The house, Penawar, built in 1930 for a wealthy businessman and auctioneer C.M Hashim, served as a family home and remained occupied until the death of his second wife, Puan Sri Fatimah in 2006. By viewing the house within a wider historical context its, importance becomes more evident. Such buildings not only act as a repository of an undeniable public legacy be it an unpalatable one i.e., our colonial past - but, also, they crystallise the sheer haste with which so many of our towns and cities have been transformed by development. Might not their disappearance mean that we will lose, not only a clear sense of direction, but also, ultimately, a coherent sense of who we are? Penawar, interestingly, means a cure or antidote for poison.

Title : Making Nights Artist : Sharon Chin Year : 2006 Duration : 17:00 The video is based on the constellations of stars that are visible above the skies of 3 cities – Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jerusalem – at 10 pm on the first night of Ramadhan month in 2006. It was made by placing a mobile phone video camera in a shoe box with the lid shut. By punching holes in the cardboard, light was admitted into the box, which registered as points of light (or ‘stars’) by the camera; hence ‘making night’. The simplicity of the action is juxtaposed against the suggestion of an infinitely wide and complex, yet unifying, cosmos.

Title : Not Talking To A Brick Wall Artist : Nadiah Bamadhaj Year : 2006 Duration : 5:34 The house in this video is located in Geylang, Singapore and was built by the artist’s great grandfather, Omar Bamadhaj, in the late 1800. Three generations of Bamadhajs lived in this house and an entire generation was born here. This house was sold to a collective of Singaporeans by the Bamadhaj family in the 1980s. This work is inspired by a collection of old family photographs that focus around the site, and tales of the patriarch Omar’s emotional distance from his many grandchildren, one of whom is the artist’s father. This video attempts to express her frustration at the inaccessibility of memory in both photograph and site, of emotional warmth between the generations of her family and of the understanding of what it means to be one of Singapore’s Arab families. The structure of the house still exist, but the ownership of memory, site and identity is now lost.

4.3 Revisiting Existentialist Tendency

Title : Darah & Daging (Blood and Flesh)Artist : Kamal SabranYear : 2005Duration : 5:22This video piece was inspired by Kamal’s ritualistic return to his Malay Kampung house. Kamal fuses his longing for his mother’s kampung cooking (represented by a series of close-up video recording of his mother preparing/cutting a fish) with his expressive interpretation of life and death as well as human consumption (perhaps greed and violence too).

4.4 Pop Fiction, Parody and Witty Social Commentaries

Title : Too Much Not Enough Artist : Ahmad Fuad OsmanYear : 2006Duration : 5:30The work presents two contrasting scenes, one shows the scenes of dogs fighting and the other the scenes of a body being showered or washed. The artist seems to remark that there are ‘too much’ carnal violence and savagery around us, only to be countered by too little (not much) spiritual recuperation. The video may perform as a crude satire of our confrontational impulse to dominate and rampant desire to consume. While brute and savage strengths are sometimes justified as means to control, subdue and dominate, the need for spiritual recuperation increasingly becomes more pertinent or imperative.

Title : The Last Sin Artist : Fadly SabranYear : 2008Duration : 15:9In his note, the artist writes, “mainly in Malaysia, for those who are living as a visual artist, life is full of challenges. Even though the valuation of the art scene is very subjective, those who do not have the strength to sustain should think twice before deciding to be a visual artist.

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Those who are weak have mostly surrendered.” This work depicts a story of a struggling visual artist whose life is marked by a tragic twist of irony and paradox.

Title : Pot LuckArtist : TC LiewYear : 2007Duration : 4:00The video is based on documentation of the artist’s audience-participative public performance in Georgetown, Penang. In the performance, members of the audience were encouraged to burn joysticks as a means to bring luck, cleanse and rejuvenate themselves. On a personal level, the performance was also meant as a recuperation and cleansing ritual for the artist, other than the state of Penang. About a year after the performance, the state witnessed a political transition from Barisan Nasional to the DAP-lead Pakatan Rakyat.

Title : How To Be BruceArtist : Vincent LeongYear : 2004Duration : 7:00The original footage of How To Be Bruce - a video of animated graphics, was taken from Way of the Dragon (1972) starring Bruce Lee. The film marked the starting point of a new genre in cinema - Martial Arts.In the closing sequences, the fight scene between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris at the Coliseum in Rome is considered to be Lee’s finest. This scene is not only significant but also resonates with layers of meanings as it sets up Norris to be defeated by Lee in one of the greatest cultural monuments of the West, historically an arena for combat.

How To Be Bruce is a 7 minute digitally animated video, which distills human fury from a historically and culturally iconic event into an instantly recognisable, universal and contemporary language of symbols. In this video, a choreography of colored dots and arrows become the signifiers of human actions and expressions, anatomical tensions and the eternal conflict of good and evil. All the remains from the fight sequences of the film is the decontextualized soundtrack.

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Title : Mereka!Merdeka!Mereka!Artist : Noor Azizan PaimanYear : 2003Duration : 9:06Semi-‘mockumentary’ video piece in a typical raw, direct and mischievous Paiman’s trademark approach towards the notion of ‘merdeka’ or independence and the way it is celebrated (and deconstructed perhaps) by ‘mereka’ (them?). Is it ‘mereka’ with a ‘d’ of ‘merdeka’ without a ‘d’?

the mass media in ‘messing’ our brain.

Title : Road RunnerArtist : Faizal ZulkifliYear : 1996Duration : 13:34Road Runner is a parody of ‘Bas Mini’, a mini bus service which was known in the 80s and 90s as one of Kuala Lumpur’s (KL) street menace. By employing the visual language of video game, Faizal invites the audience to participate in a ride of terror around KL.

Title : Puthiya Vanam, Puthiya Bumi (New Sky, New Land)Artist : Roopesh SitharanYear : 2006Duration : 5:50Based on a soundtrack of a popular song by popular Tamil actor MGR, Roopesh wittily infuses what seems to be a low-tech and home-made travelogue video with cliché choreography and stereotypical camera language of Tamil movie to make a seemingly video satire about the promise of a new land. The scenes depicted in the video is ironically the city of San Francisco USA where the artist stayed during his MA stint. The main actor/singer moves between one scene to another as he sings out the lyric that seems to match each depicted scene. Beyond the parody and satire, Roopesh is making a wry commentary on the notion of migration and the promise of a new life.

Title : Mess-mediaArtist : Ekram AlHafisYear : 2010Duration : 2:41

This video reflects Ekram’s interpretation of the impact of

Title : BalangArtist : Muhammad Colmann AbdullahYear : 2010Duration : 3:41Balang is a metaphorical narration that perhaps touches on the affinity between nature and woman.

Title : Beyond SeeingArtist : Shamsul Ikhmal Mansori, Hasnul Jamal Saidon, Goh Lee KwangYear : 2010Duration : 2:14A homage to Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal and Dr. Chong Hon Yin, two separate individuals that are brought together by their affinity towards the stars & universe.

REFERENCES

Books : • Sitharan, Roopesh (2008) Relocations – Electronic Art of Hasnul J Saidon & Niranjan Rajah, Penang : Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah USM & 12 Artspace • Yap, June (2008) MATAHATI – For Your Pleassure, Kuala Lumpur : Petronas Gallery• Anu, J (2007) Bumi Manusia : Journey Through Nusantara, Kuala Lumpur : Petronas Gallery• Jamal, Syed Ahmad (ed) (2007), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia : Crafts and The Visual Arts, Didier Millet, Singapore : Didier Miller.• Harun, Rahimie & Khairuddin, Nur Hanim (eds) (2004) Takung, Kuala Lumpur : National Art Gallery • Piyadasa, Redza (2002) Masterpieces From The National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur : National Art Gallery• Saidon, Hasnul J & Rajah, Niranjan (2000) E-Art ASEAN Online, Kuala Lumpur : National Art Gallery & UNIMAS • Piyadasa, Redza(1999) Rupa Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur : National Art Gallery• Saidon, Hasnul J & Rajah, Niranjan (1997) Pameran Seni Elektronik Pertama / 1st. Electronic Art Show, Kuala Lumpur : National Art Gallery• (1988) Ismail Zain : Digital Collage, Kuala Lumpur

Essays in Books, Journals, Catalogues, Magazines & Other Periodicals : • Roopesh Sitharan, ‘Looking At Video Over Painting, And Hopefully Beyond Hijab’ in SentAp!, No2/08, 2010.• Simon Soon, ‘Notes on Art and Web’ in SentAp!, No2/08, 2010. • Hasnul J Saidon, ‘MTV @ TV Melayu’, USM-ABN AMRO Arts & Cultural Center, Penang, 2006 • _____________, ‘In The Name of (Borrowed) Time’ in Malaysian Young Contemporaries, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2004• _____________, ‘Cabaran Praktis Seni Elektronik Dalam Era Maklumat’ in Wacana Seni, Penerbit USM, Pulau Pinang, 2003• Michelle Antoinette, ‘Different Visions : Contemporary Malaysian Art and Exhibition in the 1990s and Beyond’ in Art & Social Change : Contemporary Art in Asia & Pacific, Canbera, 2003• Noryani Ismail, ‘Digital Arts Can Stir Your Soul’ in MyMultimedia, Jan-Feb- March 2003 • Hasnul J Saidon, ‘Postmodern Encounters : Young Contemporaries 2002’ in Malaysian Young Contemporaries, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2002• Noryani Ismail, ‘The High Touch of Digital Fine Art’ in Jaring Internet Magazine, October 2001 • Hasnul J Saidon & Niranjan Rajah, ‘The Evolution of Electronic Art in Malaysia’ in Art Asia Pacific, Vol 7 No 27 2000• Zanita Anuar, ‘ Ebb and Flow : Observations on the cognitive tide’ in Flow- Arus, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2000• Hasnul J Saidon, “Pengenalan Seni Video” in E-Art Asean Online. National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2000• Hasnul J Saidon, “Prasembah 2000 – Epilog Untuk Abad ke 20” in E-Art Asean Online. National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2000• Hasnul J Saidon, “Electro-acoustic Group UNIMAS” in E-Art Asean Online. National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2000• Niranjan Rajah, ‘New Media Arts From UNIMAS’ in The 3rd. Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 1999• _____________, ‘Crossing Over : the entry of internet art and electronic

art from Asia into the international mainstream’ in Beyond the Future : Papers from the Conference of the 3rd. Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 1999• _____________, ‘Slow Download! The Internet as the Medium for fine arts’ in The Third Text – Third World Perspective on Contemporary Art & Culture, Summer 1999• Heather Barton, ‘The Aniconic and Digital Image’ in Realtime Onscreen, Sydney, 1998 • Hasnul J Saidon, “UNIMAS Creates – Computer-related Experiments in Art & Technology Studios” in Leonardo – Journal of Art & Science, MIT Press, USA, 1998.• ______________, ‘Innovation in a Digital Space – Nurturing the Spirit of Experimentation Through Courses in Electronic Arts’ in UNIMAS Today, Kota Samarahan, 1997.• _____________, HYPErview, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1997• Niranjan Rajah,‘Art Education in a Climate of Convergence’ in CIPTA – Cetusan Inspirasi Pelajar Tahun Akhir, UNIMAS, Kota Samaharan, 1996• Hasnul J Saidon, ‘Images of Jambori Rimba’ in Jambori Rimba – A Multimedia Concert and An Audience-interactive Video, Musical Installation, UNIMAS, Kota Samarahan, 1996• ______________, ‘Experimental Video’ in British Council Screening Programme, Kuala Lumpur, 1995.• Ray Langenbach, ‘Malaysia’s Video Quarantine’, in Afterimage (USA), April 1991• Ismail Zain, ‘Modernism and Self-critical Tendency’ in 4 Perceptions, National Art Gallery & Centerstage Performing Arts, Kuala Lumpur, 1989• Ismail Zain, ‘Ucapan Nada Idea’ in Seminar Seni dan Teknologi’ , School of the Arts, USM, Penang, 1978

Essays online :• Haupt & Binder, Pat, ‘Wong Hoy Cheong, Re:Looking. Interview with the Malaysian artist’, at http://www.universes-in-universe.org/Islam/eng/2004/09/ wong/index-html• Hayati Mokhtar’ http://www.universes-in-universe.org/eng/intartdata/artists/ asia/mys/mokhtar • http://www.uploaddownload.org/

Essays in Newspapers :• Intan Maizura, ‘Hayati Mokhtar – Images of Identity’ in New Straits Times, 22 July 2001 • Jamuddin Idris, ‘Seni Elektronik Ruang Penting Generasi Baru’ in Berita Harian, 31 Mei 2000• Hasmi Hashim, ‘Pameran Seni Multimedia – Arus Petanda Realiti Baru’ in Berita Harian, 22 April 2000.• Veronica Shamugalingham, ‘Celebrating Fusion of Art & Technology’ in The Star, 16 April 2000 • Azman Ismail, ‘Konsep Seni Digital’ in Utusan Malaysia, 15 April 2000• Hasnul J Saidon, ‘Dekonstruksi Mitos Rambo’ in Berita Harian, 2 Oktober 2000 • _____________, ‘Kemelut Generasi Skrin’ in Berita Harian, 28 Ogos 2000 • _____________, ‘Menyelami Seni Siber Siew Woei’ in Berita Harian, 25 Ogos 2000 • _____________, ‘Seni Tampak Dalam Era Maklumat’ in Berita Harian, 7 Julai 2000 • _____________, ‘Dalang Pinggiran Di belakang Skrin’ in Berita Harian, 6

Julai 2000 • _____________, ‘Berdialog Dengan Perca Moden’ in Berita Harian, 28 Jun 2000• Zanita Anuar, ‘Menghitung Hari Muka Seni Tampak’ in Berita Harian, 26 Oktober 1999• Salina Khalid, ‘High Tech Art Exhibition’ in The Star, 2 December 1997 • Ooi Kok Chuen, ‘More Bite with Virtual Art’ in New Straits Times, November 1997• Tekya Atwel, ‘Making New Art From History’ in Sun Magazine, 5 Jun 1997 • Salina Khalid, ‘Electronic Moving Into the Art Scene’ in The Star, 27 April 1997 • Amir Muhammad, ‘Making Computers Works for Art’ in New Straits Times, 1994• Chee Sulin, ‘Future Art’ in Sun Magazine, April 1997• Michell Woo, ‘The Art of IT’ in The Sun Magazine, 10 April 1997 • Ooi Kok Chuen, ‘Electronic Artist’ in New Straits Times, 6 March 1997

Paper Presentations :• Hasnul J Saidon, ‘Cabaran Pembangunan Seni Elektronik Dalam Era Maklumat’ in Konvensyen Pendidikan Seni Visual Kebangsaan, Kuala Lumpur, 2000• ______________, ‘E-Art ASEAN Online’ in Symposium on Online Learning, UNIMAS Kota Samarahan, 2000• ______________, ‘E-Art ASEAN Online’ in IDEA Seminar Series, UNIMAS Kota Samarahan, 1999• ______________, ‘An Overview of HYPErview’ in Crossing Boundaries – 9th. International Conference of Asia Pacific Confederation for Arts Education, Singapore, 1999 • ______________, ‘Luminous XXXX – Video Art Online, Offline & In Between the Lines” in Malaysian Video Awards Workshop & Seminars, PWTC Kuala Lumpur, 1998• ______________, “Converging Art & Technology – UNIMAS’s Experience” in ALAMI – Science Inspires Art Camp, Langkawi, 1998.• ______________, “From Mass to Multi-Media” in Program Syarahan Umum, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1997.• ______________, “Art in the Age of Information Technology” in Public Lecture Programme, Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1997. • ______________, ‘Art in the age of Information Technology’ in Petronas Public Lecture Program, Kuala Lumpur, 1997• ______________, ‘Experimental Video’ in British Council Screening & Talk Program, Kuala Lumpur 1995

Exhibition and Screening Catalogues :• MJVAX – Malaysia-Japan Video Art Exchange, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2010• Screening note, Malaysian Video Awards, Kuala Lumpur, 2001 & 2002• Identiti – Inilah Kami, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2002• Pameran Beyond Paradise, National Art Gallery, 2002• Anti-Terrain oleh Peter Callas, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, 2002• KLUE Urbanscape, Grappa Soho, Kuala Lumpur, 2002• Antara Semangat, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2001• CIPTA exhibition catalogue, UNIMAS, Kota Samarahan (yearly since 1999)• MATAHATI PL, Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1999• Gema: Resonance, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1998.• Jambori Rimba – A Multmedia Concert and an Audience-Interactive Video/ Musical Installation, Panggung Eksperimen, UNIMAS, 1996.

• International Video Festival, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1994 • International Video Festival, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1990

Video works :A list of all video works by Malaysian artists is currently being compiled

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Liew Ting ChuangThe Returning (Silent Dialogue) (2010)White Antique Chair Assemblage With Broken Woods, Ropes and StringVariable Dimension On Loan

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Azmin HusseinRed Create (2000)Printage & Acrylic on Wood With Vintage Bottles25.4cm X 20.3cmDonated by Hasnul J Saidon

Liew Ting ChuangThe More We Get Together (2008)

Marker, Acrylic, Gesso, Aerosol, Paint on Ready made Wooden Hammer, Metal Case

27.5cm x 19cm x 27.5cmPurchased

Fadly SabranThe Anthropoid Genetic (2009)Steel, Rubber, Aluminium, Metal, Electronic Board, Flash Light, Mini TV, Video and Sound61cm x 61cm x 122cmPurchased

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Abd Latiff PadzaliDrown, Accessories Series II (2009)

Ready Made Object, Bandage Wire Mesh, Plaster of Paris on MannequinVariable Dimension

Purchased

Khairul Azmir Soib@MemeKau Mau Kau Tahu (2008)Mixed Media (A Box)23cmx15cmx7cmPurchased

Syafiq Ali’amFlying Machine after Leonardo (2009)

Metal, Stainless Steel, Motion Sensor, Hose Tube, Mechanical Parts and Resin

101cm x 172cm x 95cmPurchased

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Masnoor Ramli MahmudIndependence (2004)4 Channels Video Installation4 mins 13 secPurchased

Haris Abadi Abdul RahimTechno-Grounded (2009)Single Channel Video Projection on 3D Wall Piece122cm x 92cm Purchased

Nur Hanim Mohamed KhairuddinTudung-tudung (2007)

2 Channels Video Installation Flags (9 mins 45 sec)

Faces (3 mins 1 sec)Purchased

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Al-Khuzairie AliIn Progress #1 (2009)Terracotta, Steel, Concrete, Wood and Electrical Component101cm x 35cm x 35cmPurchased

Umibaizurah MahirSitting With The Genii #27 (2009)

Mixed Media143cm x 33cm x 33cm

Purchased

Ruzzeki HarrisInvulnerable (2009)

Mixed Media On Metal Sheet224cm x 159cm

Purchased

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Ahmad Fuad Osman

The Hair Piece/Peace (2004)Video Art16 mins

Purchased

‘Some(one)’ (2006)Video Art12 mins

Purchased

Too Much (Not Enough) (2006)Video Art

5 mins 30 secPurchased

Rini Fauzan Mohamed ZuhairiThink Negatif (2004)

Mixed Media (Installation Art)62.2cm x 91.4cm x 88.9cm

Purchased

Syafiq Ali’amTentacles (2009)Stainless Steel, Electronic Loser, Direct Power Motor, Industrial Mechanical Parts and Resin70cm x 70cm x 20cmPurchased

Abd Latiff PadzaliMan and Spider (2007)

Mixed MediaVariable Dimension

Purchased

Rini Fauzan Mohamed ZuhairiStudy of Fortune Tella (2004)Acrylic and Graphite75cm x 50cmPurchased

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Hayati MokhtarPenawar (2009)2 Channels Video Installation19 mins 50 secPurchased

Haris Abadi Abdul RahimRead The Wingdings (2009)Single Channel Video Projected on 3D SettingVariable Dimension Purchased

Hasnul J SaidonDakap (2010)Video Projection on Mixed Media PaintingVideo LoopOn Loan

84 85

Yee I-LannHorizon Series: Fencing Ed. 7/8 (2003)

Black and White Digital Print on Kodak Professional Paper 45.5cm x 91.6cm

Purchased

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K. Azril IsmailMorning (2009)

Photography102cm x 152cm

Purchased

Paul KohlMini Bike (2005)

Digital Print on Awagami Paper53.3cm x 66cm

Donated

Ismail Zain Vincent (1988)Computer Print

28cm x 20cm Purchased

Ismail ZainThe Magic Marker (1988)

Computer Print28cm x 20cm

Purchased

Ismail ZainAl Kesah (1988)

Computer Print20cm x 28cm

Purchased

Tan Hui KoonPure Fat Crazy Corn Party (2006)

Digital Print and Mouse Trap27.9cm x 19.1cm x 27.9cm x 40.6cm (9 pcs)

Purchased

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Reading…’Women’Women’s Development Research Centre USM

Professor Datin Rashidah ShuibDirector

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CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Reading…’Women’

Much can be learnt from women, which in most cases, are

framed, conditioned and signified by religious, cultural,

social and political views. In the case of early modern art

history of Malaysia, women were predominantly interpreted

and portrayed according to their ‘by default’ marginal

and passive positions in relation to a rather ‘male-centric’

reading. Some may propose that the reading had prompted

a representation of women as the ‘exotic others’. It reflects

romantic longing to rediscover and celebrate a sense of

feminine identity from a colonial and modernist position,

disembodied from their cultural rooting. Are Western

modernist (or even post-modernist) discourses neutral or

value-free?

The placement of ‘women’ from the USM Fine Art Collection

at Kanita intends to question such by-default adherence to

a singular centrality in regards to reading women as cultural

and social texts. Women can be read through women’s

view point, as much as from other vantage points. The

placement may induce multi-dimensional readings, multi-

centrality, connectivity, flexibility and fluidity in reading,

constructing and representing narratives and meanings

about women. Thus, it may destabilise the notion of ‘being

on the margin’ or ‘otherness’, and defuse easy dichotomies

in reading and responding to women through art.

Male centricity and easy dichotomies may not have a

strong hold in the contemporary art practice today. In many

forms of Eastern traditions for examples, all things are said

Patrick Ng Kah OnnMenjual Tembaga Di Benares (1963)Ink63cm x 73cmPurchased

Chuah Siew TengMother Love (2005)

Oil Paint62 cm x 45 cm

Donated by Chuah Siew Teng

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Joan Marie KellyKumari (2007) Oil on Canvas

123cm x 123cm Donated by Joan Marie Kelly

to spring from the bowels of the mother earth, live on earth

and eventually return to it.

Nevertheless, despite post-colonial and contemporary

awareness, such otherness may still prevail. Many

forms of academic discourses and representation (or

‘mis’representation) of women today are embedded with

multiple forms of binary oppositions such as modernity vs

religion and tradition, or local values vs globalisation. What

if ‘women’ as the ‘objects’ of gaze became the subjects

who were doing the reading? What if women were taken as

the center and the rest of the world (with its male-centric,

Western notion and cliché representation) as their margin?

This exposition reflects a convergence of academic or

analytical methodology (from MGTF as the guardian of the

Collection) with intuitive or reflective approach (from the

‘stakeholders’ of Kanita as the ‘readers’). It will hopefully

remind us of how women as cultural and social texts can be

read in many ways to unveil how certain political, economic,

social and cultural ideologies as well as religious rituals are

passed down, practiced, reinforced, stabilised, naturalised,

deified, empowered, romanticised and represented. It may

also reiterate the notion that one’s instrument (and method)

of observation, analysis and discourse may not always be

‘neutral’; that it is integral in determining the outcome of

meanings surrounding representation of women through

modern and contemporary art.

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Chuah Thean TengTanpa Tajuk (1972)Batik72cm x 55cmPurchased

Mastura Abdul RahmanDoll in an Interior (1999)

Graphite on Paper22cm x 32cm

Purchased

Robert CrockWomen-Series Jawa (1972)Photography20cm x 35cmPurchased

Dzulkifli BuyongMenyisir Rambut (1962)

Pastel93cm x 73cm

Purchased

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Eng Hwee ChuBlack Moon Drawing 1 (1997)Pencil on Paper34cm x 50cmPurchased

Khoo Sui Hoe Gadis Memegang Sejambak Bunga (1967)Oil Paint97cm x 97cmPurchased

Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddinb.o.m. equipment (2005)

Print on T/Shirt137cm x 149cm

Donated by Hasnul J Saidon

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Reading…’Women’Penerbit USM

Professor Dato’ Md. Salleh YaaparDirector

100 101

Mohd. Hoessein EnasKakak dan Adik (1959)

Pastel 63cm x 78cm

Purchased

Mojgan AslaniDigital Illustration of Shadow Spinner (Character & Space) (2010)Monotype 30cm x 30cm eachDonated by Mojgan Aslani

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Chuah Thean TengBurung Dalam Sangkar

Batik35cm x 40cm

Donated by Persatuan Pelukis Malaysia

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Abstraction / Social Criticism / The Semiotic of the BodyHamzah Sendut Library USM

Mr. Mohd Pisol GhadzaliChief Librarian106 107

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Abstraction / Social Criticism / The Semiotic of the

Body

The Hamzah Sendut Library USM has been given the

honour to host the largest numbers of artworks from the

USM Fine Art Collection. These artworks are placed under

three thematic clusters – abstraction, social criticism and

the semiotic of the body. The themes are meant for easy

guide. In actuality, these artworks can be clustered in many

different overlapping ways or frameworks.

The large numbers of placement is a gesture of homage to

the Library which was the first host of the Collection during

its initial phase in the late 70s. In fact, the current MGTF

building used to be the premise of USM’s first library in the

late 60s.

Abstract artworks in the USM Fine Art Collection can be

taken as amongst the most historically significant in the

region. They predominantly reflect both the cerebral and

emotive response towards the inner dimension of human

psyche, mostly taking inspiration from nature. Organic

forms derived from landscape are also commonly featured

to highlight the emotional and psychological relationship

between man and nature. They were rendered in several

different manners, including cubistic and fragmented

manner, as well as expressive and even geometrical

way. Several works epitomise a synthesis of modernist

expression with local subjects. Vitality, vibrancy and

dynamic growth are several intuitive themes that can be

traced in some of the seminal works of Syed Ahmad Jamal,

Latiff Mohidin, Yeoh Jin Leng and many more. Younger

generation of artists such as Fathullah Luqman Yusuff

and Rahmat Harun continue the expressive and intuitive

tradition of abstract works.

Several other artists such as Lee Joo For, Latiff Mohidin,

Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir, Fauzan Omar and Tan Hong

Yin express the poetic, lyrical and spiritual dimension of

abstraction through overlapping organic forms. Others such

as Lim Eng Hooi, Chong Kam Kaw, Joseph Tan and Mohd

Fadzil Othman employ a geometrical side of abstraction.

There are also artists who approach abstraction as an

extension of tradition, especially in regards to the more

decorative aspect of Malay-Islamic impulse. Artworks by

the Late Ismail Zain, Mohd Akif Emir, Mohd Noor Mahmud

and Fauzin Mustaffa represent such impulse, other

than their interest in experimenting and exploring mixed

materials and new methodologies.

Abstract works reflect the romantic underpinnings and

highlight ideas of artistic uniqueness, vitalism, directness,

immediacy and a creative sub-consciousness. They

epitomise the inner and subjective side of humans. Despite

resistance and even criticism towards the ‘Greenbergian

modernist paradigm’ by amongst the more experimental

and conceptually-inclined younger contemporary artists

from the post 1990 generation, the synthesis of emotive

expressionist idiom with formalist sensibility has been

extensively subscribed by many other artists of the

following generations.

108 109

Other younger artists are known for their inclination towards

post-formalist expressionism, a slightly softer or sober

combination of surrealist, pop, lyrical and romantic version

of abstract, neo-realist and neo-expressionist styles. They

use an eclectic combination of human figure, landscape,

townscape, objects, signs and symbols as subject matters.

Artists such as Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, Hamidi Hadi and

Daud Rahim seem to emulate this tendency.

Many contemporary artists of the younger generation

display a tendency towards a more angst-ridden form of

expressionism. Their expressionist impulse is mostly driven

by loud and dark existentialist rage and angst. The tone

is mostly bold, immediate and carries a sense of urgency.

At the other end of the emotive spectrum are artists that

feature the more subtle yet deeply disturbing psychological

drama through their works, mostly employing international

neo-expressionist style and using human figure as a central

subject-matter. Their styles can sometimes be eclectic,

a mix bag of surrealism, dada and pop. This includes

Ahmad Fuad Osman, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Masnoor Ramli

Mahmud and Shooshie Sulaiman.

There also artists who are politically-oriented and display

keen interest in expressing their own versions of social

criticism through a mixed bag of ‘dadaist’ absurdity,

witty conceptualism, ponderous literalism, indiscriminate

appropriation, random deconstruction and a riots of

mockery, satire, parody and cynicism. Artworks by Zulkifli

Yusoff, Noor Azizan Paiman, Maizul Effendy, Saiful Abdul

Kadir, Elias Yamani, Muhd Sarip A Rahman, Samsudin

Abdul Wahab a.k.a Buden to name a few, represent this

interest.

The sentiments and working strategies of artists especially

the young ones have been generally informed by post-

modern irony and paradox. The irony and paradox have

been marked by post-modern raves where loudness,

irony, parody, sarcasm, cynicism, satire, pun, intervention,

subversion, protest and mockery have been mostly

favoured. Pastiche, appropriation and deconstruction have

also been employed as working strategies.

Generally, the term postmodern has been used to explain

and identify some of the key changes and repercussions

of globalisation, free market capitalism and ICT revolution.

In many ways, it has been employed to explain some

of the new routes in the Malaysian contemporary art

practice after 1990. The term, other than signifying a break

from the framework of modernist art historical narration,

also signifies several paradigmatic shifts in the way

contemporary art is approached. Postmodernism itself,

is a lengthy if not paradoxical subject to be discussed

here. Furthermore, it can be argued that most of the art

works, despite their postmodern posture and appropriation

of deconstructive stance, have mostly been ironically

explained within the context of modernist ‘mythifying’

impulse. In fact, postmodern traits, upon reaching a sign

of hegemonic or dominating presence, may eventually be

deconstructed and contested.

The future shock of the 1990’s in Malaysia was marked

amongst many, by a sudden pressure to change. It has

also brought changing lifestyles and unveil critical issues

related to the politics of representation, identity, culture,

ethnicity, religion and gender in Malaysia and the Southeast

Asian region.

In Malaysia, the term ‘issues based art’ (IBA) has been

coined to explain artworks with more pronounced political

and social concerns. Contemporary works done by many

Malaysian artists and others from the Southeast Asian

region since the early 1990s have also been marked by IBA

as well. Repercussions of globalisation and sustainability

of the environment, have also been used as issues of

concern.

Generally, these artworks feature multiple engagements of

the artists with several key issues or themes. In expressing

their thoughts and feelings, they have become the epitome

of modern and postmodern encounters that reverberate

with clashing voices, contradictions, suspicions, skepticism,

angst, paradoxes, cynicism, ironies and all the typical

markings of a rapidly changed post-industrial, media and

market-driven society.

110 111

Latiff MohidinLangkawi Senja Wood Structure81cm x 180cmPurchased

112 113

Yeoh Jin LengRockforms I (1965)Oil Paint104cm x 81cmPurchased

Ch’ng Huck TengFrustration (2007)Acrylic On Canvas122cm x 122cmPurchased

115

Rahmat HarunCakar Kasih (2000)Mixed Media71cm x 101cmDonated by Hasnul Jamal Saidon

Sabri IdrusSiri Lorek-Lorek (2004)Mixed Media81cm x 152cmDonated by Hasnul J Saidon

Syed Ahmad Jamal Tenaga (1967)Oil Paint177cm x 177cmPurchased

Latiff MohidinPago-Pago (1965)Oil Paint58cm x 78cmPurchased

Hamidi Abd. HadiTanpa Tajuk (2007)Industrial Paint on Canvas144cm x 144cmDonated by Hasnul J Saidon

Tan Hon YinSaiz Permukaan 2 No 2 (1981)

Acrylic88cm x 119cm

Purchased

118 119

Nirmala Dutt ShanmughalingamLubang Maut (1980)Silk Screen and Acryllic121cm x 121cmPurchased

Lee Joo ForConfiguration 1 (1996)

Oil Painting 40cm x 60cm

Donated by Dato’ Dr. Tan Chee Kuan

Redza PiyadasaTo Be Completed (1978)Wood + Acrylic66cm x 134cmPurchased Lee Kian Seng

One Original Lithograph (1978)

Lithograph TechniquePurchased

122 123

Ramli MahmudDirimu Antara Dua Kelahiran (1987)

Mixed Media172cm x 182cm

Purchased

124 125

Noor Azizan Rahman PaimanTanpa Tajuk (2007)

Mixed Media 58cm x 81cm

Donated by Hasnul J Saidon

Muhd Sarip Abd RahmanI Sound Like Stupid If I Speak English (2009)Mixed Media on Canvas 182cm x 91cmPurchased

128

Shooshie SulaimanSketch for Nature

Even Stranger Than Death (1998)Ink on Paper

29.5cm x 21cmPurchased

130 131

Shooshie SulaimanSketch for In Memory of Jung & Kraeplin for

Kosuth and Flynt and for …… with thanks(1998)

Ink on Paper21cm x 29.5cm

Purchased

Ali Rahmad (Mabuha)Malam Membiru (1983)Oil Paint129cm x 88cmDonated by Ali Rahmad

Mohd Daud Abd. Rahim7 images in 2 hours (2002)Charcoal149cm x 137cmDonated by Hasnul J Saidon

Haslin IsmailThe Door (2008)

Mixed Media & Collage On Canvas90cm x 123cm

Purchased

Samsudin Abdul WahabPahlawan Matahari Bersepatu Merah (2007)Lino Cut91cm x 122cmPurchased

Masnoor Ramli MahmudStudy for Truth – Festival 2K (1999)

Mixed Media on Paper 54.5cm x 39.5cm

Purchased

132 133

Ahmad Khalid YusofAlif Ba Ta (1972)Acrylic106cm x 137cmPurchased

Fauzin MustaffaComposition (1993)

Mixed Media12cm x 12cm

Donated by Hasnul J Saidon

134 135

Ismail Mohd. ZainKu Bunuh Cinta (1972)Silk + Oil Paint91cm x 121cmPurchased

Mohd Noor MahmudBunga Pahat (2007)Acrylic on Wood on Canvas213cm x 91cmDonated by Mohd Noor Mahmud

Mohd Akif EmirPercantuman (1987)

Mixed Media162cm x 127cm

Purchased

136 137

Elias Yamani IsmailMetropolis (2008)

LightboxPurchased

Tengku Sabri Ibrahim Inside Map (1997) Ink on Paper 80cm x 89cm Purchased

Lim Eng HooiMars Burnt Raw Sv 3 (1981)Emulsion207cm x 204cmPurchased

Joseph TanLukisan Bersiri II No. 3 (1972)Oil Paint152cm x 213cmPurchased

Mohd Fadzil Othman The Element of Surprise (2008)

Mixed Media 213cm x 243cm

Donated by Mohd Fadzil Othman

Choong Kam KowThru Recede (1972)Emulsion Paint + Enamel Paint91cm x 152cmPurchased

142 143

Bayu Utomo RadjikinTaut (2005)

Print11cm x 13cm

Donated by Rahime Harun

Mohd. Hoessein EnasCucu (1966)

Pastel55cm x 68cm

Purchased

Khalid IbrahimAku Sudah Cukup (1983)

Batik105cm x 85cm

Purchased

144 145

Patrick Ng Kah OnnJamini Roy (1963)Ink86cm x 68cmPurchased

147

Animal Kingdom / Nature HealsUSM Medical Centre (Pusat Sejahtera)

Dr. Nurulain Abdullah BayanuddinDirector

148 149

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Animal Kingdom / Nature Heals

The use of nature, including animals as subject-matters

in artworks has also been historically attributed in many

traditions to the feminine energy, the Ying, shakti power or

cosmic energy, the dynosian impulse, and the homeland,

mother-earth or mother-nature. Such usage has also

been taken as the embodiment of semangat or chi or

inherent cosmic life force as manifested through myriads of

tangible form by visual artists. Nature and animal kingdom

have been integral in many forms of Eastern cosmology,

including their innate potential as a source of healing.

Several artists use natural medium to interpret and

express their affiliation with nature. In doing so, they echo

a similar homage to natural forms. Clay as a chosen

material for example, can be taken as a visual metaphor.

It represents a fundamental equation between the earth

and human spiritual experience. Wood and the use of

images of trees and plants are generally motivated by a

desire for integration with nature’s endless processes of

transformation and rejuvenation. Other than reflecting an

understanding of local landscape and history, pictorial

representation of nature and the animal kingdom seems

to celebrate the spirit of change, growth and development.

It functions as an alluring reminder for us to always return

to our ‘root’. For several artists, the reminder is expressed

subtly through formalistic flair in returning to natural forms

as a basis of reference.

Others employ picturesque images of nature such as

landscape, plants, water and rock forms as signs, symbols

and metaphors for the healing power of nature. Many share

a common empathy towards nature and animal, perhaps

implying a more universal point of return. They provide a

lyrical index for the need to return to nature as a prelude

for us to learn from the diverse and rich tapestry of spiritual

and cultural heritage. Such heritage is richly infused with

spiritual inspiration derived from nature. Nature in return,

provides a more universal sense of common belonging,

return and sustainability. It is ecologically intertwined or

connected to us.

The placement of artworks that feature nature and animal

kingdom in the USM Wellness Centre (Pusat Sejahtera

USM) is rather fitting in this regards. They provide a

complimentary counterpoint to the notion of healing. They

relate more to the intangible aspect of healing, the thinking

and emotional dimensions. In doing so, these precious

artworks from the USM Fine Art Collection will hopefully

remain relevant, especially in embodying the spirit of

sustainability at USM.

150 151

Mohd Shaparel SallehTari Rimba Belum (2006)

Acryllic137cm x 102cm

Purchased

Chai Chuan JinFlowers (2004)Water Colour56cm x 76cm Donated by Chai Chuan Jin

Syed Salleh MustaffaDari Lembah Terpendam (1981)Oil Paint144cm x 96cmPurchased

152 153

Fauzan OmarDiversity & Unity Series (1990)Lino Print55cm x 45cmDonated by Tuan Hj. Taha Ismail

154 155

Juhari SaidJantan (2005)Wood Print93cm x 150cmOn Loan

Juhari SaidMenarik Kerbau (2005)Wood Print93cm x 150cmOn Loan

Juhari SaidCarabau (Kerbau) (2005)Wood Print93cm x 150cmOn Loan

156 157

Nirmala Dutt ShanmughalingamTsunami 04-05 XXIII (2005)Acrylic on Canvas102cm x 96cmDonated by Nirmala Dutt Shanmughalingam

Nirmala Dutt ShanmughalingamTsunami 04-05 VI (2005)Acrylic on Canvas102cm x 96cmDonated by Nirmala Dutt Shanmughalingam

Chuah Thean TengTanpa Tajuk (1972)

Batik58cm x 73cm

Donated by Persatuan Pelukis Malaysia

158 159

The Sublime Pusat Islam USM

160

Associate Professor Nasirun Hj. Mohd SalehDirector

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

The Sublime

“The sublime” represents artists’ response to the spiritual

aspect of living experience. Within the multiple narratives

of Malaysian art history, the interest in Eastern tradition and

mysticism, as well as the tendency to return to spirituality

and Malay-Islamic elements can be traced in the works

of artists such as Patrick Ng Kah Onn, Latiff Mohidin,

Anthony Lau, Chong Kam Kaw, Redza Piyadasa, Sheikh

Omar Basaree, Sulaiman Esa, Khatijah Sanusi, Ruzaika

Omar Basaree, Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir, Fatimah Chik

and Jeganathan Ramachandran to name a few.

In certain cases, such interest overlaps with the tendency

to negate Western aesthetics and critique sole dependency

on modernist discourses of art history. It also represents

the need to instill a more localised dimension to the

practice of modern and contemporary art, or the importance

of revisiting Malaysia’s (and Asia’s) rich multicultural

traditions. Several scholars even argue that this interest

can also be taken as preludes to postmodern revaluation

(or negation) of Western modernism based on both local

and regional terms.

From an Islamic point of view, art is taken as a combination

of wisdom and science. According to Seyyed Hoessein

Nasr, the synthesis of art and science is evident in Islamic

traditional civilisation because both art and science are

encompassed by beauty. He maintains that sacred art

is the heart of religion and that Islamic art is the heart of

Hj. Mohd. Wang Jian WenAsma ul Husna (2002)Calligraphy45cm x 93cmPurchased

Hj. Mohd. Wang Jian WenSurah al Ikhlas (2002)Calligraphy45cm x 93cmPurchased

162 163

Sheikh Omar BasareeSurah Al - BaqarahGlass + Paint + Paper76cm x 78cmPurchased

Islam. Beauty, as stated by Titus Burckhardt, is taken as

inherent in Islam. Art is then accepted as a manifestation of

the inner dimension of Islam that can lead humans to the

chamber of Divine Revelation.

The concept of beauty, inner energy, synchronised

quantum field, harmony, equilibrium and sustainability

has been expressed through many forms of architectural

design, calligraphic art (khat) and traditional products. In

Islam, the main source of inspiration is of course, the Quran

itself. Several prominent contemporary artists have been

known to refer to the Quran (verses in it) as their specific

source of inspiration, while others use visual elements of

Islamic art as their visual sources of reference. There are

also artists who feature highly organic and natural forms

as their means of spiritual return while several others

employ the use of mathematical equation to create infinite

combination of Islamic patterns. Some would argue that

these patterns emulate the intangible working of quantum

field, in its harmonious state.

The placement of several artworks in the Pusat Islam USM

may perhaps return us to the fact that art and science have

always been symbiotically intertwined in a sustainable

ecology of the spirit, body and mind of Islam.

164 165

Elias IshakPerlindungan Yang Maha Perkasa (1987)

Plaster27cm x 40cm

Purchased

Elias IshakAsma Al-Husna (1987)

Plaster27cm x 35cm

Purchased

Sheikh Omar BasareeSurah Naml 30

Glass + Paint + Paper 63cm x 66cm

Purchased

Mohd Fariz ShariffuddinI am the observer who pictures the reality and the hidden hand writings (2007)

Wood CarvingDonated by Mohd Fariz Shariffuddin

166 167

Built EnvironmentSchool of Housing, Building & Planning USM

Professor Ir. Dr. Mahyuddin RamliDean

168 169

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Built Environment

Building is not just a physical presence, but also a built

environment. It has always been a popular choice of

subject matter for many artists. It is therefore not surprising

that the field of architecture has always enjoyed a close

affinity with fine art. Both shares a special bond with the

notion of form in space, and how both can exist as a

natural order as well as a man-made construct or built

environment. Such environment not only defines our

dwelling space, but also our lifestyle or the way we live.

In many traditions, a particular built environment is taken

as a manifestation of a belief system, as exemplified by

the use of Feng Shui, Vatsu Sastra and Tajul Muluk. They

provide a window to peek into the secrets of sustaining a

balance symbiosis between the spirit, mind and body, as

far as spatial construct is concerned. They also provide

guidance to the way how form and space should be

arranged in a balance and harmonious synchrony to attain

a sustainable living condition.

In many traditions, a space is not to be owned (colonised?)

or mechanically-controlled, but shared and sustained

inter-connectively in spiritual, mental and physical senses.

Many religious buildings such as mosque and temples

reflect such traditions. A building therefore, is not merely a

physical structure, but also manifests the inner dimension

of a particular spiritual tradition. Many artists have been

inspired by the inner and intangible dimensions of buildings

and tried to capture them in their artworks.

Architecture is an excellent example of the convergence

between the arts and sciences. It encompasses both

fields and requires the use of both the left and right brain.

It is a platform in which a whole brain system and multi-

dimensional approaches are required to practice it. In

many ways, an architect can also be read as an ‘artist’

who express his/her cross-disciplinary understanding of

the economics, social, cultural, political, aesthetic and

even religious needs of his or her clients and stakeholders

through a functional structure. It is therefore not surprising

to discover that there are several contemporary artists who

came from an architectural background.

Most contemporary artists feature built environment to

reflect the socio-cultural and economic dimensions of a

particular society. Beyond the romantic notion of beauty

or the aesthetics of a built structure, they also portray the

harsh and sometimes humbling reality of everyday life

for common folks. Other than featuring serene domestic

and rural scenes, several artists tend to capture our fast

changing(or disappearing) natural and cultural landscape.

They comment on how some of us might have greedily

turned our natural landscape into an urban environment

meant merely as a bragging showcase of visual ‘spectacle’.

In some cases, such built environment connotes the

importance of impression, brand presence, positioning,

business acumen and strategic planning as the deciding

factors, especially in regards to political, social, and

economic survival of the stakeholders. What will be the

fate of a much sustainable approach to the process of

designing our dwelling space? What will happen to the

many traditions of our built heritage? Is there a place for

our historical landmarks in the future? Without several

historical buildings that have been used to define us as a

Nation collectively, what kind of shared heritage can we

pass to our future generation?

The placement of artworks that feature several different

forms of built environment in the School of Housing,

Building and Planning USM will hopefully trigger some of

these pertinent questions.

170 171

Seah Kim JooPura Puri, Ubud Bali (1962)

Ink63cm x 48cm

Purchased

Tan Choon GheePintu Gerbang (1979)

Water Colour83cm x 71cm

Purchased

172 173

Haron MokhtarSiri Komposisi Pahang II (1987)Acrylic86cm x 127cmPurchased

Haron MokhtarSiri Komposisi Pahang I (1987)Acrylic86cm x 127cmPurchased

Pheh It HaoJalan Kapitan Keling I (2007)Water Colour74cm x 53cmPurchased

174 175

Kuo Ju PingMending Nets (1950’s)Water Colour 33cm x 27cmDonated by Dato’ Dr. Tan Chee Kuan

Ch’ng Kian KieanAcheh Mosque 02 (2005)

Graphite27cm x 38cm

Purchased

Ismail KadirMemory of Morning Glory (2003)Water Colour187cm x 259cmOn Loan

Chong Hon FattClock Tower, Penang (2000)

Oil Paint15 cm X 12 cm

Donated by Chong Hon Fatt

178 179

Socio-Cultural IndexUSAINS, Eureka Complex, USM

Dato’ Dr. Gan Ee KiangManaging Director

180 181

CONTEMPORARY ART CAMPUS

Socio-cultural Index

Modern and contemporary artworks can be referred to as

significant texts for cultural studies. They provide a window

to peek into the socio-cultural dimension of a particular

people, including their lifestyle, ritual, work ethic, cultural

practice, shared heritage, common ideology and most

importantly religious belief. They are the embodiment of

human relationship that gives form to a particular society.

Beyond visual appearances and formalistic reading, such

artworks can also be appreciated for their ability to assist

us in understanding our society and whoever that we

normally take as ‘the others’.

Placing these artworks in the U-SAINS building provides

a critical counter point for the space. The space and the

Eureka Building may be taken as an apt reminder of the

fact that we are living in a country that is anxious to reach

its ‘vision 2020’; of our sometimes over-eagerness to

subscribe to an urban and objective lifestyle as dictated by

the ebbs and flow of free market liberalism, globalisation

(read Western) and the novelties of information and

communication technology. In such hastiness, even

lifestyle itself can be ‘objectively’ perceived as a form of

industry and a money making business. Some of us would

aspire to emulate the ways of a post-industrial society –

contemporary, liberal, efficient, professional, high-tech,

trendy, hip and don’t forget – materially rich. It is a society

that is supposed to operate on a highly specialised,

systematic, organised, rational and objective system - a

legacy left by the operational logic of industrial paradigm.

Progress, development and success are highly equated by

tangible material gains and numerical indexes.

What will be the fate of our traditional society, or cultural

lifestyle and heritage, or even the people who practice

them as expressed through some of the artworks, as we

embrace such paradigm?

Ironically, it is in such ‘objective’ society that we may

also witness many forms of illogical crashes or system

failure so-to-speak. Malpractices, corruption, cracks and

crashes of human structures, landslides, flashflood, social

deviants (baby dumpers, snatch thefts, mat rempit etc),

human aggression (sometimes forgiven as being simply

‘competitive’) and many more have become common

occurrences in such society. Today, friendship or human

relationship in general, can be easily swallowed by the

need to be highly perceptive towards the forces of the

market. Instead of simply being a friend or a society and

valuing our friendship and society, we may start to look

at each other as a ‘commodity’ striving for a ‘competitive

market value’. Friendship and society (even between

nations) in today’s age of ‘glocalisation’ can also be very

clinical. Even the term ‘friend’ and ‘neighbours’ have

sometimes being elevated to ‘professional networks’,

equated within the framework of ‘promotional, marketing

and branding strategy’, and the need to expand our ‘profit

margin’.

Dzulkifli BuyongMeniup Jatuh (1964)Pastel68cm x 88cmPurchased

182 183

In the midst of all these, what will happen to our spiritual

belief, socio-cultural lifestyle, our heritage, our tradition?

Having these artworks around our midst will hopefully

remind us of such question.

In fact, there are many examples that reflect the silent

desire of many people and societies to return to and

embrace the more intangible aspects of living. Re-

connection with nature, sustainability, ecology, biodiversity,

the animal kingdom, heritage, the arts and lifestyle that is

spiritually-rooted or relate more to the subjective dimension

of human mind and emotion, are some manifestations of

such intangible yearning.

Perhaps, the exposition at U-SAINS can be taken as

another manifestation of this self-balancing yearning.

184 185

Lee Joo ForMembanting Padi (1958)Oil Paint53cm x 66cmPurchased

Md Sani Md DomPantai Berserah (1982)Oil Paint63cm x 53cmPurchased

186 187

Jailani Abu HassanAlam Benda (1983)

Oil Paint35cm x 50cm

Purchased

Shafie HassanSiri Warisan Rebab (1986)Water Colour86cm x 63cmPurchased

188 189

Azman YusoffPenarik Beca (1986)Water Colour50cm x 71cmPurchased

Raja Azhar IdrisKurungan dan Kebebasan (1976)Print15cm x 22cmPurchased

Redza PiyadasaKeluarga Baba (1982)

Collage68cm x 48cm

Purchased

190 191

Penang International Print Exhibition (PIPE) 2010Balai Seni Lukis Pulau Pinang

PIPE is an amalgamation of printmaking art that cut across boundaries. Literally, it reflects a crossing of geographical boundary. Fundamentally, it epitomises a crossing of ideas, innovation and exploration beyond the traditional convention of

printmaking art. PIPE is participated by artists from 20 countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, England, Ireland, German, the USA, Poland, Estonia, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, India, Pakistan, South Africa,

Japan and many more.

PENANG ART TOURISM TRAIL

Santanu Chakraborty“GOOD OR BAD …. KING” (2010)Lithography18.5cm x 15.5cm

192 193

Beba DelelisEspinas XXX (2009)Photo Intaglio30cm x 20cm

Fritha LangermanColophon (2009)

Linocut50cm x 66cm194 195

PIPE 2010: Tera MudaGaleri 27, School of the Arts, USM

’Tera Muda’ is a printmaking art exhibition in conjunction with the 2nd International Printmaking Exhibition held at the Penang State Art Gallery.This exhibition consists of a participation from printmaking students from several local universities

and private collages namely from Uitm,USM,UPSI and Desein Academy of Art.The theme ‘tera muda’ reflects the significance of young artists in contributing towards the art of printmaking.

196

Siti Norizan IbrahimHenna I (2010)

Etching Aquatint on Paper 28cm x 20cm

Norhasniza bt KeliwonLife Track I (2010)

Silk Screen on Board274cm x 91cm

198

Norashikin bt Abdullah Speed of Movement I (2010)

Mixed Media on Paper78cm x 103cm

PIPE 2010: Ketumbukan, Seni Cetak Alternatif MalaysiaMuzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah, USM

This exhibition will represent alternative printmaking artworks from more than 20 local artists. The nature of these alternative printmaking artworks is varied and complex. It consists in a form of site specific, installation pieces and mixed or

integrated media. The unconventional form of these printmaking pieces signifies the new attitude and path that Malaysian contemporary printmakers undertake. Besides that attitude and nature, this exhibition also marking the new phase of

development in Malaysian printmaking practices and thought.

Mohd Jamil Mat Isa69 (2010)

Rubber Dye & Collage on Canvas90cm x 90cm

200 201

Low Khay HooiUntitled (2010)Mixed Media41cm x 61cm

Chew Teng BengLove U: We Forgive U (2010)

Papercut76cm x 101cm

202 203

Solo Print Making by Juhari Said entitled “BEFORE”Galeri Seni Mutiara

Juhari Said’s Solo exhibition entitled “Before” features several of his prints created before and after his travel to Japan. The Baju Kurung and Kilimanjaro Series are the best examples of works that reflect his travelling experience and changed perception towards printmaking, colours and medium. Printmaking enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to view some

of his works produced between 1991 to 2008.

Juhari SaidRio (1994)Woodcut52cm x 38cm

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Juhari Said Cawan Unggu dan Baju Kurung (1992)Linocut 48cm x 57cm

Juhari Said Balik dari Pasar (1992)

Linocut57cm x 48cm

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Group Exhibition by Asean Artists Galeri Seni Mutiara

“Enchanting Bali” features Goh Beng Kwan (Singapore), Muhammad Rojana-Udomsat, Thanakorn Sila Boonrat, Sutawat Chuaynum (Thailand) Sen Pao, D. Tjandra Kirana (Indonesia), Koeh Sia Yong, Leo Hee Tong (Singapore), Fong

Kim Sing, Heng Eow Lin and Tew Nai Tong (Malaysia)

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Koeh Sia YongBali DancerOil Painting

76cm x 61cm

Sen PaoWayang PerformanceAcrylic on Canvas60cm x 50cm

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Satawat ChuaynumThe Colours of Civilisation

Acrylic on Canvas70cm x 90cm

Vibrant Art Showcase Equator Academy of Art

These showcase represents the best of young minds’ perceptions of life and the Malaysian environmental influences especially found in Penang. Their world consists of the Malaysian heritage typically of Penang; modern conveniences

exemplified by malls; modern travel and communication; and the balance of cultivated land with the natural beauty of hills and beaches. Their works reflect their interpretations in terms of forms and colour. Each piece of work shows individualism

from the same stimuli that we normally take for granted. We need to see for ourselves the results of the thinking and potential behind young minds with their expressions in terms of innovations and creativities.

Tan Fook KenhThaipusam (2010)

Photography27cm x 40cm

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Teh Pei YongSelf-expression (2010)Adobe Photoshop41cm x 29.7cm

Tan Boon HanUntitled (2010)Oil Painting81cm x 101cm

Teng Poh Vee2D Color Studies (2010)

Poster Color25cm x 25cm

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Heritage Penang II - Paintings, Drawings & Sketches by Local and International ArtistsGaleri Art Point

Art exhibition is not just a mere glamorous party but is an important point of contact for intellectual audience, art enthusiasts and students. “Heritage Penang” is an art exhibition that reminds people of the significance of art as a reflection of the

cultural life of people. This awareness is necessary for the reappraisal of the significant contribution of the artists whose art reflects the quintessence of Penang …The art speaks to viewers why Penang become a world heritage site.

Familiar sights and the unique lifestyles of the people of Penang painted by local and international artists are on display. The artists are: Abdul Rashid bin Abdul Razak, Tan Chiang Kiong, Suchart Vongthong(Dr.), Yuen Chee Ling (Dr.), Kuo Ju

Ping, Lee Weng Fatt, Neoh Hang Peng, Pheh It Hao, Prof. Dr. Zakaria Ali,Prof. Liu Wen San, Tan Lye Hoe, Tan Choon Ghee, Teh Siew Joo, Toya (Lim Khoon Hock), Yeong Seak Ling and Yeong Ning, Ooi Chee Kheng, Loke Hung Thor,

Dato Chuah Thean Teng , Chen Jiqun. “Heritage Penang” is a continuing exhibition series. Related events like cultural performances, educational art workshops, art forum and discussions will be hold at the same venue at Galeri Art Point , 46

& 48 Jalan Chow Thye

Yeong Seak LingMalaysia Blue Sky Series (2006)

Oil on Canvas97cm x 97cm

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Yeong Seak LingKampung Life (Baby Cot) (2009)Oil on Canvas122cm x122cm

Yuen Chee LingMedium: Chap Goh Meh II- Nyonya series (2008)Oil on Canvas53cm x62cm

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Penang Malay Art GallerySolo Exhibition by Mr. A.Rashid

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A. Rashid RazakWatie Di Atas Batu (1999)

Oil on Canvas102cm x 152cm

A. Rashid RazakMahsuri (2009)Oil on Canvas102cm x 152cm

A. Rashid RazakAnak Jehai (2006)

Oil on Canvas121cm x 142cm

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Gallery ArtistsAlpha Utara Gallery

Khoo Sui HoeDistance Call (2006)

Oil on Canvas100cm x 120cm

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Do Kem PaJoy of Life II (2005)Oil on Canvas135cm x 110cm

James SumOrange Scape (2007)

Oil on Canvas71cm x 91cm

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Flame of FlowersIdo Gallery

Flame of Flowers is a series of acrylic works depicting self evolution in our journey of life. Flowers are a reflection of Mother Nature’s intrinsic beauty, passion, vulnerability and yet strength because a flower remains in its glorious elegance at all

times. Jewellary Designer turned Artist; Cheong Mei Fong combines her passion in her acrylic works depicting reflection of light and colours found in gemstones. Her passion continues with her love to teach and dedication to bring out the best in her students, encouraging them to rediscover and evolve in their paintings. With her guidance, her students and Cheong

Mei Fong will show case their unique and spontaneous expression of self evolution in this abstract series - Flame of Flowers.

Fifi Ch’ngSpring (2010)Arcylic56cm x 76cm

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Serena CheahGarden in Heart (2010)

Arcylic36cm x 45cm

Khor Chia Leng3rd Party (2010)

Arcylic30cm x 30cm

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Solo Show by Loo Foh Sang and Mohd Khizal Saat Peter Liu Art Gallery

Solo show by 2 artists Loo Foh Sang and Mohammad Khizal Saat showcases a body of works which place emphasis on the new approach in making art, namely printmaking. Each print technique is a carefully thought creation and posseses a

rhythmic flow of image, colour and composition.

Mohd Khizal Saathujan asid

Media Transfer Image and Collage on Paper (2010) 63cm x 50cm

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Mohd Khizal Saatmenitis ke bumi (2010)Transfer Image on Paper63cm x 50cm

Loh Foh Sang Pasar Pagi (2010)Silk Screen60cm x 47cm

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Intermission Volume 1 Art & Design ExhibitionGallery @ KDU

Drawing and IllustrationDiploma in Creative Media Design/Interior DesignMarch 2010

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Interior DesignSpatial DesignMarch 2010

1MALAYSIA CONTEMPORARY ART TOURISMSparkles In Penang (SIP) THE TEAM

1. Ramzi Abu Yazid Senior Deputy Director Jaime Yeoh Director, Motour Penang Office Ministry of Tourism Malaysia Mohd Sani Sham Ahmad Director, Tourism Malaysia Penang 2. Hasnul J Saidon Project Director and Chief Researcher/Writer/Editor

3. Afzanizam Mohd Ali Curator & Chief Designer

4. Nor Laila Abd Rozak @ Razak Curator & Coordinator of Seminar, Research & Publication

5. Nurul Ashikin Shuib Curator & Head of Publicity & Public Relation Adlan Redzuan Azizi Yahya Promotion & Publicity 6. Mohd Firdaus Khairuddin Curator & Head of Logistics, Physical Installation & Technical Set-up

7. Safinawati Samsudin & Nur Hafizah Abd. Aziz Assistant Curators & Coordinators of Research, Record & Documentation

8. Nor Mohammad Abd Rahim & Aizuan Azmi Assistant Curators & Coordinators of Exhibition Installation

9. Shamsul Ikhmal Mansori Assistant Curator & Coordinator of Video/Photo/ Multimedia Production

10. Rohayah Sanapi Administrative Assistant & Coordinator of Finance

11. Radhiyah Abu Bakar & Faridah Mohd Hashim Administrative Assistants

12. Muhammad Husni Abd Latiff Museum Assistant & Coordinator of Technical Set-up

13. Noordin Ban, Izrul Abd Aziz & Yazdi Yaacop Museum & Exhibition Assistants

14. Salim Ibrahim Museum Assistant and Designer

15. Rosli Hamzah Technician & Carpenter

16. Noor Rashid Sabidi Electrician

17. Salmiah Mohamad & Ravi a/l Vansamy General Assistants 18.Nurul Aida Mohamed Noor, EE Sum Peng, Mohd Shafee Abdul Hamid, Mohd Isma Nizam Jamaludin, Zulhani Zulkifli, Hjh. Roslina Idris, Mohd Rafis Hakimi Jusoh General Assistants

19. All gallery’s representatives

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Y.B. Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen YenMinister of Tourism Malaysia

Dato’ Ong Hong PengSecretary-General, Ministry of Tourism Malaysia

Ministry of Tourism MalaysiaTourism Malaysia, PenangAll participating artistsAll participating hosts in USMAll participating galleries in PenangThe MediaThe viewing public

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