Art in Malaysia
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Transcript of Art in Malaysia
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Art in Malaysia
1930s 1990s
1930s: The Beginning
No heritage of indigenous art and architecture,
unlike Thai or Javanese cultures. However,traditional craft forms influenced contemporary
Malaysian art, where they were experimented with
and underwent new interpretations
o Wayang kulit
o Batik: considered a functional, utilitarian
material, but artist Chuah Thean Teng
converted it into an art form in Feeding
Time (1951)
o Wood carvings on fishing boats along East
coast
Borrowed influences from its settlers
o Colonial influences: Malaysia had been under British governance,
which introduced art into the Malaysian education system. Some of the
1st generation Malaysian artists were granted scholarships to study
overseas, and brought back fresh ideas which invigorated the Malay
arts scene
Abdul Latiff Mohidin
Syed Ahmad Jamal
1950s 1960s: Abstract Expressionism
Abstract expressionism was the dominantart trend, where there was an emphasis on
the process of creating art rather than the
product, and the artist was seen as the
creative force
Instead of mere imitation of Western artistic
styles, there was a conscious attempt to fuse
local elements with the Western style
o Subject matter: inspiration from
local, tropical landscape
Rawa-Rawa 1(Marshland1) (1986) by Abdul Latiff
Mohidin
o Style: combination of
gesural elements of
Islamic and Chinese
calligraphy
Tulisan (Writing)
by Syed AhmadJamal
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1960s 1970s: The New Scene Artists
2nd generation of artists
o Studied abroad and received different stylistic influences
o Rejection of emotional content and gestural art
Sulaiman Esa
Redza Piyadasa
Decline of abstract expressionism in pursuit of a new definition of art
o Conceptual art
Challenged traditional notions of art-
making, art materials, and the role of the
artist
Empty Birdcage (1974) by Sulaiman
Esa
1970s 1980s: Search for National Identity and
a Mystical Reality
National Identity
o Spurred by the First National Cultural
Congress in 1971, artistic production began to
turn towards Malay roots. There was growing
emphasis on Malay culture and values
o This coincided with a global pan-Islamic
resurgence advocated by Islamic intellectuals,
which rejected modern Western culture and
values as decadent and irrelevant
o The spread of these ideas manifested in
artists works
Garden of Mystery 6 by Sulaiman
Esa
Mystical Reality
o Manifesto written by Sulaiman Esa and Redza Piyadasa in 1974
o This noted a shift in artistic practices towards Eastern philosophies
such as Taoism and Zen rather than Western oneso Questions the nature and function of art
1980s: Post-modernism
Rapid modernization, industralisation resulted in a
dislocation of the traditional way of life
o This raised political, social and economic
concerns among the people, which were
reflected in art
Sook Ching (1992): A video, site-
specific performanceo This also enabled the scope of art practice
to be broadened to include performance art
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and site-specific art
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Abdul Latiff Mohidin(1941 - )
Influences/ Inspiration
German expressionism
o Emotional tendencies: exaggerated forms and colours
o Traditional religious iconography
o Primitive art forms, especially South-east Asian
Was drawn to strong symbolic qualities of African andPolynesian forms during his visits to the Museum of Ethnology
in Berlin
Nature
o Due to his kampunglifestyle during childhood
Mohidin once said in an interview with T.K. Sabapathy that
every child who has grown up in a kampungis touched by
nature, and that human beings are part of nature
o Nature is viewed as a personified, mysterious force
Pago-Pago series (1960s)
o Nature as a raw force
Gelombang series (1980s)
o Creates a highly personalized world that does not refer to any
particular cultural and geographical place
Works
Pago-Pago series (1960s)
Amalgam ofpagoda andpagar, wooden beams across old Malay houses
Themes
Culture: Recurrent motifs of stupa, lingam, totem and other stylized formsderived from South-east Asian iconography
Habitat: depiction of pagodas and temples, man-made architecture alongside
natural surroundings
Fantasy: Nature as a mysterious force with personified natural elements
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Early Pago-Pago
Pagoda 1 (1964) Pagoda 2 (1964)
Subject matter
Forms are derived from architecture and reassembled to create a new identity
as an organic form
o Traditional Thai Buddhist temples: the stupa and the prang
In his earlier works, forms are more figurative (representing forms that are
recognizably derived from life)
Style
German expressionist, Expressionist and Cubist approach
Highly decorative, patterned surfaces reminiscent of traditional motifs
Colours used are also reflective of local tropical landscapes
Composition
Subjects are placed in tight masses, overlapping each other
Forms in the foreground are deliberately cropped to achieve greater impact
Symbols and Imagery
Use of imagery that provide universal interpretations
There is a fusion of the Western style with indigenous themes
The development of new iconography and revival of existing, previously-
decaying or dead traditions
Pago Pago (1964)
Main subject matter of this work
contains motifs derived from boats,
leaves, bamboos and shells in a totemic
assembly
Nature is personified and symbolic
o Sun behind the forms Forms are nearing semi-abstraction, and
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Mohidin leaves ample room for viewers interpretation of the subject matter
Forms interlock into a dense mass in the centre of the canvas and captures the
viewers attention
Expressionistic brushstrokes are used, in a painterly fashion
Though the structure is predominantly grey, dabs of yellow, orange and teal
(presumably reflections of the natural surrounding) are used to liven up thestructure depicted
Later Pago-Pago
Pago Pago 103 (1967)
Subject matter
Depicts a 3 vertical forms within a spiritual landscape, each animated andalive with their organic energies
Shows Nature in its wild, untamed state without the interference of Man
In his later works, forms are highly simplified and near abstraction
Totemic, monolithic forms are iconic representations of animistic (the
attribution of soul to plants, inanimate objects and natural phenomena)
considerations and bimorphic forms
Style
Use of stylized shapes and forms derived from South-east Asia
Use of thick, vigorous brushstrokes and strong colour contrasts
o Exhibits Mohidins Expressionistic influences
Use of outlines and diagonals to suggest movement and inherent energy each
subject withholds
Composition
Forms are composed in the middle ground, with an undefined background and
a foreground empty of subject matter
Mohidin compensates this emptiness by filling the plane with a vibrant red
colour, which is in stark comparison with the white background
Symbols and Imagery Nature is a metaphor, depicted as poetic, romantic and mysterious by the
primordial atmosphere of the painting
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Malam Merah (Red Night)
(1968)
Portrays an abstracted and
personified natural landscape
Theme highlighted is that of
Natures exuberance and vitality
Unlike typical Pago-pago works,
subjects are no longer restricted
to the foreground
Images are fragmented and
forms are scattered in
disconnected space
Early architectural rigours have
morphed into a fluid, organic,asymmetrical dynamism
Vigorous, sensuous brushstokes are an Expressionist idiom, and tell of
influence from American Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning
Colours are vibrant, forms depicted in white with highlights of wheat-like
ochre against a hale red background
Movement is captured through the tilted shapes and directional brushstrokes
With such colours and movement, Mohidin brings life to the red night
Mindscape series (1970s)
Pago-Pago Mindscape
Viewer is invited to peer into the
process of making images
Every component is to be read
and unraveled systematically
Viewer is asked to accept each
image unconditionally
More meditative in nature;
surfaces are smooth, sealed and
polished and harbour little trace of
brushwork
Themes
Culture: the meditative aspect of religion
Habitat: Mosques, Malay architecture and natural surroundings
Style
Immaculate in appearance
Minimal and conceptual
Strove to present a state of meditative perfection
Fusion of Western style with indigenous themes
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o Natural hues of brown, yellow and
ochre
o Broad sweeping strokes in impasto
o Layering gives textural depth to the
work
o Characteristic of Abstract
Expressionism
o Brings to mind images of amber
waves of light in darkness
Mindscape V (1973)
Contains an inverted dome-shaped
motif that may be a representation ofa mosque
Pigment is spattered on the structure
to suggest an explosion
Colours used are organic, and can be
likened to that of fruits
Intense, basic colours (red, green,
yellow) are also suggestive of searing
light and heat energy
Brushstrokes are invisible
Painting is subject to interpretation,and each viewer would associate the
forms and colour present in the
painting to different things of his/her
imagination and mindscape
Gelombang (Waves) series (1980s)
This series exhibits Mohidins preoccupation with the raw, violent forces of
nature, and is a metaphor for the creative energies of the artist
Gelombang 86 (Waves 86)
(1986) Arus Malam (Nights Current)
(1986)o Powerful and dynamic
o Broad brushstrokes of stunning red
are aggressively applied to the
canvas against hues and shades of
blue, yellow, white and black
o Rich textural effects created bybuilding layers of paint one on top of
another
o Explosion of colour bring to mind a
flurry of activity and fireworks
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Themes
Culture: A meditative approach that reflects the Malay psyche which draws
parallels between life and nature in cultural teachings of the bidalan orpepatah
Nature: An attempt to capture the primeval force of nature on canvas. This is a
culmination of his studies in earlier series and interest in nature.
Style
Emphasis on creating mood and tone rather than a realistic representation of
scenes
Powerful, dynamic brushstrokes rendered in rich impasto (paint applied in
thick layers such that it stands out and the work becomes textural) to mimic
the primal forces of Nature
Modulations of colours and brushstrokes stand out in contrast with the highly-controlled constructions of previous series
Shows influence of Action painters such as Willem de Kooning and Jackson
Pollock
Colour
Earthy tones are used to bring out the spirit of Primitivism
A vibrant and stunning palette of primary colours is used
Rimba (Forest) series (1990s)
Began in 1995
A powerful concentration of the artists creative forces
Mohidin was spurred on by his deteriorating health to create a new technique
that could transmit and consolidate a sense of urgency (and) vigour
The challenge was to do the best work possible, as if it was the last painting
Rimba (Forest) Gelombang (Waves)
Principal formal units are firmly rooted to
the picture plane
Trunks emerge from the bottom edge of
the picture, overlap and race towardsupper corners like arteries and
undergrowth
Dominant colour is black
Movement is dynamic, fluid and
unceasing
Subject matter float across the surface,
freed from the picture planeVibrant, primary colours that struggle to
break free from constraints of the 2D
canvas are used
Dark Rimba (1996) Rimba (1991)
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Redza Piyadasa
(1939 )
Influences/ Inspiration
Art education in the United Kingdom (UK)
o Inspired by Bauhaus artists
Emphasis on analyzing how we perceive artwork and the
structure of visual design
o At Hornsey College of Art, he was exposed to revised curriculum
Included studies in Art History, Literature, Philosophy and
Psychology; this enabled him to pursue a more holistic
approach to art-making
Constructivism
Beliefs
Piyadasa is an intellectual who has had a privileged overseas education. His
time abroad raised his awareness to his own nations social concerns, and his beliefs
strongly influenced his approach towards art. Post-colonialism left Malaysia
struggling to find its own identity and culture. Piyadasas Malaysian Stories (1980s)
reflects this struggle.
He hopes to sow seeds for a thinking process that might someday liberate
Malaysian artists from their dependence on the West. He does so by demanding that
his viewers respond to his work by establishing a dialectical relationship with the
artwork (instead of a merely passive contemplative attitude). As such, he engages in
conceptual art.
He aims to construct a new ideology that is mystical in flavour, based on
Asian values and traditions (especially that of Taoism and Zen). This is his alternative
to the appreciation of reality that is put forth by the West.
He believes that the role of the artist is to generate and shape ideas, values and
opinions in ways that will have a direct bearing on society, and to redefine cultural
identity and cultural consciousness.
Themes
Society
Art and art-making
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Towards a Mystical Reality:
Piyadasas Conceptual Art (1970s)
Works explored the fundamental properties of painting and sculpture, and
their relationship Artist assumes an impersonal stance, rejecting metaphoric and emotional
values
Emphasis placed on pure idea rather than the sensuous object
Questions the role and function of art and art-making
Demands a dialectical relationship between the viewer and the artwork instead
of a mere passive, contemplative attitude
Rejection of formalism, an alternative to the then prevailing movement of
Abstract Expressionism
The Great Malaysian Landscape (1972)
A painting about making a painting, exploring the
fundamental properties of a painting
Stenciled words label parts of the painting, while the
middle portion features a 3-step process of how an
artwork is penciled and painted
The painting within the painting is that of a Malay
peasant ploughing his paddy field
Piyadasa presents to us selected aspects of the
evolution of art, particularly the evolution of a
painting
This piece of work raises the question of whether
there is only one set perspective to look at a painting from; it does so by
pointing to us our perception of the parts of a painting, and hence leads us to
contemplate about alternative ways to view the painting.
Self-Portrait of the Artist as a Model (1977)
Subject matter comprises two main focal
points that juxtapose against each other:
the subject (Piyadasa as his own model)and stenciled words across the bottom
half of the foreground
Background: Representational,
naturalistic depiction of human form
Foreground: Multi-coloured font that
spells The reader may ask What is a
model? or What models are we talking
about?
Unusual composition as portraits are not
usually accompanied by words
Model stares back at viewer with amatter-of-fact gaze
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Two Malay Women (1986)
Malay women in traditional
garb, painted over with flat
planes of colour that clash with
the picture
Symbolises the advent of
modernity upon traditional
society, which is seen as an
unnatural assault upon the
original societal order
Almost confrontational considering the questions Piyadasa is forcing viewers
to contemplate
Using himself as the model implies that the viewer is to engage directly with
him in the discussion of the two questions
This work concerns the issue surrounding the complex role of models
o In art, there are two types of models
Actual/ philosophical models which artist transforms into
visual form
Works of art serving as models for other works of art within a
given artistic tradition
Copying a master in museums
Four Propositions (1977)
Explores fundamental
properties of painting and
sculpture and theirrelationship
Tests ideas that were in
vogue in the discussion of
contemporary art: anti-art,
non-art
Utilises printed text and
stenciled words to convey
the matter-of-fact attitude
of artist
Search for a National Identity:
Malaysian Stories (1980s)
From the 1980s, Piyadasa moved towards
figuration
Departed from conceptual art as artistic resources
had been exhausted, and there were not many
theoretical issues left to discuss
New Economic Policy in 1970s caused social
division between bumiputras (indigenous people)and non-bumiputras
Purpose
To question the notion of a Malaysian cultural
identity, and to promote a larger, all-
encompassing notion of Malaysian identity
To portray the conflict between a multi-racial
environment and the politicized Malay/Non-
Malay socio-cultural dichotomies
To fulfill the artists role in the redefinition of
cultural identity and cultural consciousness,
and to convey the national anxiety and
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Seated Malay Girl (1991)
The Sinhalese Family
Posed, family portrait
Migrant family
Bright, basic colours
Use of repetition
uncertain of finding identity in the modernized world
To reflect and celebrate the various ethnic groups of modern Malaysia
Subject Matter
Drawn from old Malaysian photographs that depict multi-racial and cultural
groups that make up Malaysian society Nostalgic retrospection into Malaysias past
Figures in the pictures are always posed and in a formal
setting
o In the olden times, photography lacked flash
technology and the subjects had to sit stiffly for
images to develop sufficiently distinctly on the film.
Taking photographs were hence a formal and
important affair, and posed pictures were fragments
of memories intended to be preserved for generationsto come
o In posed pictures, the sitter also wants himself/herself
to be best represented
Sparks discussion of olden-day peoples notions of
respectability in their community
o Photographs are a tool of memory, Piyadasa attempts
to evoke a sense of nostalgia in viewers by showing
them scenes from the past
Family poses are
selected
o Depicts migrant families thathave settled and grown in
Malaysia, who were from
different cultural heritage but
common in their struggles and
respect for the basic notion of
family
o Suggests that family is the basic
unit of the nation, and is integral
in Malaysias search for her new
identity in todays modernizedworld
Style
Figurative art
o To make art relevant to the
viewers life experiences,
devoting concerns and questions
to social history and contexts
Use of Pop Art- influenced techniques of
silkscreen, acrylic and collage
o Relatively new mediumpopularized by American Pop
Artist Andy Warhol
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Indian Mother and Child (1993)
Silkscreen and acrylic
Posed photograph
Repetition
Vibrant colours
Innovative media
Background pieced from
different fabrics put
together: social fabric of
the nation? Malaysia as a
conglomeration of different
cultures, including that of
the Indian people depicted
Kapitan Cina (1990)
Traditional Peranakan
motifs of flowers and
leaves embroidery on the
border
Posed photograph
Formal cultural wear with
historical heritage
Green figure bathed in red
background, as thoughvying for viewers attention
The dilemma of old vs. new
o Utilises techniques such as replication and repetition of colour and
photographs, which brings to mind ideas of mass manufacturing
o Questions ideas of mass production and individual identity
o Can individual identity be dictated
or reproduced by politics?
o Can memory and experiences be manufactured?
Figuration by means of appropriating old photo-images of ancestors
o Prompts viewers to take a retrospective look back into the past
o Asks viewer if the identity that has been forged in history is still
relevant in modern days political climate
o Presents a tension between the past and present with little integration
between both elements
Traditional motifs, fabric and way of dressing
Use of garish loud colours and modern medium, all of which
signify the invasive pervasiveness of modern day culture and
how it can potentially diminish the importance and existence of
the preceding Malay heritage
Unsmooth transition between the traditional subject matter and
modern day media and elements juxtaposes them to emphasize
glaring differences in culture of past- and present-day
QuickTime and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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