Who, or what, are we?
Four artists offer a discourse on identity and belonging at Malaysia’s first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
FOUR Malaysian artists are currently showing their works at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Italy.
This is the first time Malaysia is part of this prestigious international art platform. The works of of Anurendra Jegadeva, 54, H.H. Lim, 65, Ivan Lam, 44, and Zulkifli Yusoff, 57, can now be viewed at the country’s national pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
The exhibition, which is a discourse on the concept of identity within the larger context of society at a time of immense political, social and economic change, is titled Holding Up A Mirror .The Malaysian pavilion is located at the Palazzo Malipiero, a palace built in the 15th century.
The exhibit, curated by gallerist/ owner Lim Wei-ling of Wei-ling Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, with Gowri Balasegaram, opened to the public on May 11.
“It has only been the first few days of the preview opening and we have had such a positive response to the exhibition with so many visitors – curators, artists, cultural commentators and the general public. There is a wonderful sense of euphoria and a nationalistic mood within the Malaysian pavilion, it is a truly great opportunity to share our artistic and cultural production with the world,” says Wei-ling in a statement.
Holding Up A Mirror, a reference to the phrase meaning “to depict something as it really is”, presents four artists’ take on the concept of identity.
Melbourne-based artist Anurendra’s Yesterday, In A Padded Room, a work from 2015, offers narratives of history, migration and globalisation in its depiction of a mythic struggle for power and dominance. In this colourful,
vibrant installation, he turns a satirical mirror onto the world we live in today, while letting the echoes of 18th century literature reverberate through his story of contemporary culture.
Zulkifli’s installation series Kebun Pak Awang (2010), named after a 1970s radio show about a farming family, is reminiscent of a plantation or an orchard setting in a kampung. It comprises wooden objects mounted on walls and arranged in a geometric pattern. Tropical fruit
motifs are printed on the objects – see if you can spot a papaya cut into two, jackfruits and the king of fruits itself, the durian.
Kebun Pak Awang is a nostalgic take on transformative plans, belonging and memory – and an ode to a way of life and values that are being eroded today.
In Lam’s 2019 multimedia installation, titled One Inch, 19 TV screens are placed at eye level in a dark room, with a compendium of Malaysian films from the 1950s till
today played in a loop.
“There is a really amazing atmosphere here at Biennale. It’s great to be part of an international arena where it feels like the whole world is coming together to focus on art and its power to reflect the world we live in – and to also see Malaysia as an art centre to be reckoned with,” says Lam.
His multimedia installation reminds visitors to ponder on the need to step outside ourselves, and view the world from the outside, for a new, fresh perspective.
Lim, on the other hand, gets intimate with his triptych painting Timeframes: Four Seasons, a panorama of his experiences told in symbols and imagery. This piece is complemented by Sitting Sculptures, an installation of 28 chairs; and four short videos. Both are new works.
The public is invited to sit on these chairs – most of which have their seats removed and replaced with metal parts upon which words are carved – to ponder on the painting and videos, and the physical and metaphorical role of the chair, both in everyday life and as a conduit linking all parts of the work in this set up.
“The Venice Biennale is the global art platform and it is great that Malaysia is represented by artists of such diverse backgrounds and practices. A seed has been sown which I hope will grow and flourish for future representations at the Biennale,” says Lim, who has been based in Rome since the mid-1970s.
This year’s Venice Biennale, directed by American-born, London-based Ralph Rugoff, is themed May You Live In Interesting Times.
The inaugural Malaysia Pavilion is supported by the Creador Foundation, BRDB Developments and Big Tree, and endorsed by the National Art Gallery, and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia.
The 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia runs till Nov 24.