A Turun Padang Day. :)

This has been one of the many firsts: Visiting the Central Bank Museum and the Art Gallery. Well, actually, make this a second one. I actually got to explore more of the building during my trip organised by the DSSC. To say that I was excited would be an understatement. You see, I am not an art enthusiast(you don't say!). So, you can only imagine how lost I was looking at the art works. Just like everyone else, I tried my best to dissect the arts exhibited but ended up only admiring the aesthetics of it. Nonetheless, there were many beautiful paintings done by our local artists as well other Asian artists that were exhibited at the gallery. 

Now that was my first time at the art gallery. The second time round, we went with a bigger crowd. The entire class for Malaysian Media and Culture were present, along with Dr Carmen, Miss E, Puan Raja and Kevin. We pretty much had our shifus with us on this trip and I hoped that this trip would help me understand better of the arts. And I think I managed to grasp 65% of it. So, that counts as an improvement right? 

I think it's safe to say that all of us were tailing Dr Carmen, hoping that she would enlighten us about the arts that were displayed around us. We were looking at mostly abstract painting and were thoroughly enjoying interpreting the messages and contexts of the painting. And the thing about abstract art is that, you can never truly know or figure out what the artists is trying to say. And that leaves us with the benefit of doubt, which I think is a bit cruel la. I mean, who likes the feeling of not knowing? It's much worst than the silent treatment if you ask me. 

There were plenty of art works that were aesthetically beautiful. And Dr Carmen was definitely not joking when she said that the paintings are big. I mean, the paintings I saw were BIG! and beautiful of course. ^_^ I guess we spent a good hour looking at the paintings and understanding them before we were off to venture on our own. So of course, we took photos of art pieces to be kept as memories. But just like Khai Lin, my favourite piece would be the Peaceful Terrace and Rainbow Nation.

                                                             Peaceful Terrace

                          Rainbow Nation

                      Rainbow Nation (up close)

Among the other paintings displayed were: 

                                         

This board below are the few Malaysian artists whose works were being exhibited at the art gallery.

Below are some photos I took on the first trip to Bank Negara Malaysia Museum: 
                                         

                      Gold dust and Nugget from the 18th and 19th Century.  

                            Cowrie Shells from the 3rd to the 17th Century.  

                   Animal money that were used during the Malacca Sultanate.  

                                                      A belt made from coins. 

                   The first cheque issued to the Central Bank dated
                        26th January 1959. 
  

                                            Specimens of the first currency. 

                                         A replica of the Central Bank vault. 

                               The Million Ringgit tunnel leading to the
                           Kiddie Museum. 

And not to forget, En Muid Latif who was kind enough to share his art works and vast knowledge about anything everything under the Sun. His extensive knowledge has certainly amazed me. In fact, his desire to keep reinventing himself personally and professionally reminds of something similar to what my Add Maths teacher once told me, 'What we know now is just a drop in the ocean.' 

That is all for my entry this week. Till next time...
Sekian, Thank you. :) 


A/N: 

• The Bank Negara Museum and Art Gallery is open 362 days a year, inclusive of weekends. They are only closed for 3 days during Raya for maintenance purposes. 
• Entrance is free of charge. 
• The Ground floor of the building holds the Kiddie Museum, Souvenir shop and cafeteria. The 1st and 2nd floor are the Museums. The 3rd floor is where the art gallery is. 
• NO flash photography in the art gallery people! :) 

Questioning the limits of discourse

Mr Tan Zi Hao, you Sir, are an artistic genius! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and art with us.:) 

I'm actually quite thankful that Dr Carmen invited him as our guest speaker for last week's lecture. Zi Hao's talk or session sort of gave me an insight of how much "freedom" is there in artistic freedom. 

I must admit that it is really frustrating that I can't understand art as much I hoped to. I used to think that drawing the Sun with equal number of 'rays' was a good enough art. Heck, I thought I was artistic enough when I used a sponge to give it the waterfall effect for my projects. What a way to burst my bubble then. :( I kinda owe my lack of creativity to my Visual Arts teacher back in high school. Oh, how much I disliked her classes back then. I still do,now that I think about it. She'd definitely talked more about non-art stuff than teaching us. 

Anyway, coming back to reality, Zi Hao was nice enough to share with us some of his works,works that were banned unfortunately. And I don't think some of his art pieces should be banned, I think they're pretty harmless (says the girl who doesn't truly understand art). Zi Hao's art work that was featured in Publika, then banned due to that one-word-that-shall-not-be-said, resonates with me in both ways. Good, because like he said, 'If God is everywhere, then He must be in toilets too' and bad because of an issue that caused a stir among the Hindu community few months back. 

        "The joy of dressing is an art. -John Galliano"

The photo above is of a model wearing a bikini with the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. I do not see this as any form of art especially since the swimwear is often perceived as something sexual. 

This is a sneaker with Jimi Hendrix's (if I'm not mistaken) face photoshopped onto a Hindu God. 

Some may interpret it as God's protecting my path or He is within me, but I do not see it way, rather God is beneath me. That is just my opinion, but I kind of understand why that piece got banned. 

Among his other banned works that were shared with us were: 

• The Danger of Translation Lies in That Which is Left Untranslated (2015)
• The Soil Is Not Mine (2013)
• Classroom (2012)
• I look at you. You look at them. But they look at me. Instead of you. (2012)
• A reminder of a remainder. (2015)
• Xenophilic handshakers, xenophoric shellpickers (2014)
• Pengebumian (2013)
• The Endless Possibilities of 1Malaysia. 

Some of my favourites are The Danger of Translation Lies in That Which is Left Untranslated, The Endless Possibilities of 1Malaysia and I look at you. You look at them. But they look at me. Instead of you. 

As mentioned by Khai Lin in her blog, all artworks need context, otherwise it would just be an art for art's sake. Zi Hao's art has cultural context that is seen in pieces like The Soil Is Not Mine and What We Are Made Of. Holding pieces of culture and incorporating it into art is a context by the artist as an insider. On the other hand, as an outsider, what we describe, analyse, interpret and judge is only possible with the knowledge that we have in other words, the information in hand. Without the contextual information and explanation from Zi Hao, I would probably be as lost as a sparkle fairy among a werewolf pack. 

Also, I am beginning to understand the frustration felt by the artists when their message does not seem to reach the audience (such as moi). I feel bad and I really hope next week's trip would help me understand art better. I've certainly missed out a lot all these years. Serious rasa macam katak dibawah tempurung. :( 

Malaysian Art. Si? No?

First of all, I would like to apologize to Miss E for taking forever to answer this. :( 

On with the blogggggg...


What is Malaysian artwork?

Well, let me break it down. A Malaysian is an individual born in Malaysia and bears the identity as a Malaysian while an artwork is a painting, sculpture, basically anything that is created to be beautiful or to express and important idea or feeling. Hence, a Malaysian artwork is a masterpiece or work of art (get it? Artwork? Work of art? Yes? No? Okay.) created by a born bred Malaysian individual. 

What significant event do you think should a Malaysian artist feature?

There are plenty to choose from if you ask me! I would say any events that will certainly go down in history. For instance, the Bersih rally, the Lowyat Plaza incident, the overwhelming support by Malaysians for our gymnast Farah Ann, our current economic downfall, anything that would be burned into our memories as a lesson or motivation. Events like these ought to be treasured for not only ourselves, but for many generations to come. It is to remember the significance or purpose of these events taking place. I'm saying this because history as we know it, is being altered again and again and again in school textbooks. The baddie is shown as the innocent, nice guy where as the good guy is shown as the country's enemy. As Dr Carmen mentioned in her lecture earlier in the semester, 'it is easy to forget your history, when you don't know them'. 

Is it the responsibility of a Malaysian artist to create a Malaysian artwork? 

Of course it is! Who better to create art than those who have lived and breathed in this land?! :D 

That is all. 
Sekian, Thank you >.<

Another Country. Another Perspective.

   When I realized that we were to watch a theatrical performance, my initial thoughts were; "Why a theatrical performance?" followed by "I wonder what's so special about this play though?". Needless to say I was less thrilled about going on that trip to DPAC. However, upon reaching, I felt that this could be something I would learn to love and probably obsess over in the future (I obsess over a lot of things, it's an understatement.) I basically had ZERO knowledge of what a theatrical performance should be like, but there was a rough idea of it though. 

   As this is my first time watching a theatrical performance, I'd rather not comment too much on it. But I must say this, I certainly am amused by the actors. To keep a crowd engaged throughout the hour long play is definitely not an easy task, I applaud them. I'll skip the specifics of the play to save me from embarrassment since there were many wonderful pieces performed by the actors. However,I will share with you my favourite pieces of the performance Sayang Singapura performed by the Malaysian actors.

1. 2 mothers in a hdb playground by Arthur Yap. This act was pretty entertaining as it is a sight we see among housewives. They'd always boast about everything and anything to the other wives, trying to one up each other. " It's funny, cuz it's true!! "- that line is from a show I watched a long time ago that I no longer have a memory of  and I just felt that it applies very well to this play. 
2. Oh! Singapore by Chng Suan Tze. This is a very relatable piece because that is what life seems to be about now. To study. Why? So that I can graduate. Then? I can get a job. Then what? Then I'll start earning money. Then? I'll start paying off my loans. (*results may vary) 
3. The English Language Teacher's Secret by Catherine Lim. In the play, we see can see that the English teacher is in the days, dreaming about her lover, Dr C. But further discussion with Miss E shows a whole new story. The true story of the pieces left all of us taken aback. I guess that is what reading between the lines is about. 
4. Placenames by Boey Kim Cheng. I would not say that this is something that is relatable, but rather something to ponder. In the play, the lead says he fails to recall the names mentioned by his ailing father. As the names are being mentioned, the author begins to think about his fate, will he also be joining the list of those forgotten names? Perhaps this is why we always hear, 'Create a name for yourself'? No, not literally, but you get the idea. :) 

Joining the list are also: Mama Looking For Her Cat by Kuo Pao Kun, Private Parts by Michael Chiang, Forever Singlish by Leong Liew Geok, crossing j.b (for S) by Cyril Wong and also Gemuk Girls by Haresh Sharma. But of course the other pieces were good, it's just that I can't remember all them. 

   Next is Tikam-Tikam: Malaysia@Random 2 that were performed by the Singaporean actors. 

1. Ang Tau Mui by Leow Puay Tin. Probably the favourite amongst everyone in class. This is piece has the right amount of humor with the memorable line, "Eat pork also die. Don't eat pork also die. Better eat pork la." I agree with her though. Not the eating pork part, well, sort of. She is doing what makes her happy, eating what she likes, which happens to be pork despite what others say about it. Similarly, we should also pursue whatever makes us happy, no matter how discouraging people are sometimes. This piece, to me, is more to believing in yourself and believing what is right. 
2. Moonrat: Tikus Bulan by Lim Boo Liat. I'd like to believe that this piece's humor is off the charts with the 'animals' antics! Really entertaining and at the same time, it is true. In the play, the King explains to his subjects the reason why he made them go through all of that to keep them occupied and such, it pretty much applies to our authority figure in reality. We are just waiting for something bigger to hit us. 
3. Daulat: Long Live by Mark Teh. Of course, this is another one with amazing humor. The sarcasm in this piece is too damn high. Nothing much to elaborate on this play as it pretty much speaks for itself. 

Other favourites are: As I Was Passing by Sri Delima, The Chef's Secret, No Strings Attached, or Dalang Dollah Baju Merah by Abdullah Ibrahim, Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon, Lu Siapa? by Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, An Introduction to the Constitution of Malaysia by Tun Mohamed Suffian bin Hashim, The Return by K S Maniam and Scorpion Orcid by Llyod Fernando. We couldn't watch the rest of the play due to the lack of time. Despite not being able to reach catharsis, it was pretty exciting to watch for as first timer. 

Okay, I think I've bore you enough. Till next time... 

And NO. I still don't know who created The Hainanese Chicken Rice. 

Malaysian or Nah???

First time blogging ( is that even a word?!), so please bear with me. :)

Soooooo, the first assignment for Malaysian Media and Culture is to create a blog and basically express our thoughts on the lecture, lecturer, anything and everything under the Sun. Oh, and to make it more fun, we get to answer questions. Yaaaay!!! Jokes aside, and I'm being real honest here, I really liked the way Miss Carmen conducted the class. She encourages students' participation rather than giving off that "Answer me or you won't get marks" kinda way. So, that's nice. 

Anyways, back to the million dollar question: Do you identify yourself as a Malaysian? Why? 

Well, this is like a no brainer's question. Of course I do. And this is not only because I have an I/C that states so, but because of experiences that have made me realise it. I've come across people who have traveled abroad to amazing countries like UK, Australia, Switzerland and more who come back and say "Nothing beats Malaysia'. I used to think they are nuts for saying that. Like, you've visited to the birth place of Westlife, One Direction and 5SOS and yet you think nothing beats Malaysia??! That was my opinion before I made a little trip myself to a land smaller than the UK but right next to us. I think I spent a good 2 weeks there. No doubt it is a great country to visit. The places, the food, the people are wonderful, but something about being away from Malaysia during that time made me miss being home. Only then I realised that, while I was there, I would often compare whatever I saw with what we have in Malaysia. Like, "Oh, you think this traffic is crazy? You should see the roads when everyone balik kampung then." or "We could have more of these for less back home!" Home. This is when it hit me like a ton of bricks. No matter how much we complain about Malaysia or about the people, this still is the country we were born and raised in and we're Malaysians whether we like it or not. Just like how Cheryl explained that culture is the way of life, being a Malaysian is also a way of life. 

And lastly: Does it matter? Why? 

Yes, it does matter. This is simply because there is no other way around it. No matter how much we dislike the state the country is in now, deep down, somewhere in our little hearts, there still is hope and faith that times will change. I would also like to add that I agree with Chuck's post, that being able to identify to other Malaysians gives great comfort in knowing that despite the cultural differences or football team preferences ( hey, that rhymed :P), we are not alone.