Contextual Studies - Week 3
1/9/16 - Week 3
Leanne Faye (0327020)
Gallery Visit - ILHAM Gallery
On Friday after class, my course mates and I went down to Kuala Lumpur. The gallery is held at IB Tower. ILHAM Gallery is a public art gallery committed to supporting the development, understanding, and enjoyment of Malaysian modern and contemporary art within a regional and global context. The exhibition is called Era Mahathir, it features both contemporaneous and recent works by artist that help us to understand the complex realities of that period and provide us with divergent views, outside our official narratives. I was very excited because it was my first gallery visit in Malaysia especially together with my course mates. So without further ado, let me show you my experience!
A large poster greeting us before entering the building.
Geometric sculptures displayed right outside the building.
Overview of the gallery.
The first artwork that caught my attention when I first walked in. Titled 'Proposals For My Country' by Liew Kung Yu. It is 213 cm by 575 cm which is quite large. The vibrant colours and the meaning of the artwork really attracted me.
Artwork by Chang Yoong Chia titled 'The Dollar Sign'. It is a collage of postage stamps. It depicts the Petronas Twin Tower guarded by a large snake and the mythical Chinese dragon.
This is an acrylic painting titled 'Urban Playground' by Kok Yew Puah. It depicts his children and their friends - the hope of Bangsa Malaysia - as they navigate their way through this new urban landscape.
Oil on canvas by Anurendra Jegadeva titled 'Running Indians and Their History of the Malaysian Indians in 25 Cliches'.
An oil on canvas artwork by Ahmad Fuad Osman in 1999. Size 244 cm x 244 cm.
Another artwork display by Liew Kung Yu titled 'Pasti Boleh (Sure Can One)'. This installation is a tribute to Vision 2020. Some of them lights up by pressing a button as shown in the first 2 pictures.
These are digital C-type print on photographic paper by Vincent Leong. We were asked to guess what building is the photographer standing in while taking the Petronas Twin Tower. Try guessing! (Answer revealed below)
This is an artwork by Roslisham Ismail titled 'NEP (New Economic Policy)'. It is a collage of found stickers, pamphlets and posters. The artist used his collection of calling card left by loan sharks in housing estates in the city to highlight issues of economic sustainability.
An mixed media artwork by Azizan Rahman Paiman titled 'The Challenger'. "WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE, YOU ASK, I WILL ANSWER" is written on the artwork.
A sculpture made with steel titled 'Stupidity' by Zulkifli Yusoff.
Another 3 interesting sculptures by Zulkufli Yusoff. From left to right, Sheriff Goes To Jail, The Observer, Your Honour.
This artwork is by Abdul Multhalib Musa titled 'By Default'. Made with laser-cut cut mild steel plates.
This wood cut on paper by Juhari Said titled 'Portrait with Corsage'.
Gallery guide given to use during entry.
The receptionists brought us to a place which was not open to public on a normal day. She told us that it is a good spot to take pictures of the surroundings of the building.
That was it for Era Mahathir Exhibition. Although it was a bit lengthy, I couldn't resist to share all the artworks in this blog posts.
The answer for the photographs by Vincent Leong is - there is no such building. The point of these photographs is to show you that there is no building taller than the Petronas Twin Tower in Malaysia.
A group photo before heading to our next venue: KLCC!
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