147 Tahun Merdeka (Reka Art Space)

ARTIST AND ACTIVIST SHOOT PHOTOGRAPHS OF MALAYSIA IN 2104 Petaling Jaya:
An exhibition featuring digital artworks by Nadiah Bamadhaj and Tian Chua

“147 Tahun Merdeka” is an attempt by artist Nadiah Bamadhaj and labour rights activist Tian Chua, to look at Malaysia’s segregationist architecture and infrastructure, and imagine a future of their own a hundred years from now, by digitally manipulating photographs of some of Malaysia’s iconic buildings and monuments.

This collaborative effort will feature 9 large format digital prints. The Istana Budaya, Angkasapuri and the ubiquitous commemorative arch are just some of the sites featured in the photographs.

Also making an appearance is the Tugu Negara. A static and imposing reminder of the chosen version of history that it represents, the national monument shows victorious British soldiers trampling over fallen communist guerillas. In Bamadhaj’s and Chua’s version, the trampled figures are re-presented as nationalists who failed to seize rightful independence from the British Empire.

In these prints, Bamadhaj and Chua try to highlight the danger of prescribing a dominant ideology to what it means to be Malaysian, suggesting that in doing so could deter the nation’s growth and foster a myopic and shallow sense of national identity.

“As soon as a building goes up it is history. It will represent you well past your death. If it represents you in a way you don’t want to be represented, your thoughts, feelings and concerns die with you, and what stands in your place is the brick and mortar propaganda of what you are”, explains Bamadhaj and Chua of their work in a joint statement.

These prints are not merely fanciful toyings; they offer a critique of the present and a glimmer of hope of what our future may be.

Nadiah Bamadhaj is trained in sculpture and sociology at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. She has worked in non-government organizations of HIV AIDS prevention and human rights advocacy and is the author of Aski-write, co-written with her late brother. She has exhibited in various countries and was awarded the Nippon Foundation’s Asian Public Intellectual Fellowship in 2002.

Chua Tian Chiang, better known among the public and his cohorts as Tian Chua, has been an idealistic activist since his youth. HBailing from Melaka, he studied agriculture in Sydney before switching to philosophy. He then completed his Masters degree in Employment and Labour Studies from Holland. He was formerly active in NGO groups locally and in Hong Kong. Most notably he has been with Suaram and the Labour Resource Centre. As an activist, he has suffered police beatings and spent time unter the Internal Security Act (ISA) in the Kamunting Detention Centre. He is presently the Information Chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

“147 Tahun Merdeka” was first exhibited at Cemeti Art House in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2004. This is the first time these works are seen in Malaysia.

Duration: 1 -24 September
Location:
Reka Art Space
GL29 Block C Kelana Square,
17 Jalan SS7/26, Kelana Jaya.
Opening Hours: Wednesday - Saturday from 11am to 5pm. Other times, by appointment only. Contact: Chee Sek Thim email: sekthim@reka-art.com h/p: 017-872 7721
Chang Yoong Chia email: yoongchia@reka-art.com h/p: 016-374 5848
Tel/fax: 03-7880 5982
Website: www.reka-art.com