Haffendi Anuar, Untitled, 2023, Dyed and painted canvas, plastic rice sack, thread, hemming tape and metal hooks and rod, 210 x 161 x 4 cm. Photo courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art and artist
“Interiors” is a solo exhibition by Haffendi Anuar (b.1985), a prominent Malaysian artist known for his thought-provoking works that challenge conventional narratives. The exhibition will be held at RKFA’s Singapore gallery from 15 July to 5 August 2023.
Haffendi Anuar’s artistic practice, shaped by his MFA studies at Oxford, delves into the kain pelikat, a traditional Malaysian cloth, reimagining it as a symbol of architecture and construction. “Interiors” represents a continuation of Anuar’s exploration of this concept, where he seamlessly integrates elements of history, identity, and resistance.
The artworks showcased in the exhibition will shed light on the enduring colonial ideology and gaze on the Malays, dismantling the myth of laziness and rest associated with them. In this series, Anuar ingeniously reinterprets the kain pelikat as facades and screens, employing various textile materials such as rice sacks from Asian supermarkets in Oxford and London, gunny sacks sourced in Malaysia, coffee bean sacks, and dyed and painted canvas and calico.
While color plays a significant role in these sculptural pieces, Anuar emphasizes their sculptural nature rather than their textile origins. Intriguingly, one of the exhibited works features a scanned page from John Turnbull Thomson’s book, “Some Glimpses Into Life in the Far East” (1865), describing a colonial officer’s dinner party in Penang. This inclusion underscores Anuar’s fascination with the domestic, particularly as portrayed in colonial texts, and how his sculptures echo the qualities of curtains, rugs, hammocks, and cradles.
Venue: Richard Koh Fine Art
Blk 47 Malan Road, #01 – 26 Gillman Barracks, Singapore 109444
When: 15 Jul - 5 Aug 2023, Tuesday – Saturday: 11 am – 7 pm
