Minstrel Kuik, Democratic Action Party, The Progressives 1, 2018, Mixed media (political party flags, pins and thread), 88 x 123 x 6.5 cm
Merdeka, the Lonesome Club is Minstrel Kuik’s (b.1976) solo exhibition, which will feature 19 new works including; charcoal drawing, deconstructed fabric assemblages and laser-printed artist books (editions).
In Merdeka, the Lonesome Club, Kuik continues her attempt at deciphering how Malaysian democracy and its representative system works vis-à-vis political rhetoric, strategy and tactic. More specifically, she investigates the state apparatus of Merdeka Day and general election, first through the deconstruction of political flags from different parties, and later by appropriating the national narratives through the mix-and-match of fabrics.
The fabric assemblages were created through a string of actions such as tearing apart the fabric, ironing, layering, weaving, spacing, composing sand sewing. From this series, Kuik has developed a new visual language within her creative repertoire that emphasizes on materiality, whereby the aspects of material representation and process is inspired by her everyday experience, i.e. sharing and fighting for the same living space with the strangers and the unknown. More importantly, the series serves as personal reminder to the artist of the relations between art and politics.
Venue: Richard Koh Fine Art (Singapore)
Blk 47 Malan Road,
01-26 Gillman Barracks,
Singapore 109 444
When: 10 - 25 May 2019,
