#2. FINAL PROJECT (DR SULAIMAN ESA) : RAJA'AH : ART, IDEA AND CREATIVITY (1950-2011)

Exhibition Title : Raja'ah : Art, Idea and Creativity (1950-2011)

Artist : Dr. Sulaiman Esa

Brief :
This exhibition is more than meets the eye. Sulaiman Esa has dived into the core of Malaysian identity and values using elements of pop culture. The artiste is basically trying to break free from the stereotyping mind of the hegemony of Western culture. Interesting enough, he managed to combine Captain America and Darth Vader paper cut into works that rooted in Islamic principals and geometry.

The artist’s driving philosophy was the quest to break free from the hegemony of Western culture and to create a uniquely Malaysian cultural identity. He strived for this in his works, blending local materials and techniques with pop culture. Captain America and Darth Vader papercuts suddenly appear in what initially seem like works specifically rooted in Islamic principles of geometry and repetition, and Sulaiman’s ‘Beauty in Diversity’ pieces celebrate Malaysia’s multicultural flavour without once stepping into that dreaded realm of cheesy.

This exhibition is unexpected, different at every angle, and proof that if you look, there are some absolute gems in Malaysian art. More history on the artist would’ve been nice, but the exhibition scores top points for its breadth. Gallery 3B has many of Sulaiman’s old works (landscapes from his youth, homages to Van Gogh and the Impressionists), there’s a video of the artist in conversation with the curator, and a huge work called ‘Panopticon’ in Gallery 3A, which the artist made with his video artist son, Fairuz Sulaiman.


As for the exhibition, Dr Sulaiman highlighted this four part as represent their journey towards him life starting around 1950 until currently 2011.

1) Londan Era
2) Illusion
3) Insyirah
4) Panapticon

Some of the exhibition picture,