Borneo-centric art exhibition amalgamates elements of the past, present and future

AMIDST a world where almost everything can be attained through the click of a button, it is refreshing to experience art up close once in a while.

I do not consider myself as a connoisseur of this field, but I do appreciate good creative work and at times, I secretly wish to have just one artistic bone in me.

As such, I was thrilled to be invited to a special exhibition themed ‘The Past Is Present Is Future’, staged at Haus KCH in City Square recently.

Curated by Haus KCH managing director Syed Rusydie Syed Habib and co-executive director Sonia Luhong, the week-long showcase featured selected artworks from the previous ‘Roots and Remixes’ and ‘Altered Natives’ exhibitions, held in Kuching a couple of months back.

‘Greeted by native poetry’

‘The Past Is Present Is Future’ was an interesting event, in that it amalgamated all three time concepts into the whole presentation.

As I made my way up along the steps that led to the exhibition area, already I could hear voices chanting in unison, which got louder as I approached the entrance.

According to Syed Rusydie, the sound was a recording of the ‘Parap’ – a spontaneous poetry common in the Kayan culture – entitled ‘Jutun Jun Jupang’.

It was performed by young Kayan maestro Adrian Jo Milang from Bintulu together with his elders for the ‘Kelunan’ theatre performance, which was staged at the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) last year.

Upon reading the booklet handed over to me by Syed Rusydie, I learned that the word ‘Kelunan’ translated to ‘people’ in the Kenyah and Kayan languages.

I also got to know that the cast included renowned Kenyah cultural activist Mathew Ngau Jau.

This show was produced by the Tuyang Initiative, an arts management social enterprise engaged in the Bornean indigenous culture heritage, with Mathew and Lan E Tuyang as the creative directors, and Adrian as the community manager.

An interesting point in the booklet was that it stated Adrian, now at age 26, as the youngest practitioner of the oral traditions of ‘Parap’ and the ‘Takna’ (delivery of epic songs about Kayan heroes and prominent figures).

‘Creating new juxtapositions’

Adrian was among the artistic contributors to the ‘The Past Is Present Is Future’ exhibition. Others were Sarawak-based Jasmine Dadi, Marcos Kueh, Pici Pamg, Tuh Dek and Asyilah Tan; Mira Hector and Sang Tukang of Kota Kinabalu; Elroy Ramantan of Brunei; Zakaria Pangaribuan of West Kalimantan; and Catriona Maddocks, a curator, artist and researcher from the UK, but based in Sarawak.

When asked about the intention of holding this show, Syed Rusydie said he and Sonia felt that while the ‘Roots and Remixes’ and ‘Altered Natives’ exhibitions had achieved the targeted discourse and presentation of Borneo’s current creative practitioners, these two collections remained separate.

“Essentially, ‘they had never met’. In bringing the two together, we wanted to create new juxtapositions in order to inspire new thoughts and subsequently, new conversations.

“The title, coined by Sonia, is elaborated by the distinctive layout and sectioning of the exhibition, which was my contribution to the curation.

“One would pass through the first section, designed with a longhouse setting, before proceeding further inside.

“When viewed as a whole, the exhibition theme becomes more prevalent: how far into the future does our past influence us, and what does the present mean for those who acquire vision through foresight and nostalgia?”

‘Eyes, and more eyes’

Syed Rusydie kept talking as the tour went on, but his voice trailed off as my gaze focused on a very striking artwork, comprising mixed media on canvas and an elaborate three-dimensional sculpture laden with ‘eyeballs’.

Themed ‘Dance of the Demons and The Innocent Inner Child’, the two-part piece was a creation by Pici Pamg. The artwork’s description in the booklet was a poem: “In breathless confinement, she wooed an uncertain danger; a dagger into her demons, twirling in her dress; all the colours and glitz, the skull and horns paint victory, a blessed wilderness.”

I did not need a doctorate degree in fine arts to appreciate this particular exhibit, notwithstanding the profoundly-worded description. The key feature, to me at least, was the ‘eyeballs’, which came complete with lashes fashioned out of small beads!

These ‘eyes’ were placed on a candelabrum which, in turn, was placed before the canvas.

The wall piece of Pici Pamg’s artwork had on it a doll’s head, depicted as ‘wielding’ a shiny ‘keris’ (dagger), which I assumed was reflective of the ‘a-dagger-into-her-demons’ part of the poetic description.

Completing the whole look were sparkly trinkets and frilly fabrics – and more ‘eyeballs’!

Perhaps my description was a bit macabre, but I must say that it was truly an eye-catching item.

“I think this is my favourite piece among all your exhibits. I may write more about this one,” I told Syed Rusydie, who responded with a smile.

‘Earth and smoke’

Syed Rusydie had mentioned about the sectioning of the exhibition, but I felt that the transition from one artwork to another was quite seamless. Even as I continued to admire the ‘Dance of the Demons and The Innocent Inner Child’, I could easily notice the other exhibits as well.

Another interesting piece was Zakaria Pangaribuan’s ‘Di Bawah Tanah, Di Atas Asap’ (Earth Below, Smoke Above) – a mixed media on PVC board which, I thought, very much captured the exhibition’s theme of ‘past, present and future’.

The sculpture referenced an illustration by T Bagak, which debuted as a commission piece for Borneo Bengkel’s ‘Bor(neo): The Project 2021’ programme.

At first look, I regarded this piece as being ‘unmistakably Bornean’ with the depiction of what could either be a hornbill or a crocodile, as the anchor.

Upon observing it more closely, however, I could see drawings that combined cultural and contemporary elements – from a weaving woman, an earthen jar and the native warrior’s shield with its trademark elongated hexagon shape, to men playing the traditional ‘sape’ (lutes) wire-plugged to boom speakers and a figure seemingly ‘parkour-ing’ its way to the top part of the sculpture.

The description in the booklet cemented this artwork’s incorporation of the ‘past, present and future’ theme: “Borneo, as a picture of the lungs of the Earth in the past with the magical values of crocodiles and hornbills (there you go – it represents both!) as a reflection of ancestors, is a land that is threatened today. Pollution, forest fires, illegal mining and tree-felling, become great enemies for the original inhabitants who were once side by side with nature, animals and their beliefs.

“The big question as a resident of Borneo today is how to remember and reclaim the green forest and fresh air to his home.”

‘Mystical tiger’

The next object that caught my eye was the ‘Bornean Remaong Rug No 1: Burak’.

In Iban folklore, ‘remaong’ is a mystical tiger identified as possessing supernatural powers, while the word ‘burak’ simply means ‘white’.

Looking at this piece, my guess was that ‘burak’ referred to the colour as the base to make the black pop out.

It was a beautiful item and according to the description in the booklet, this work by Elroy Ramantan was inspired by the Tibetan tiger rug – the only difference was that the stripes were replaced by intricate Iban tribal tattoo motifs.

To me, the ‘Bornean Remaong Rug’ could seamlessly fit into any mansion’s décor, or that in a castle for that matter, because it just had that ‘lifestyle-of-the-rich-and-famous’ touch.

True enough, upon further reading, the RM1,200 price tag matched my assumption.

Support and contributions

Syed Rusydie said ‘The Past Is Present Is Future’ concluded the three exhibitions run under the ‘Subcultures’ instalment – one of Haus KCH’s four ‘Seni Kita Weekend’ series for this year.

‘Subcultures’ came after ‘Women Empowerment’ and ‘Mental Health May’, with the ‘Environment’ theme to conclude it all next weekend.

“After over two months of cultural clarity, both new and old, the sun has finally set on our ‘Seni Kita Weekend: Subcultures’ programme, which saw the launch of three art exhibitions with artists’ and curatorial tours, more than 70 small creative businesses supported through various markets, a volunteer crew base of over 40 people from the public and local universities, and the gathering of over 30 performing artistes from around Borneo.

“We also received great reception for the instalments, with each having registered daily number of visitors of over 2,000,” said Syed Rusydie.

He also took the opportunity to express gratitude to all the contributors, collaborators and supporters who had made the ‘Subcultures’ programme a success.

“There are too many to mention, but we must first highlight the support given to the ‘Subcultures’ instalment by Yayasan Hasanah through the 2023 cycle of the Arts For All Seasons (ArtsFAS) grant.

“Our appreciation also goes to the CSSC (Community Social Support Centre) Kuching, Benang Studio, Bring It On, Christopher Ling, Deservebarn, Ensera Creatives, Eric Taylor, Georgette Tan, House of Joy, Iqmal Ivan, Izzie Rocatz, JayC Panganiban, Jerry Ho, Kuching Food Aid, Malcolm Yap, Margeret Yap, Martiana Chia, Microwave Sibu, Paradise Borneo, Ruai Biru, Sarawak Drum Community, Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS), School of Skateboarding (SOS), Serbanaeka, Sheldon Assom, WatchmoviesnotSibu, Chef Achang Libat, Belinda Home Brew Tuak, Borneo Bengkel, Embun Unggu, Ezra Tekola, FightX, Figs and Ferns, Jaya Chiropractic, Jocelyn Sim, Leon Noel, Macha Kaca Mata, Nagaia, Ngirupp, Rami Nari, Reef B., RBL Rara Collection, Satoyama Farm, Steff Fleur, Sulu Nuan, Swinburne Sarawak Student Council (SSSC), Sylvia Lim, T Bagak, The Other Side, The Rasa, Underground Dango Club, Borneo Boat Lute Revival, Hayree Hisham, Hero AVL, Kawaii Boy, Kulleh Grasi, Opah Aspa, Rias Sofiyah, Rining Peter Paris, Santori, and Tuni Sundatang.

“Quite a list, right?” he laughed.

“What can I say? We are proud of the programmes that we have established with all these people and organisations, and our thanks to them are eternal.

“As long as art exists, there will be more from us – pretty soon!” he added.

Haus KCH is a creative hub that advocates and facilitates the empowerment of grassroots creative individuals and entities through space- and programme-based collaborations. The hub was established in late 2016, incorporating input from over 10 communities.

Today, it continues to collaborate with local leaders, participating in policy discussions to support fair treatment and ethical support for artists, musicians, designers, and writers.

Haus KCH operates within and in affiliation with its premises in City Square Kuching.

To know more, go to its main social media platforms www.instagram.com/hauskch, and www.facebook.com/hauskch.