Alegori Ledang. Solo Exhibition 2004

I have drawn my inspirations for this new series from the Legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang (Fairy princess of Mount Ophir). The legend speaks of Sultan Mahmud's attempt to gain the hand of the fairy princess. Already married to princess from China and Java,the Sultan seek to posses one whom no other Sultan can. A delegation that include the warrior 'Hang Tuah' was dispatched on his behalf.Upon contacting the representatives of the princess,they learnt that she required...

a bidge of gold and silver that spanned from Malacca to Mount Ophir
Seven trays of mosquito hearts
Seven trays of midge hearts
A vat of water from dried areca-nuts
A vat of tears of virgin maidens
A cup of the Sultan's blood
A cup of the Sultan's son's blood

This story fascinates me with its interweaving of history, legendary figures and old fables and its moral behind the story. It also symbolically raises the value of an intelligent Malay women who challenge the mindset of those that are in power. Realising that the seventh condition cost was too high (to get a cup of his son's blood), the Sultans finally withdrew his suit. Recorded in Malay history, the story forms part of this seminal text that puts forth some of the cultural foundations of a Malay identity. Written during the Malacca Sultanate ,the text presents cautionary tales that exemplify the values of humility,loyalty and knowing one's place in society.

Extended Series ; .2001-2003

Mixed-Medium,2001.

Issues on early education in our country...


Mother & Child.2001. Collection of National Art Gallery,K.lumpur.

Mother & Child was among series of work extended from the 'Echoes of Dreams'.

Domestic Form Series:2001-2003

This series tackles the situation of being a sculptor , mother and wife. The household items were used as a significant medium in this series to represent the routine of being a mother and wife. Traffic symbols address my concerns about the busy and hectic life of a working woman today. The U-turn symbol hints at multiple meanings for an artist. The 'U-Turn' reminds me sometimes when I get caught or confused about my multiple roles and responsibility as a sculptor, teacher, mother, wife and as a Malay Muslim woman and how I need to balance and juggle all those roles to achieve what I wish to.

Echoes of Dreams Exhibition.

As Muslim, mother, wife and Malay women at this time ,in this place i'm sure there will be a lot of circumstances which will influence in my work. Inspite of this new environment (living in Australia), I believe there would be more challenges which i need to face in order to develop my art and idea to the future,culture and tradition. I want to create works which can communicate about contemporary ideas, origins and female experiences. I hope other people can relate to my artforms through their own experiences and daily life.


Pillows as metaphor of dreams


The form of pillow emerges when I start thinking about my situation since I came to a new land,while carrying along our family dreams and wishes to refine the ultimate answer to the question regarding my origin and identity. From this journey to Australia we become more aware of our origin,identity and ourselves. The word 'dream' literally made me choose the 'pillow' as a main form.However it is actually a metaphor to potray 'wish,vision,aspiration and hope ' which is shared by the whole family. Metaphorically the comfort of the pillow represent my role as mother ,comforting and nurturing my family and helping them to adapt to this new environment.

The pillow also creates a link between myself and my family back home as we share the same dreams. Thus , I have decided to print all the names of my family on the pillows in ' Malay Jawi' script.



Cast Objects

Along the process of my exploration with the meshed pillows, I also found that the occurrences of daily life as found in cultural-based objects are crucial to emphasize the theme of my work. Thus , I have formed the objects through bronze casting process. These objects are significant in the Malay culture.They are made to look aged to imply that the objects are part of a heritage and have been used since for many generations.Some of those objects are reconstructed to become surrealistic forms,to show that they have endured all hardships and obstacles in order to pursue this one dream.