THE line-up is impressive and hopefully able to soothe the most unsettled of spirits.
Iskarnival 2016, poised over three weekends and ends November, offers three banners: Kreatif (creativity), Naratif (narratives) and Sama-Sama (togetherness).
The Naratif exhibition showcases 30 local artists, with each artist as penglipur lara, the story-teller inviting listeners into their imaginative worlds.
Narrative art isn’t new. So much of what we have seen has been narrative, with expansive subjects including literature, legends, myths and religion. What it is, is simple: The artist narrates, we watch, we listen and we understand. Well... we attempt to.
The references, the allegories are more often than not heavily-veiled, and in these works we’re about to see, information from artists is needed for us to make heads, torsos and tails of their works.
The list is a long and exciting one. Of the participants from Johor, we see Johan Marjonid, his entry, 2015. Biar pohon ini yang bercerita III. (Allow the tree to tell the story) is that wonderful bloodletting we all go through, both the rational and irrational. To survive the insanity that is our world. Using trees as metaphors, these “silent companions” symbolise the need to renew ourselves.
Artist Anissa Abdullah’s 2012 The Road Taken is from an earlier work, taken from her Townscape Series. Before Anissa embarked on a delightfully-mad foray into collage, oil pastels was centre stage, and as she describes: “Pastels is a precursor to collage. This particular work is one I have always held close. I live with my family in Ampang. The Road Taken is the crazy traffic I brave every day, the chaos and din and lunacy just to get from points A to Z”.
What of Stephen Menon’s 2016 mix-media, Hell-Met Series: Fragility of Mankind? His take: “The supremacy of the crash helmet cannot shield the weakness and fragility of humankind. There is good and evil in our minds and bodies, souls are created within each one of us”.
Talk about crash test dummies.
Najib Bamadhaj’s 2016 Belief hones in on the Sultan Abdul Samad building at Jalan Raja, opposite Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square). Built in the late 19th century, it formerly retained the offices of the British Colonial administration, the Federal Court of Malaysia, the Court of Appeals and the High Court of Malaya and now gives roof to the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture of Malaysia.
Shares Najib: “Belief rekindles the memories of those who fought for our nation’s Independence. This is not my voicing unhappiness over current happenings. Rather, a wish, a hope both deep and which soars that our country will become what it was meant to.”
DIVERSE OFFERING
There’s so much to delight in. Entries from Umibaizurah Mahir, Azrin Mohd, Hisyamuddin Abdullah, Shia Yih Ying, Anniketyni Madian, Adeputra, Fadilah Karim, Faizal Suhif, Diana Ibrahim, Haslin Ismail, Hoe Say Yong, Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, Arikwibowo Amri, Azrin Mohd, Donald Abraham, Fawwas Sukri. Fazrin Abdul Rahman, Mona KV, Syed Fakaruddin, Adeputra, Nizam Rahmat, Rosli Zakaria, Saharuddin Super, Khairul Arshad, Khairul Izham, Shafiq Nordin, Ismail Mawi and Masri are all set for a story-telling fest to make heads spin.
There’s also a written observation from artist Jai Abu Hassan on his particular brand of narratives taking root from his studio space in Bukit Antarabangsa. Fresh from his latest solo Siang Dan Malam (Day & Night) at The Edge Galerie, we’re interested to see those hidden-tucked-away as-yet-unfinished-works from this rock star professor.
These are 30 works with 30 original narratives that could be deciphered into thirty thousand more. The possibilities are infinite and thrillingly so. It’s like reading Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful World Of Henry Sugar and wanting, needing it to continue despite the nerve-wracking ending, “...just call him plain Mr Henry Sugar.” And perhaps this show is a little like that.
We have these 30 fire-walkers and wonder if they, like Henry, can make us see without eyes, and maybe also exclaim, “It’s crazy! It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! I’ll join you, man! Let’s go!”
In anticipation of Iskarnival Naratif 2016, we revere in these words by Russian modernist poet Anna Akhmatova:
Celebrate our anniversary - can’t you see
tonight the snowy night of our first winter
comes back again in every road and tree -
that winter night of diamantine splendour.
Steam is pouring out of yellow stables,
the Moika river’s sinking under snow,
the moonlight’s misted as it is in fables,
and where we are heading - I don’t know.
There are icebergs on the Marsovo Pole.
The Lebyazh’ya’s crazed with crystal art.....
Whose soul can compare with my soul,
if joy and fear are in my heart? -
And if your voice, a marvellous bird’s,
quivers at my shoulder, in the night,
and the snow shines with a silver light,
warmed by a sudden ray, by your words?
Celebrating Creativity
Iskarnival Naratif festival will be launched on Oct 15 at Iskandar Puteri, Johor, in celebration of Iskandar Malaysia’s 10th Anniversary. Iskarnival 2016 is jointly presented by Khazanah Nasional Berhad, UEM Sunrise Berhad & Iskandar Investment Berhad.
This year, Iskarnival 2016 celebrates three main themes: Creativity (Kreatif), Narratives (Naratif) and Togetherness (Sama-Sama).
Iskarnival Kreatif at Mall Of Medini will showcase local creative industries, promoting talents and innovation as well as documenting these creative content producers through a publication.
With the rebranding of Nusajaya to Iskandar Puteri early this year, Iskarnival Naratif, which is also at Mall of Medini, aims to explore and develop possible place identities. A literary journal will be compiled to explore the historical and contemporary experience of Malaysia and Southeast Asia, bringing together diverse voices that creatively challenge and reimagine the idea of the narrative.
Other activities/programmes include:
• Wayang Kulit, Mak Yong, Dikir Barat, Wayang Purwo by Pusaka SambaSunda from Bandung, Indonesia
• Classical Indian Dance and Music Shows by Temple of Fine Arts JB Seletar Cultural Centre
• Presentation by Sinah Radu Ulun Amrita Performing Arts from Cambodia
• Kisah: Literary Journal for Iskandar Naratif
• Details at www.facebook.com/Iskarnival.IskandarMalaysia.
