Malay manuscripts, contemporary art merge in 'Alegori' at Galeri Petronas

Syafiq Ali'am's The Honorable Pirates (wood, metal, stainless steel, gypsum, fibreglass, resin, epoxy and acrylic, 2017) is a crowd-puller. Photo: The Star/Samuel Ong

[caption id="attachment_349772" align="alignleft" width="350"] Samsudin Wahab's Orang Ikan Masin (human figurine, dried fish, 2015). Background: Orang Asam Keping (human figurine, dried tamarind, 2015). Photo: The Star/Samuel Ong[/caption]

There's something fishy going on at Galeri Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, and artist Samsudin Wahab is in the middle of it. He sits on the bench with a mysterious figure that has its hands tightly clasped.