Four artworks from acclaimed Malaysian contemporary artist Ahmad Fuad Osman’s solo exhibition At The End Of The Day Even Art Is Not Important (1990-2019) at the National Art Gallery (NAG) in Kuala Lumpur have been taken down.
In an open letter released on Feb 10, Fuad has requested that the entire exhibition, spanning three decades of his career, be closed immediately.
“All the works that the curator and I proposed to exhibit at the NAG were submitted for the museum’s consideration and feedback. The gallery agreed to all the works installed. This act of censorship is profoundly troubling and unacceptable,” says Fuad, 50, in his open letter, released on his Instagram account.
Fuad received a written notice from the NAG dated Jan 21, informing him that the decision to take down these four works was made following a complaint from a board member.
All four works were officially taken down on Feb 4, with blank spaces left on the walls and installation area at the exhibition.
The four artworks are as follows: An untitled two-part 2002 work featuring “Missing” poster paintings of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, an LED panel; a UV print on mirror titled Dreaming Of Being A Somebody Afraid Of Being A Nobody (2019), an oil painting Imitating The Mountain (2004) and an installation work Mak Bapak Borek, Anak Cucu Cicit Pun Rintik (2016-2018).
"The National Art Gallery sent me a letter (Jan 21) officially informing me that they wanted to remove the four works because a NAG board member complained about them. Prior to the letter, they had contacted me on the phone through WhatsApp (messages) on Dec 24 about their intentions. On Jan 23, NAG had temporarily removed two of the four works from display, before returning them to the exhibition on Jan 24," elaborates Fuad.
“This act of censorship is arbitrary, unjustified and an abuse of institutional power. The NAG claims that it is censoring my work because a board member complained that certain works are obscene and political. But this makes no sense. Contemporary art in Malaysia has always challenged conventions and it has consistently made political commentary, ” he adds.
At The End Of The Day Even Art Is Not Important, curated by Singapore-based curator Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, opened in October last year, and was originally slated to close on Jan 31. However, it has been extended to Feb 29.
The artist commented that there is “plenty of challenging material” throughout the exhibition and wonders why these works were singled out.
Fuad hopes to see further public discussion surrounding this NAG takedown of his works.
"It should enter into the public record. There must be accountability and transparency. Reasons must be explained, defended in public, and subjected to scrutiny and debate.
"The issue is larger than just a few artworks or a single exhibition, or one particular artist’s practice. The issue is in the integrity of the arts in Malaysia, and the process by which it is served by public institutions," says Fuad.
This recent act of censorship by NAG has caused an uproar on social media, raising questions on the freedom of art and how it will affect the second edition of the KL Biennale, a large-scale international art event scheduled to kick off in September.
The National Art Gallery has yet to respond to Fuad's open letter.
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