Sarawakian artist goes beyond the ‘exotic’ with his textile works

Kueh has always been more curious than annoyed at the notion of being from ‘exotic’ Borneo. – Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli

Contemporary artist Marcos Kueh’s first solo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur titled Kenyalang Circus offers visitors a contemporary glimpse of how textile art can showcase and reimagine his home state Sarawak, the land of "hornbills, tribal warriors, blowpipes, and traditional beads".

Kenyalang Circus (“hornbill” in Sarawak Malay) is a concept that Kueh, who has a graphic design background, has been working on in the past six years. It started as a digital collage and found its way into the Malaysia Design Archive’s blog “O For Other” three years ago, before being developed further in Europe.