A GROUP of young Malaysian and Indonesian artists say they will not back down on their right to express themselves after their works were censored and allegedly tampered with at a major arts exhibition in Kuala Lumpur recently.

The artists from Pusat Sekitar Seni (PSS) withdrew its participation in the Kuala Lumpur Biennale 2017 exhibition at the National Art Gallery a day before its official opening on November 23 after they claimed the show’s curator informed them that several elements in their exhibit had to be taken down.

The group – comprising five Malaysians and two Indonesians – had set up a massive installation decorated with colourful cartoon drawings, posters and other items from the numerous community projects they had run since 2012.

However, it claimed that several objects that were part of the installation – including two large white papers with the words “Rasuahahahahahaha” written on them, and a picture of Jesus Christ – were deemed inappropriate by the gallery.

The artists said that police officers were called to inspect their work, and that later, several objects from the exhibit went missing.

“The items in the installation represented our work, our art,” PSS co-founder Aisyah Baharuddin told The Malaysian Insight.

The 37-year-old artist, who is a fine arts graduate, said the curator told them the police confiscated pieces from their installation. However, the police said they only advised the gallery to remove the artwork and return it to the artists.

“The National Art Gallery and the police have given conflicting accounts,” said Aisyah.

“Who is telling the truth? What actually happened?”

Communist artwork?

The PSS artists said the police had told the group that their works contained elements of communism, a charge the group dismissed as baseless.

Instead, they said their work was a culmination of art and community activism, a unique fusion that had attracted organisers of the KL Biennale 2017 to invite PSS to the prestigious contemporary arts exhibition.

PSS has a community centre in Kampung Padang Jawa, which has a library and a garden with local herbs and fruit trees.

The artists spent a month creating the installation, during which time children in their community were welcome to give their feedback, said another PSS artist and graphic designer, Mohamad Idham Ismail, 27.

“The children (from Kampung Padang Jawa) were excited to see our artwork at the KL Biennale. This is their project, too,” said Idham.

PSS artists are well known to the locals in Kampung Padang Jawa as they regularly host free workshops and screenings, including on photography, video editing, soundmaking, mural making, stencilling, embroidery, gardening, composting and recycling.

They also organised a street art festival in the village in 2012.

Their murals can be spotted on the walls of buildings in Kampung Padang Jawa.

Their attempt to make art more accessible to the people has attracted curious visitors from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea. They have also been invited to participate in art projects in other Southeast Asian countries.

Not backing down

Aisyah said PSS was caught off guard and disappointed by the turn of events, but said it would not be cowed by the censorship. Instead, it is seeking legal advice on how to get its missing installations returned.

She said it was “ridiculous” that random items, including posters, flyers, zines, postcards and research papers, were removed from the installation for allegedly containing communist elements.

Nurul Adeline Zainuddin, a 28-year-old paralegal and artist, said the artists would not allow the episode to dampen their spirits.

“They cannot break us. We will continue our work with the community.” – December 4, 2017.