Sometimes, our 'lifestyle' has been too
'naturalized' to a point we forget that it is actually a lousy
'alternative' to what is really 'natural'(fitrah). This Ramadan,
I've been struggling to put that ghost of my 'alternative' past away for good.
For the past few days, I've been probed to response to the rhetoric of 'alternative' and 'independent', yet again. This time, for an up-coming solo show of Sooshie Sulaiman in Singapore.
Despite the 'artist' side of me empathizing with such rhetoric, the 'academician' side of me is always suspicious of it. I guess that gives a good balance.
I hope this can somehow put away for good such rhetoric from the mental scape. I think its about time we get over it.
We should move into what Huxel used to term as 'trans-humanism', being humans, yet able to transcend him/herself. There are more to discover within our 'inner-net', that mind-space within our two ears, with "13 billion-cell supercomputer in our noggin" (I'm quoting here). That is our 'inner technology'. Its time to explore our neural pathways towards transhumanism, through mind expansion by embracing 'connectivity'.
Anyway, before I start to babble, here's an excerpt from my response to 'alternative'.
Hi ? (name erased)
Generally
I have no problem with what you have written. I think it is a sensible
and balance take on 'alternative' and Sooshie's positioning regarding
the discourse of alternative. My view is mainly to remind u and Sooshie
not to gloss over too much on it, especially in making sweeping
statements that can be contested.
One example is the opening remark "the lack of support for contemporary art from
the government and public institutions is often bemoaned". Another example is "local contexts ‘largely apathetic to the cultural
value of creativity’. These
are lazy sweeping generalizations that can (and should) be contested.
Personally for me, they are tired cliches or superficial 'problem
statements' that do not ring well with our increasingly hyper-connected
post-capitalist, post-information age where everybody and everything are
increasingly inter-connected and inter-dependent. To always take a lazy
presumption that this is a by-default situation in Malaysia, or all
over the world even, is also counter-productive and not healthy for the
art ecology. Unless, we are talking about taking an exclusive position
for 'alternative' creative practices, which I will touch a bit later.
Perhaps
my 20 years or so experience in the arts under so many different
capacities, fronts, spaces and contexts can be helpful. I had encountered
situations where the very people in the contemporary art who liked to
bemoan had received supports (financial, sponsorship, etc) from
government and public institutions. In fact, I believe that I used to be
one of them, well, I am working for a government institution. But I have always been critical and always been lamenting about lack of support to art
from them. Yet, the works of these people (including mine) have been generously purchased and
included in the national collection, or exhibited in major shows inside
and outside Malaysia, published and reviewed generously in books and
catalogues; their shows hosted or sometimes even partly sponsored, with
supplementary artists' talks and other supporting programmes. I can cite
several examples where creative practices and their proponents who were
deemed as 'alternatives' or 'marginalised' before have occasionally
been co-opted into the mainstream.
In
a society increasingly dictated by a 'post-structuralist' visual
culture and information infrastructure, easy dichotomy and lazy semiotic
binary does not work anymore. But, such easy dichotomy and lazy binary have inflicted many 'players'
in the contemporary art scene, regardless of whether they want to
position or align themselves with the 'government and public
institution' or not. In a small art ecology like Malaysia, creative
people work in and out many different 'spaces' and 'fronts', alternative
or what not.
For
me personally, I'm always suspicious of such easy generalizations, even
though I can understand and even empathize with such generalizations.
Another cliche statement if I may add is "the society does not
appreciate fine art well enough". After 7 and a half years of running a
university museum and gallery, I somehow found that the situation is
mostly the other way around, "the artists or so-called creative people
are too 'special' and too 'alternative' to understand their society well
enough".
Perhaps,
such cliche problem statements can be a form of strategic positioning,
especially in soliciting empathy and eventually grants or financial
supports from non-governmental bodies, individuals, international NGOs
with their local proxies, international bodies etc. Perhaps.
The phrase ‘temporary autonomous zones’ coined by curators Sharon Chin and Eva
McGovern is another 'gloss', ya, big words. Again, it sounds appealing
to my sentiment. Yet, it can also be misleading. A crime lord can apply
it to justify their chosen crime scene as a 'temporary autonomous
zones'. Ok, I know, that's over-imaginative. But the phrase can also be taken as 'temporary exclusive zones - only
for members of the club' who's notion of creativity and artistic 'taste'
does not conform to the 'general population or public at large'. A
'temporary autonomous zones' can also be zones for a small pool of
'specialized' audience that may not represent the general population.
The
"focus on the work of lesser-known artists", and "archiving and
exhibitions" that can
"engage with audiences beyond art circles" have been done by government
and public institutions, nothing 'alternative' or unique about that at
all. Even the much glossed 'community art' has also been engaged by many
museums and galleries around the world including in Malaysia, often
using non-conventional approaches to art in their efforts to engage wide
range of audience or public, including from outside the art circles.
Many 'intervention' and 'community outreach' programmes by government
and public institutions have been organised, including roping visual
artists or people from the creative industry to connect with different
sections of the public at large. For examples, you can refer to several
books and other online materials by the Muzium & Galeri Tuanku
Fauziah (MGTF) USM which I used to direct from 2005-2012 to understand
my point.
I
think instead of glossing over 'alternative', the key word is
'connectivity' and 'dialogues'. But this probably requires another essay
to explain.
In
summary, we have to take a precautionary posture to avoid from being
blinded by the cliche rhetoric and discourse of 'alternative'.
Peace be upon you..
HJS
Question
Anyhow, could you share your thoughts about artist-run, alternative art spaces in m'sia, particularly KL?
Do
you think it's fair to say that these spaces have a hard time living up
to these labels? (collusion with the 'system', private sector',
etc...being 'alternative' for the sake of it.)
My
main point is to raise some questions about that...a certain
scepticism, but perhaps I'm being unfounded? My argument is that
Shooshie, in contrast, is aware of the notion of 'the alternative'
becoming a brand in itself, as well as wanting to work within the
system, not 'in opposition to' it
Hasnul Saidon
We
are living in the age of hyper-connectivity, a post-information age,
even post-institution. Everything is inter-connected, inter-dependent,
nothing can claim to stand on its own. Asserting 'alternity' is just a
binary play, a kind of structuralist semiotic twist, and ya, works well
for branding or to assert a difference. I'm a post-structuralist, always
suspicious of easy and lazy dichotomy. Hehehh.
Question
Do
you feel like it's fair to say that existing spaces in Kl, the way they
operate, play on this binary for branding/strategic purposes? I also
raise a point about them being in inaccessible locations (perhaps apart
from annexe), which makes it easy to be 'alternative' rather than a
viable, visible option to mainstream society.
Hasnul Saidon
Ya,
a good point indeed. Simplistic binary logic does not work in a
post-capitalist and highly networked and inter-connected society.
Several case examples have shown that 'alternative' can be exploited as a
hip term to be different, superficially. Yet, when one looks closely, I
mean at the fundamental structural and conceptual level, many things
are still the same as the mainstream - money, money, money!
Ironically, I
have found many 'alternatives' emerged from the mainstream. I can cite
many works that have been shown in the mainstream that I consider as
highly 'alternative' in regards to providing visible and viable options
to mainstream side of the contemporary art practice, ideologically. Some
even subvert certain State-prescribed ideologies, openly.
Then again,
post-capitalism (sometimes even the gov. institutions) know how to
absorb and neutralize 'alternatives' and turn them into profitable
feeders for its system. Now many things that were previously deemed
alternatives or even outright 'immoral' before have become accepted
products and lifestyles - skateboarding, extreme sports, underground
music, etc.
I look at this as a play of languages and discourses, like a
dialogue, where some subversion and diversion have taken place amongst
different performers.
Hasnul Saidon
One
thing is certain here, at least for me. To come up with an easy and
lazy dichotomy or binary between institutions (government especially)
and the so-called 'alternatives' would be last thing I do.
Question
Are there any particular spaces that you think exploit this situation? Examples that come to mind?
Hasnul Saidon
Almost
all. During a recent round-table talk with the proponents of these
so-called alternative spaces, I discovered that in many ways, they have
operated like an institution, with an appointed curator, a curatorial
theme and guidelines for submission of work, acquiring sponsorship and
financial assistance (by asserting 'alternativeness'), organisational or
team-structure, vision and mission, objectives, all of which somehow
appear like any other institutions.
From my experience in ICOM
(International Committee of Museums) UMAC (University Museums &
Collection) and UM-NET (University Museum Network South East Asia), I
can cite examples of modus operandi that are similar to the so-called
'alternatives'. Even the National Visual Art Gallery of Malaysia used to
work together with several groups of graffiti and street artists. In
George Town, alternative street art has been elevated to a higher
status, incorporated into the heritage and tourism business and
infrastructure. Several 'intervention' projects organized by museums and
galleries around the world including Malaysia, deployed 'alternative'
ways of engaging audience with contemporary art. The 'alternatives' have
also began to dance with the capitalists, if not the government or
'institutions'. Some have even managed to secure generous grants from
outside. Even Sooshie herself used to work in many projects with
'institutions' including the National Visual Art Gallery of Malaysia and
several commercial galleries.
Hasnul Saidon
My
point is that we have to be careful not to gloss over too much on this
'alternative' discourse, especially in regards to Sooshie and her space.
Question
Sure.
in fact, that's why I propose this idea of 'alternate' space - that's
interchangeable, but also evokes the intangible...and a nice play on the
word 'alternative', which you almost expect to see/read instead
the alternate, changing, unfixed nature of these categories of 'alternate' and 'mainstream'
I'm
also trying to underline the connection between the way she approaches
these projects and her own individual work, or rather, the flows between
the two.
