P O N D A N N A T I O N

Pondan Nation was a series of works I made in response to the Malaysian government’s growing hostility against the LGBTQ community, and also to explore what notions of citizenship and nationality would mean to queer Malaysians.

These works were partly inspired by my reading of Josef Albers’s book “Interaction of Colors”, specifically an exercise in which by juxtaposing two contrasting colours, it was possible to see a third.

In this case, I juxtaposed two words, one in Malay and the other in English, with contrasting meanings (positive and stigmatised), both to propose and express the difficulties and possibilities for non-heteronormative identities in Malaysia.

These works were originally shown as part of #ReimagineUs, an exhibition curated by Sharmin Parameswaran) at RUANG by ThinkCity, Kuala Lumpur, in conjunction with Urbanscapes, in Nov 2018.

Some of the pieces were later featured in Repel Revel exhibition at Grey Projects, Singapore, in 2019.