LONG–TERM EXHIBITIONS OUTBOUND Ongoing | Various locations
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(L-R): Kak Julitah, Yee I-Lann, and Kak Roziah. Yee I-Lann (b. 1971, Malaysia) with weaving assistance from Bajau Sama DiLaut weavers led by Kak Roziah: Kak Anjung, Makcik Bagai, Makcik Billung, Makcik Braini, Kak Budi, Kak Ebbuh, Makcik Gangah, Kak Ginnuh, Kak Gultiam, Makcik Indah Laiha, Kak Kanuk, Kak Kinnuhong, Makcik Kuluk, Adik Lornah, Kak Norbaya and Kak Sana; and Dusun Murut weavers led by Julitah Kulinting: Lili Naming, Siat Yanau, Mohd Shahrizan Bin Rupin, Juraen Sapirin, S. Narty Abd. Hairun, Zaitun Abd. Hairun and Julia Ginasius. Tikar-A-Gagah. 2019. Pandanus weave with commercial chemical dye (front); Split bamboo weave with black natural dye (back); stitched with bamboo weave. On display at the foyer near the Holding Cells, Level 1, Supreme Court Wing.
Tikar-a-Gagah is the result of an 18-month long collaboration between artist Yee I-Lann and indigenous weavers in Sabah, a northern Borneo state in Malaysia. Commissioned for the Gallery’s OUTBOUND series, the artwork features both traditional and contemporary motifs that reveal the process of co-invention between Yee and the weavers, whose traditional motifs are passed down orally from one generation to the next. Tikar-A-Gagah features abstract, maritime-inspired patterns of the Bajau sea communities as well as graphical motifs of landscapes, fauna and communal gatherings of the Dusun and Murut land communities. By drawing on traditional weaving techniques and the symbolism of the tikar in indigenous culture, Tikar-A-Gagah generates new conversations about contemporary forms of art in this region. OUTBOUND is a series of unique commissions that imaginatively transform transitionary spaces at the Gallery. Each commission is an artistic and temporal landmark that anchors and guides the visitor’s experience while highlighting the Gallery’s iconic architecture. The inaugural season presents projects from artists Gary Carsley (Australia), Jeremy Chu (Singapore), Jane Lee (Singapore), Haegue Yang (South Korea) and Yee I-Lann (Malaysia). 22
