I am proud to announce my participation in Alami Belas the inaugural KL Biennale 2017. My work is titled The Gift of Knowledge: An Installation Commemorating the Person and Work of Durai Raja Singam (1904-1995). This installation will be on view at the Piyadasa Gallery, Universiti Malaya from 1 Nov 2017 – 31 March 2018.
The life and work Durai Raja Singam is the epitome of belas (charity/compassion) in the context of Malaysian scholarly work. Operating outside the realm of academia, he did his work with neither acclaim nor financial reward in mind. He funded his publications himself with no notion of profit. He collated, wrote, designed and published books on various topics, particularly on the life and work of Ananda Coomaraswamy. He pursued this work as if it were his karma (sacred duty) to disseminate this knowledge for posterity. The late Durai Raja Singam was my uncle and, in this installation, I present his place in Malaysian cultural discourse through the dual perspective of a familial recipient of his legacy and a Malaysian artist theorist and curator who has contributed to the study of Southeast Asian art. The exhibit takes the form of an installation of select items of his furniture, personal effects, print layout/artwork, photographs and publications. His books are presented in an accessible manner so that visitors are able to read them. There is also a video interview with his son Jawaharlal Jai Singam. This installation celebrates Durai Raja Singam as Malaysian scholar, historian, biographer and bibliographer of high international regard who operated with humility outside of the privileged precincts of the ivory tower.
The Koboi Project 