The most well-known culture we Bruneians engage in is food and eating said food. There has been a sprout of many Instagram accounts making food reviews because there are restaurants, cafes, online food sellers aplenty. If we ever go out with friends, without a doubt the question on the table is “Where do we eat?”.
In attending the past few EMERGE exhibits done with Creative Space Art Gallery, I’ve come to realize that I tend to be drawn to art pieces that are associated or somewhat related to food. I subconsciously find myself drawn to this subject as to why we like addressing issues, or highlight the beauty of certain things, with the use of food.
Particularly what stood out to me was the work of Faizal Hamdan, who has participated in the EMERGE: Warisan exhibit for the Warisan (Heritage) exhibit and in EMERGE: Stereotype exhibit. His work for the latter exhibition particularly stuck out the most with his “Talur” art installation that gave us much to ponder on. An egg? An offensive slur directed at me? It was all a very interesting experience not just for me but for everyone who saw it. It was a mirror, in the shape of an egg, with the word “TALUR” right in the middle when you position yourself in front of it. The letters reflect so vividly from the mirror onto your skin. The ambiguity of his creation left a lot to one’s imagination and interpretation. There we have an egg.
Another piece I haven’t really gotten over was the work of Aizzah Hanis, who has created a still life portrait comprised of Nasi Lemak, Penyaram, Cendol and Durian in a similar fashion to Jan Davidszoon De Heem’s Still Life of Lobster and Nautilius Cup. They were represented with such grandeur considering how easily available these items are in the market. She also did an illustration for Progresif’s Hari Raya packet in 2018 of Laksa with the meehoon noodles for waves with the details of golden-looking fishes swimming up ahead to the clouds, where the Limau Kasturi probably is. Representing simple Bruneian delicacies in such a way that we often see them with high regards. There we have Nasi Lemak, Penyaram, Cendol and Durian.
Lastly, the sculpture of Wan Mayang titled Spoonfed for EMERGE: Stereotype Exhibit. It was that of a face, with fuschia spoons in the mouths that works as the symbol for a silver spoon to the mouth. The idea of consumption came to mind, how we feed and receive, and the act in itself of taking and eating, and what we do with what we are given. It was another thought-provoking piece that somehow made me associate with the idea of food and the eating culture here.
With the inception of the EMERGE Exhibition, it has exactly been that, a Tasting Menu of contemporary Bruneian culture, created by voices in art and style. In doing so with the influence of such simple terms like Talur, a nasi lemak, penyaram, or a silver spoon could speak volumes and opens new routes to different narratives to said item.
In the words of Hans Ulrich Obrist, in The Ways of Curating, “At its most basic curating, is simply about connecting cultures, bringing their elements into proximity with each other – the task of curating is to make junctions, to allow different elements to touch,”
Maybe in conveying messages through the images of the familiar, such as food, we could bridge a gap of understanding art between both the artist and the observer and the EMERGE Exhibit has done exactly that.
About the Author
Richelle Ret
Features editor and co-founder of Hana Zine, currently at its rudimentary stage, an independent online publication about the youth and internet culture in Brunei. She is also dabbling in screenwriting, poetry and film-making. Having grown up in a Filipino diaspora in Brunei, she intends to create a cross-pollination of both (Filipino and Malay) cultures and histories into her work.