Ahmad Fuad Osman - 'Syhhh..! Dok diam-diam, jangan bantah.'

For its second major exhibition of the year, Ilham Gallery is set to take a step back in time to an era that changed the local art scene and created more self-aware artists who boldly produced socially relevant art.

It isn’t by any means a stretch of the imagination to say that the Malaysia of the present is the creation of one man – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. During his 22-years as Prime Minister, he drove the nation through an industrial and economical boom that forever changed the landscape of our country and the dynamics of our society and our art.

Liew Kung Yu - 'Pasti Boleh/Sure Can One'

This period of growth saw the rise of iconic structures like the Petronas Twin Towers and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport along with the city of Putrajaya. Through ups like the 1998 Commonwealth Games and downs like the 1997 financial crisis, Malaysians were imbued with the “Malaysia Boleh” spirit brought on by the confidence of Tun Mahathir himself.

But his influence stretched beyond the realm of politics and economics, and saw a change in the environment of the local art scene. For better or worse, Tun Mahathir’s policies and practices brought about enlightenment within the art community that led to artists addressing and responding to all the complex socio-political issues of the time, ranging from the effects of globalization to the Reformasi Movement.

Anurendra Jegadeva - 'Running Indians and the History of Malaysian Indians in 25 Clichés' (split into two)

‘Era Mahathir’ will feature contemporary works by Malaysian artists like Liew Kung Yu, Anurendra Jegadeva, Zulkifli Yusoff, and Ahmad Fuad Osman that capture and help to explain the complex realities of that period, through their diverse views and narratives. The exhibition will run from  July 24 to November 16  and will feature a total of over 44 works by 28 Malaysian artists.

For more information, visit Ilham Gallery’s official website. 

The influence of this era is yet to wane as artists like Yau Bee Ling carry on the legacy of socially relevant art.