1970, Muhibbah dan Perpaduan (Goodwill and Unity), from 9 May 2018 to 13 May 1969

In 2017, Minstrel Kuik began developing a body of fabric works to engage with the political situation in Malaysia.  Reflecting on the failure of the 2013 general election to bring about political change, Kuik deconstructed campaign flags from that period into assemblages of woven garlands, fabric-wrapped frames, sewn strips, and tied knots.  Working with material enabled the artist to cope with personal feelings of frustration and the sense of powerlessness generated by political events in Malaysia, as her artistic interventions effectively stripped the flags of their political function and returned them to a neutral and more personal space, a “firewall” against the mental and emotional trauma resulting from decades of political turmoil and ongoing racial policies.

The title of this 2018 work recalls the first theme of Merdeka Day, Muhibbah dan Perpaduan (Goodwill and Unity), announced in 1970 to mark the anniversary of Malayan independence from Britain and to reinforce national unity and nation-building after the tragic racial riots the year before. In this work, the artist contemplates the long tradition of Merdeka Day themes that were part of the ruling party’s political rhetoric and an affirmation of the Ketuanan Melayu (Malay dominance) racial policy for close to 50 years.