(The Star) - Police confiscated an artwork by artist Anurendra Jegadeva from the M50 Selamat Hari Malaysia exhibition, which allegedly insults Islam.
The show’s co-curator Nani Kahar confirmed that the artwork, entitled “I is for Idiot”, had been taken by the police on Thursday afternoon.
“They are going to first determine if the work is indeed insulting to Islam,” she said when contacted.
Nani said the artist, popularly known as J. Anu, had not been arrested, and that the curators had taken down the rest of his artwork exhibited at Publika Kuala Lumpur for safekeeping.
She declined to comment further due to ongoing police investigations.
A police report was lodged on Wednesday against the piece due to the Arabic words in it, which mean “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”.
The M50 Selamat Hari Malaysia is a nationwide art festival that kicked off on Monday and will go on until Sept 17 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Hari Malaysia.
It is organised by Balai Seni Visual Negara (BSVN) under the Tourism and Culture Ministry with the participation of 40 art galleries nationwide and aims to create awareness about Hari Malaysia.
According to the M50 Selamat Hari Malaysia Facebook page, the artists were invited to explore the notions of “being” and “becoming” Malaysian in the context of globalisation, local vernaculars and modern migration.
“Through these artworks, it is hoped that the audience can reflect on the declarations ‘I am Malaysian’, ‘saya anak Malaysia’, ‘saya bangsa Malaysia’ and truly celebrate the ‘Malaysian Spirit’ today, 50 years after the nation formed,” it said.
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