Absolutely heartrending! This was how Hamidah Mohd Noor described her feelings when she found out the legacy left by her late husband in Kuala Lumpur was demolished by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall last Friday.
To add salt to the wound, the sculpture, Puncak Purnama (Lunar Peaks) by Anugerah Seniman Negara recipient Syed Ahmad Syed Jamal was described as an "eyesore" by Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor.
"(I was so angry) when I heard the minister said the sculpture cannot be restored. According to his grandfather?
"How can you build something using his touch, now that he is gone?" Hamidah asked at a press conference at Balai Seni Visual Negara yesterday.
Also present were her son Syed Nabil Syed Ahmad, art collector Zain Azahari Zainal Abidin and Balai Seni Visual Negara chairperson Mahadzir Lokman.
Activists and artists, including Zulkfili Yusuf, Bayu Utomo, Tan Nan See, Hassan Ghazali and U Wei Saari, national laureate A Samad Said and writers Siti Zainon Ismail and Raja Ahamd Aminollah were also there to show support.
The press conference was called after Syed Ahmad's sculpture at Jalan Atap in Kuala Lumpur was demolished by a developer, on the orders of the KL City Hall.
Syed Ahmad, who died at the age of 81 in 2011, is among eight Malaysians named as Seniman Negara - the highest award in the arts in Malaysia, bestowed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Tengku Adnan described the sculpture as an eyesore, and said his ministry received complaints about it.
The ceramic and glass sculpture by the former Balai Seni Lukis Negara director was completed in 1986.
It was commissioned by the United Malayan Banking Corporation (UMBC) and presented to the City Hall.
In 2010, Syed Ahmad won a civil suit against the city mayor over modifications to the sculpture made, in 2000, without his knowledge or consent.
Police reports lodged
After the press conference, the artists lodged a police report on the demolition of Puncak Purnama at the Dang Wangi police station.
Among those who lodged the report include artist Pyanhabib, writer Rahmat Haron and art curator Nur Hanim Khairuddin.
It is understood that a police report on the the demolition of the sculpture was also lodged in Perlis.
Meanwhile, Syed Nabil said news of the demolition came as a shock to him, especially since the family only found out this through the social media.
He said he tried to contact DBKL on the matter that afternoon, but his calls went unanswered.
National laureate Samad urged more artists to lodge police reports on the demolition, which he described as unethical.
"Police must be told that Puncak Purnama's demolition is a crime. Does it make sense that a legend can be demolished without repercussions?" Samad asked.
Mahadzir said the National Visual Arts Gallery was also not informed about the demolition.
He said he rushed to the site only to find a single pillar left.
"I witnessed the last pillar being knocked down," Mahadzir said.
He said the authorities could have worked with the Arts Gallery to move the sculpture to a suitable place and restore it.
"But it is too late. The entire sculpture was reduced to rubble by 5pm," he said.
Besides his work in government agencies, the late Syed Ahmad is also known as the man who conceptualised the logo for the movement, Adil.
Adil was founded following the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister.
Adil subsequently became Parti Keadilan Nasional and merged with Parti Rakyat to form Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.