2 artworks removed because ‘they caused distress’ among visitors
The National Visual Arts Gallery removed two artworks by Young Contemporaries (Bakat Muda Sezaman) finalists because they caused "distress" among some visitors.
The gallery today said that since the works were displayed on October 28, it had received a lot of negative feedback.
"The works had a distressing impact on visitors and we decided to take them down for the remainder of the show," Balai Seni said in a statement.
The gallery said as the curators, it had the right to display works and need not put up the work of all finalists.
It said the participants were aware of the gallery's terms and conditions when they joined the Bakat Muda Sezaman competition.
The Young Contemporaries is a premier art competition that started in 1974.
"The head of the jury and Bakat Muda Sezaman 2013 secretariat were informed of the risk of both these artworks during the judging process. They had taken note of this and accepted the explanation given the day before the award ceremony," it added.
The jury was headed by Hasnul Jamal Saidon.
Last Wednesday, the gallery removed works of artists Cheng Yen Pheng and Izat Arif Saiful Bahri from display, before the award ceremony officiated by Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz.
Cheng's painting “alksnaabknuaunmo” features the words “ABU=ASHES” while Izat Arif's installation “Insert#” involves T-shirts printed with the Arabic letters Fa and Qof.
ABU is also the acronym for the Asalkan Bukan Umno movement, with the same letters prominently featured in anti-Umno graffiti nationwide. – February 18, 2014.
