POP ART- MALAYSIA

"With his involvement in the Pop genre, Jeri has been given the title of 'Pop icon' or a 'legend' in the Pop genre in Malaysia. Even so, what is interesting about this exhibition is not how Jeri and his apprentices display their talents in the ways of Pop but 'different' they are in discussing mundane things especially politics. I believe they aren't the only ones expressing their opinions on politics through arts. There are many others. Therefore the question is what new things are being introduced by Jeri and his apprentices in the language of Pop? And why Pop? Is it perhaps even a mistake to categorize them as Pop artists? If we cannot answer these questions, perhaps there is a benefit for us if we examine closely the reality of Pop art such as what happened in the West six decades ago. I also would like to mention, since the creation of 'readymades' by Dadaism, art can exist in a variety of forms and materials, can be located anywhere for any reason at all; can be brought anywhere for any audience, whether it be in a gallery, museum or a garden or public space; in fact it can even be placed in the middle of a garbage dump. Maybe these are the questions that Jeri mulled over while he was still alive; what does it mean to be a contemporary artist? …The artworks which are being exhibited are clearly attempts to break from the mould in art. Obviously this teases our consciousness. This act of teasing and the space it creates results in a democratic space of knowledge where different interpretations are not just arbitrary but take place in a horizon where its probability is different in features. Maybe it is this difference which causes us to categorize them as Pop artists."

(Badrolhisham Mohamad Tahir, guest curator for the exhibition)

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amir zainorin

digital print on paper , from the stamp series-2008

                                     amir zainorin, the sunday times, digital print on paper-2008