Noor is an image based project that seeks to mediate different tangents of societal and political truths and untruths of the 21st century that shroud the artist’s selfhood as a Muslim living in Singapore. The project stems from what feels like a crisis of identity for the artist, one whose voice is warped by monumental forces of structures and systems, especially perpetuated by mainstream media. Within this societal quagmire, he feels that new realities are unjustly invented, imposed as a collective trait of certain communities. New realities that are ironically, becoming nexuses of contention, fear and confusion for the perpetuators alike. Noor, being the artist middle name, as well as “light” in Arabic, becomes the focus in this profound discourse. It encourages a dialogue that navigates through the poetics of light and space as well as traversing the notion of beauty and reality, of distance and nearness. The artist has begun the process of resolving the complexities plaguing his identity with a poignant overture; a calling, a cry to reclaim his comfort, heart and voice.
A part / Apart
The artist is enthused on exploring the problematic relationship of mainstream media and societal archetypes upon sifting through the content posted within his virtual network, thereafter the larger sphere of the Internet. He feels that the media augments these overwhelming streams of noise, aggravating into a dangerous place that fester information that are largely inaccurate and invasive. Mainstream media, especially social media has allowed for no rationale and reasoning, what with the surface level of unfiltered connections and discoveries. Social media gives netizens pseudo-veneer of power. They feel that they are part of the larger scheme of things, exalting them into an army of ‘keyboard warriors’. Social media networks namely Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, expose anyone to a great distraction and influence, inevitably exposing the society to this quagmire;
Exist / Exit
The next portion of the project, Exit/Exist was manifested through the artist desire to have a more intimate, emotional variant to the installation, to thread all the strings together. As the title suggests, the series speaks of that ambiguity between leaving and living. The artist want this section to be an externalization of the disquietude stirring within him.
One where there is a struggle in reclaiming his identity. He holds the belief that the Self is dissipating, hence the 6 image piece, follows a narrative of losing the face.
Aside from putting forth this feeling of decadence, it crosses a dangerous supposition on the turbulence of finding faith. In today’s age, the artist posited that the distortion and fabrication of truths creates a perplexity in the spirituality of oneself. He feels that there is always that transition phase where the real does not seem as it is and the Self gets trapped in that in-between territory.
Noor stems from the artist’s observation of how overtly amplified noises are in today’s spaces; be it in physical or virtual ones. The notion of how much this distraction shroud the voice of the Self triggered the artist’s passion to offer points of negotiations. Noor manifests itself as a two-part image-based installation, in the form of an emotional as well as a critical response to this crisis of identity.
The artist feels that in today’s age, the Self is at peril of being unfairly heaped together by a set of stereotypes and preordained, parasitical classification- guilt by association. This worrying reality is more so apparent for the Muslim Self. There seems to be a caustic confusion, undermining the distinct and diverse individual beings, now seen as a single entity. As a Southeast Asian, Malay-Indian heritage artist who is of the Islamic faith, he feels that the effects and clutches of Islamophobia has reached into his placement and existence. The war on terror that culmintates over these years thrust Muslims into the forefront. The artist believes that it does not augur well for the identity to be clasped by a singular, tantamount attitude, consciousness and psyche, a radical view constructed, over time by higher forces.
