Islamic Art Conference at ADM

I’ll be honest. Being raised in a strict Christian family, I know very little about Islamism.

Several bad experiences with some Malay classmates as a child definitely does not help.

I’m quite close minded about Islam. I know nothing about it. And I do not have any desire to learn more about it.

Nonetheless, I tried. I went for a lecture.
Companionable Objects, Companionable Conscience: Ethical Pleasure, Islamic Art, and the Making of Happy Objects by Kenneth George.

I couldn’t understand most of the lecture. Jargon was used, and definitions were not defined. I rememberĀ one key thing. That happiness is “sticky”. Although how I never really figured out.

Another thing that stuck to me was how people interpret the artworks differently.

There was one performance art mentioned (unfortunately I do not remember the name or the artist), where the artist calligraphed on plates and smashed them. I thought that this represented liberation. But apparently the artist was criticised for being offensive and hurtful.

There was another instance that stood out to me. How artists were criticised for “decorating” their calligraphies, and thus “defacing” them. Even though these artworks were done in “happiness”, or to obtain “happiness”, not everyone feels the same way.

It just goes to show that haters will hate and you can’t please the whole world.

Despite me not taking away very much from the lecture, I do believe that I have been affected by it deep down. I’ve been carrying around the CIADA2015 totebag, and every now and then I look at the quote.

“Where and how does the north meet the east?”

And I wonder.

This might just be my first step into understanding islam a little more.

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