A NEWLY opened exhibition is celebrating rice, harvest and the power of the people, through the form of land art. Entitled Pagar & Padi, the show is presented at Kota-K Art Gallery, a free public gallery at Laman Seni in, Kota Kinabalu for the next month.
The new art piece was created by British artist Catriona Maddocks and Dusun artist Gindung Mc Feddy Simon. They worked with community members of Kampung Kilimu, a rural village at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu to produce the piece.
In October last year they undertook the annual Mongomot, rice planting, using heritage rice grains to spell out the word “jamin” into the earth. In March this year the artists harvested the padi and documented the process through drone photography and videography. The outcome will be presented at Kota-K Art Gallery until September 16, with the show being officially launched today at 7.30pm.
The 20-ft piece of land art commemorates the formation of Malaysia and the terms with which Sabah agreed to its role in the nation building of Malaysia. “Jamin” references the Keningau Batu Sumpah of 1964, on which a plaque stated that the Malaysian government guaranteed (jamin) the rights to freedom of religion, land autonomy and practice of customs and traditions.
The work also celebrates the role that rice plays in the daily lives and traditional belief systems of the local Sabah community. It also denotes how community members must come together in the spirit of gotong-royong to help one another in the annual harvest.
The exhibition is the first time that artists Gindung Mc Feddy Simon and Catriona Maddocks have collaborated on an artwork. Simon, born and raised in Ranau, is a founding member of the renowned Sabahan print-making collective Pangrok Sulap, while Maddocks is from the United Kingdom but has lived in Sarawak for the past 14 years.
Of the work, Maddocks said: “Rice has been cultivated by communities in Borneo for countless generations, and in return rice has cultivated customs, beliefs, traditions and rich oral histories throughout this island. To take this significant staple food and utilise it to create an artwork was really exciting, especially as we had the opportunity to work alongside local community members and learn from them techniques, songs and taboos that have been passed down from their ancestors.”
This is the fifth exhibition to be held at Kota-K Art Gallery, which was opened in February this year as a collaborative endeavour by Kota-K Studio consisting of architectural design firms Arkitrek and Phyllisophy Creatives as well as Studio Yee I-Lann. The art space operates with the aim of building a community of cross-disciplinary makers, artists and thinkers. At only 10ft x 10ft the gallery states it is a “tiny but mighty community art gallery”.
Gallery co-founder Yee I-Lann said “We’ve been operating for just a few short months and in that time we’ve presented some really dynamic and exciting artworks. We want this place to be a space for creatives to come experiment and present new ideas.”
She added, “We’re delighted to present this work by Gindung and Catriona, a rare opportunity for Sabahans to see land art – work made of and on the land – and it is the perfect show for the 60th diamond jubilee of the formation of Malaysia, coming this September 16.” – The Vibes, August 17, 2023
Event details:
- Exhibition title: Pagar & Padi
- Exhibition dates: August 16 - September 16
- Official opening: August 17, 7.30pm
- Artist talk: August 31, 7.30pm
- Closing celebration: September 16, 7.30pm
- Address: Kota K Gallery, Lot C1, Laman Seni, Wisma Budaya, Jalan Tunku Abd Rahman, 88740 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
- Social media: www.instagram.com/kota_k.studio
- Artists: Catriona Maddocks & Gindung Mc Feddy Simon
- Videography: Jun Kan
- Community members: Miseh Engkorok, Simon Gindalu, Agnes Jaudi, Nancy Jaudi, Jirin Madili, Adrian Jirin, Jakie Jirin
- Design & curatorial assistance: Sonia Luhong Wan
- Photo editing: Syed Rusydie
– Kota-K pic
