KUALA LUMPUR – After facing backlash over the absence of Lord Murugan in the image selected to convey its Thaipusam well wishes, the National Art Gallery has apologised to the public for its lack of tact.
When contacted by The Vibes, National Art Gallery deputy director-general of operations Zanita Anuar expressed regret over any affront unintentionally caused by the posting.
When we (National Art Gallery) selected the image, we did so because we wanted to showcase how culturally diverse Malaysia is, as the oil painting by Chinese artist Kok Yew Puah depicts a scene related to the Indian tradition.
“However, we were later informed that the picture did not contain Lord Murugan, the deity celebrated during Thaipusam.
“We would like to apologise for this oversight on our part,” she said, adding that the posting was an “innocent gesture” made in good faith, with no intention of causing offence.
The gallery recently faced the wrath of netizens after social media users did not take kindly to the implications behind the gallery’s decision to post a painting unrelated to Thaipusam cheerily wishing devotees a safe celebration.
Meanwhile, The Vibes also reached out to Ilham Gallery, which had posted a cropped version of the same art in black-and-white, along with a notice of the gallery’s closure on the public holiday.
Explaining that the image is a charcoal drawing by the artist, Ilham Gallery director Rahel Joseph said in a brief statement to The Vibes that the artwork was used in its Thaipusam greeting due to the gallery’s ongoing exhibition on Kok Yew Puah.
It is standard practice for us to use images of artworks from our current exhibitions as allusions to major festival greetings when we notify our audience of our gallery being closed,” Ilham Gallery director Rahel Joseph said.
All posts related to the backfired greeting have since been taken down from the social media platforms of both galleries. – The Vibes, January 23, 2022
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