Not an artist, just a political graphic designer: Fahmi Reza tells The Oxford Student

KUALA LUMPUR – Despite being known globally for his gripping political satire in the forms of graphic artworks and posters, Fahmi Reza does not consider himself to be an “artist” but a “political graphic designer”.

In an interview with The Oxford Student, Fahmi, one of Malaysia’s foremost satirists, said that there is a stark difference between a graphic designer and an artist, even though he partakes in multiple forms of art – including theatrical plays and films – other than his graphic designs.

“I would not say I am ‘apprehensive’, but I do usually tend to introduce myself as a ‘political graphic designer’ first instead of an ‘artist.’ 

“In some ways, I definitely am an artist, considering all the work I’ve done. But I believe there’s still a distinction between these terms.

“An artist is someone who uses creative forms of expression, whether for themselves or for an audience. Their work is often welcome to other people’s interpretation.

“But for me, as a political graphic designer, I use the same medium of art to send a very clear message to my audience. I don’t hide the purpose of why I’m creating it, and there is much less ambiguity or open-endedness.

“When I produce my artwork, I deliberately hope that people understand the messages I try to convey. If the message fails to come across, then it means I have failed in my design, and I think this is what I use to distinguish between ‘designer’ and ‘artist’,” he said.

Fahmi courted controversy as well as prominence back in 2016 when he had made a clown caricature of then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The particular drawing had drawn the ire of the authorities, leading to Fahmi’s arrest and investigation by the police.

Rather than backing down, the graphic designer decided to double down with more politically charged artwork, leading to more investigations and arrests.

Fahmi often called the police out, claiming that they were infringing on his rights to freely expressed himself as enshrined in the federal constitution.

During his chat with the Oxford student paper, the 44-year-old revealed that he began questioning societal norms out of curiosity during his university days.

“It was only at university when I began to seriously question the overall concept of authority and the nature of conventional social norms.

“It made me realise that I did not want to work in an office, nine-to-five. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get married or have kids, and realistically, the lifestyle I live would not even be financially sustainable to support and raise a family,” said Fahmi.

He added that he has always been a non-conformist, and he often questioned rules, especially if he did not understand why it was necessary.

However, he only gained the confidence and courage to “go against the grain” as he grew older.

Similarly, his taste in punk music and culture also played a huge role in developing his contrarian nature.

“The band that first got me into punk rock was definitely Bad Religion, and their album Against the Grain. I was really moved by the artwork on their album cover, and I think this whole process of discovering their music was what eventually ‘turned me into a punk’.”

Fahmi also cited Crass, an anarchist band from the UK in the 70s, and their song Big A, little A, which had a huge impact on his worldview.

He said that it was one of the songs that influenced him the most and taught him the importance of questioning authority, especially since the song has “insightful, politically charged” lyrics.

Speaking on freedom of speech and expression, the satirist, who is often a subject of police attention, believed that society should engage in self-regulation rather than outright censorship from the authorities.

“There is always a limit on what should or shouldn’t be censored, but who gets to decide? Hate speech is discriminatory, it shouldn’t be justified. We can all understand how this is bad.

“But I don’t think that censorship should be regulated by those within positions of authority. Often, authority uses ‘censorship’ as an abuse of power, and a means of silencing the oppressed.

“Hence, I very much believe in the importance of self-regulation instead. Ideally, people should be able to know where to draw the line on what constitutes as hate speech, bullying and discrimination versus unnecessary censorship against any form of subversion,” he said.

Staying true to the punk mentality, he also explained that he has a modest lifestyle based on needs rather than wants, such as buying second-hand clothes and being frugal with some left-over funds which will probably end up being used to expand his record collection.

Despite his engineering degree, he has willingly chosen the road of an artist, even though he acknowledged its difficult path.

However, Fahmi refuses to “sell out” and finds sticking to his principles is “very important”.

“It's also part of the whole ‘DIY’ nature of the Punk subculture too, you know? You don’t really do things for socio-economic or monetary gain. You just do what you think is right. It’s not a lavish life, but I genuinely enjoy it,” he said.

Despite trouble with authorities, Fahmi said his family members have always supported him, especially his mother who had recently passed away.

“My mother, who recently passed away several months ago, always showed up to court for the trials whenever I got arrested, and she would usually be one of the first few people I’d call whenever I got in trouble with the authorities.

“My late mother really enjoyed learning about the world. She would have loved to travel, but she did not have much money.

“Instead, she would often host couch-surfers from across the globe, and exchange cultures and ideas with them. She always makes it a point to show them my documentary, and often, this would be their first introduction to Malaysian history.

“My mother has always been my hero, and I really look up to her. And the rest of my family has always been supportive. I definitely wouldn’t be who I am today without their support,” he says. – The Vibes, May 28, 2022