This exhibition brings the iconic traits of each Malaysian state to the forefront in this series of posters, made by 14 talented illustrators.
By CHIN JIAN WEI
APOM, known for its quintessentially Malaysian merchandise such as T-shirts and tote bags, has brought together 14 creatives to design 14 posters celebrating each of the Malaysian states, with the works being exhibited at Semua House. Each poster brings out the special characteristics of each state, featuring elements like local landmarks or famous foods, things that come to mind when discussing that particular state.
Here are some of the works exhibited!
Perak
Siti Faeqah from Perak created this charming poster that is full of personality. According to her, E.T. was her favourite movie in childhood, and she still watches it to this day with her children. E.T. soars over Perak’s old buildings alongside a typical Malaysian boy on his trusty old bicycle.
Negeri Sembilan
Jayee Lim from Negeri Sembilan created this poster as an obvious homage to Everything Everywhere All At Once, the movie starring Malaysia’s own Michelle Yeoh. The piece features the state’s iconic architecture, musical instruments, and Lim’s own original character, MonKiddo.
Perlis
Ainul Ikhwan from Perlis illustrated this work with Mat Jones as the Malaysian stand-in for the famous Indiana Jones, looking over the Bukit Chabang mountains. The character was chosen to fit in with the adventurous nature of tourism in Perlis such as hiking and kayaking.
Melaka
Anis Ghani from Melaka created this poster that casts the famous kancil in an atypical light. In her piece, the usually small animal towers imposingly over the Melaka skyline as a tribute to Godzilla and other kaiju movies.
Sabah
Iffah Hazirah from Sabah pays tribute to The Lord of the Rings with her adorable poster featuring traditional Sabahan outfits, food and culture. “Boromir” is even seen blowing a sompoton instead of a horn. The connection to The Lord of the Rings came about when Iffah was thinking about kuih cincin, which can be seen gripped in Frodo’s hand.
Sarawak
Arthur Akal from Sarawak illustrated this pulp science fiction-inspired poster, featuring a monster crocodile attack, flanked by flying bowls of alien laksa. The famous Bujang Senang, a legendary Sarawakian crocodile takes centre stage, swollen to truly mythical size.
Selangor
Hakim Razali from Selangor references the contemporary classic Parasite with his poster. The poster’s main subject is, humorously, the constant water shortages encountered in Selangor. The diversity of the people in Selangor is also featured, and in the background, the many highways and shopping malls of the state are also shown.
The exhibition ends this week, so today would be the final day to see the exhibition at Semua House! Don’t miss this chance! Don’t forget to head to APOM’s website to shop for merch featuring the artwork from this exhibition!
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