And the invader’s fear of memories

Things happen, yet our knowledge of them is not always secure. The truth requires a tedious excavation. In the process of recovering memories, what we collectively choose to remember is just as vital as what we collectively choose to forget.

There in lies the burden of memory.

This exhibition borrows its title from the poem ‘On This Land’, by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. In it, he writes of the invader’s fear of memories. Woven together through this metaphor, the exhibition becomes a space to explore how personal memory can be a threatening weapon against oppressive histories. It asks us to contemplate the question:
Is there power in a singular personal memory, told over and over again?

The intimacy of personal memory complicates official histories. When spoken, it reveals that the past is often an unfinished and malleable narrative. It is in the plurality of our recollections that we can begin the difficult process of decolonizing our histories and disrupting the illusion that the past is a singular story.

The artists featured in this exhibition function as important guardians of memory, who work to revive forgotten testimonies. Unlike historians, however, who often speak with unwavering authority despite the deep knowledge of the malleability of history, artists seek to cultivate a conversation about the dynamic interplay between personal recollections and the broader collective narrative. Through their works, they utilize historical visual material and personal recollections to illuminate the multiplicity of truth, encouraging the audience to challenge, reinterpret, and actively contribute to the ongoing narratives that define our official histories.

Artists: Dadang Christanto (Indonesia), FX Harsono (Indonesia), Ken Matsubara (Japan), Lawrence Abu Hamdan (Jordan), Sean Lean (Malaysia), Suzann Victor (Singapore), and Wei Leng Tay (Singapore).

Curator: Line Dalile

Line Dalile is an independent curator and academic researcher based in Brussel, Belgium. Her curatorial practice engages with the permeable borders that exist between the private and the public, both physically and conceptually. She is interested in how personal subjectivities, ways of being, and stories flow from intimate spaces towards public spaces, influencing collective societal narratives in the process. Apart from her curatorial practice, she is PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where she investigates the role of participatory art-based methodologies in learning about and co-producing urban spaces. 

‘And the invader’s fear of memories‘ is featured at Wei-Ling Gallery from 9 July – 10 August 2024.

Wei-Ling Gallery is located at No 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Admission hours are Tuesday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm.

Exhibition is open by appointment only. For appointments and further assistance, please contact +60322601106 or e-mail siewboon@weiling-gallery.com