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TO BE COMPLETED (FOR KRISHEN JIT), Charlene Rajendran (2013). The Politics…
TO BE COMPLETED (FOR KRISHEN JIT)
Aspects
cultural
1970s Malaysia was a period of:
social change
aftermath May 13 1969 racial riots
cultural debate
government replace English with Bahasa Malaysia as the primary medium of instruction.
culture must be based on Malay culture.
questions about national identity
Malaysian art to move toward more conceptual and critical approaches.
Malaysia theatre
Breaking races barrier
He directed Tok Perak in 1975 by casting non-Malay actors in Malay-language productions
he shattered the prevailing notion that Malay drama should be exclusively preserved for Malay performers.
Because of National Culture Policy in 1971, the arts scene faced deep polarization along ethnic and linguistic lines.
Krishen's role
Worked across English and Malay theatre
Worked with people from different cultural backgrounds
Explored cultural difference
Challenged fixed ideas of identity
Krishen Jit is an Indian and involved in Malay-language theatre
Interpretation
connection to text: TO BE COMPLETED
related to: incomplete identity of Malaysia and Krishen future
Malaysia is moving towards racial unity. Malaysian art history is still being written
Krishen represent: The search for a Malaysian identity that is still developing.
social
that generation was questioning:
traditional painting
Western artistic conventions
conventional beauty & forms
why?
The 1974 Towards a Mystical Reality exhibition
well-known Malay poet, Salleh Ben Joned urinated on the exhibition manifesto.(The Art of Pissing. An Open Letter to Redza Piyadasa.
http://sallehbenjoned.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-art-of-pissing.html
)
This act sparked cultural debate about what is "proper"
Artist using everyday trash as artworks
Breaking the "Expert" Culture
empowered people to think critically
Decolonizing Art Through Asian Philosophy
People were looking at:
local identity
Asian philosophy
Malaysian experience
interpretation
Malaysian cultural identity itself was still being formed.
Connection to artwork : “TO BE COMPLETED”
BASIC INFORMATION
Artist: Redza Piyadasa
who?
Malaysian artist
Art critic
Art historian
Art educator
Pioneer of Malaysian conceptual art
Gender
male
Born: 1939, Pahang
Died: 2007, Selangor
Artwork
To Be Completed (For Krishen Jit)
Year: 1979
WHEN?
Malaysian art changing
Conceptual art developing
Cultural identity being debated
Krishen's career still developing
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimension: 95 × 83.5 cm
Collection: National Visual Arts Collection
Accession: BSLN1993.005
Location visited: Balai Seni Negara, Level 1
Other artworks
The Haji Family (1990)
Lihat di Galeri Maya(1939)
Main subject
Portrait of Krishen Jit
who?
Krishen Jit a/l Amar Singh
who?
Achievements
Co-founder of Five Arts Center
Malaysian theatre icon
Lifetime Achievement Award at the BOH Cameronian Awards 2003
The Astro-Krishen Jit Fund was established
Gender
male
RACE
Multicultural background
Non-Malay cultural figure
Malay-language theatre
Indian
Position
Theatre director
Historian
Educator
Writer
Important Malaysian cultural figure
born: 1939
died: 2005
WHY KRISHEN?
Krishen was a major theatre figure who explored cultural difference and Malaysian identity through theatre
Relationship with Piyadasa
In 1984, Krishen Jit and Redza Piyadasa became co-founders of Five Arts Centre
Krishen was his first art that focusing on a specific person and popular culture right before he officially transitioned into Pop Art.
monochrome appearance
Blue text
“TO BE COMPLETED”
WHY "TO BE COMPLETED"?
Literal meaning
Something is unfinished
Something still needs to be done
The final stage has not been reached
In the artwork
The painting itself looks unfinished
The portrait is monochrome
The figure feels incomplete emotionally
The text literally says “TO BE COMPLETED”
Possible interpretation
Identity is never complete
A person is constantly changing
Identity is not fixed
His identity could not be reduced to one portrait
His story is still continuing
A person's life is not finished while they are alive
In 1979, Krishen was still active
His career was still developing
His contribution to Malaysian theatre was still developing
Malaysian culture is still developing
Cultural identity was still being negotiated
Why？->move to brunches 'Aspects' >'cultural'
Malaysian art was still developing its own identity
Why？->move to brunches 'Aspects' >'social'
Malaysian theatre still developing
Why？->move to brunches 'Aspects' >'cultural' > 'Malaysia theatre'
Art history is unfinished
relevant to Piyadasa.
Piyadasa was not only an artist
He was also an art historian and critic
He was interested in how Malaysian art history was constructed
Therefore, "to be completed" could suggest:
2 more items...
WHY BLACK & WHITE?
background
Piyadasa start Conceptual Art in 1970
he officially transitioned into Pop Art in 1980
during his Conceptual Art period, he mainly use black, white, and highly subdued monochromatic palettes
example artworks
“Mystical Reality” (1974
“Empty Bird -Cage After Release of Bird” (1974).
this artworks
in1979, before transitioned into POP art
black & white mainly used by piyadasa
interpretation
The limited monochrome palette can be supporting the conceptual and serious nature of piyadasa work
black & white create incomplete of the artwork
connection to: TO BE COMPLETED
Figure appears serious / tired / emotionally distant
why?
It presents him as a serious intellectual
This can connect to his role as:
theatre thinker
critic
historian
cultural commentator
but Sources describe him as:
experimental
energetic
influential
The portrait does not present Krishen as a cheerful celebrity
interpretation
Fulfilling the "To Be Completed" Concept
but may not be a complete representation of Krishen's personality.
the serious portrait represent his intellectual roles
His identity could not be reduced to one portrait
The Artist as a Conceptual "Dialectician"
Piyadasa rejected the traditional idea of art as a beautiful, emotional, or purely craft-based object (
http://artklitique.blogspot.com/2016/02/snippets-national-gallery-singapore-jan.html
)
The serious, distant demeanor functions as a clinical psychological analysis rather than a celebratory portrait. [1] (
http://artklitique.blogspot.com/2016/02/snippets-national-gallery-singapore-jan.html
), [2] (
https://viweb.org/vikrishenjit.htm
)
ARTIST'S INTENTION
Facts about Piyadasa
Conceptual art
Questioned conventional art
Interested in art history & Malaysian identity
Challenged traditional ideas of painting
possible intention
The artwork may intentionally leave its meaning incomplete so that the viewer has to “complete” the artwork through interpretation.
Not simply to make a realistic portrait
To make viewers think about Krishen as a cultural figure
To question how a person is represented
To question about Malaysian identity
overall
Incomplete Identity
A portrait can never capture the full reality of a person
Krishen Jit was not just a face, but a director, critic, historian, and educator.
Viewer Completion
Conceptual art, Piyadasa leaves the artwork open-ended
requiring the viewer to complete the artwork's meaning through their own interpretation.
Developing Cultural Identity
In the 1970s, Malaysia was actively defining its post-colonial cultural identity and modern art language.
"unfinished" state of the portrait related to incomplete Malaysia identity
Static Portrait vs. Dynamic Theatre
Portrait freezes subject in that moment
In contrast, Krishen’s work in theatre was defined by movement, time, and constant change.
living legacy cannot be frozen in time.
Piyadasa’s Conceptual Framework
Piyadasa was more interested in ideas than purely visual aesthetics
The work functions less as a conventional portrait and more as a critical into representation, art history, and how meaning is constructed.
Charlene Rajendran (2013). The Politics of Difference in Krishen Jit's Theatre in the 1970s: "A Time of Intense Questioning" in Malaysian Culture.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265899690_The_Politics_of_Difference_in_Krishen_Jit's_Theatre_in_the_1970s_A_Time_of_Intense_Questioning_in_Malaysian_Culture
Five Arts Centre. Website. Achievements of Kristen jit.
https://www.fiveartscentre.org/krishen-jit-fund/krishen-jit
