From The Periphery to the Centre: The Social

Significance of Sulaiman’s Esa’s Work from 1950s to

2007

Prof Madya Dr. Khatijah Sanusi, Ahmad Farid Raihan

Faculty of Art & Design, Shah Alam

Ksanusi1617@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Malaysia’s Independence holds significant contributions to a number of Malay artists in the

country. At the socio-political aspect, it liberates the Malaysian “body, while at the socio-
cultural and religious aspects, it denotes the liberation of the Malaysian ‘mind and spirit’
from western domination. In the context of Malaysian art scene, the search of identity has
become crucial especially after two historically important events; the National Cultural
Congress (1971) and the global Islamic Revivalism in the early 1980s. Arguably, these two
events have laid a concrete framework in shaping and justifying the creative pursuits among
Muslim Malay artists. To them Malay identity is encapsulated in traditional Malay-Islamic
heritage. As a corollary, From the periphery to the Centre, is a journey of one of Malaysia’s
established artists, Sulaiman Esa, who was once very much intoxicated with western art
culture in his formative years and later half way through his life, made a decisive roundabout
turn in search for his roots, the Centre. Among the most significant objectives of this research
are first, to unveil the struggles that the artist has threaded in establishing an alternative
paradigm in contemporary Malaysian art expression and second, to have a deeper
understanding of his approaches in manifesting fresh interpretation of the age old forms of
Malaysian indigenous art into creative expressions. This is an autobiographical study of the
artist with the qualitative research approach. Original data is derived from exploratory and
investigative research directly obtained from the artist himself on his thoughts and ideas
along with his own writings and opinions from art critics and historians and his close
acquaintances. Besides an in-depth interview approach which is central in this research,
direct observation is also equally important in understudying his working processes in
handling various forms of media. In sum, a perusal of writings by renowned by scholars, art
critics, historians locally and abroad, Sulaiman Esa has not only pioneered an alternative
paradigm in Malaysian art and produces works of enduring value but also has built a bridge
to our living traditions.

Keywords: National Cultural Congress, Islamic revivalism, alternative paradigm, living

traditions

1. I-TRODUCTIO-

This paper aims to elucidate Sulaiman Esa’s arduous journey from the periphery, during
his early formative years in Johor Baru and London in the 1960s and his labyrinthine
search for his roots-- meaning in art, a few years after his return from overseas. Many
factors contributed to his decisive attitude in the embarkation for his identity. Perhaps the
most pertinent is the socio-political phenomenon that has developed in the decades of the
1970s and the 1980s. To achieve the above-mentioned objective, this writing is divided
 into three parts. First, it delves into his formative years in which he was entranced with
the phenomenon world of western art and became intoxicated in it. Second, it discusses
his struggles in his perennial search for his roots. And finally, this paper delves into his
new found stance in transforming Islamic oriented art as alternative paradigm in
Malaysia’s contemporary art development.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Despite the contributions Sulaiman Esa has made in the development of contemporary
Malaysian art in academic writings, curatorial and creative art works, comprehensive
publications of his thoughts and artistic pursuits is unfortunately sparse Most of the
writings on his works are found in exhibition catalogs, art journals, newspaper articles,
and books on Southeast Asian artists.

2.1 Towards a Mystical Reality (1974)

It a manifesto written by Piyadasa and Sulaiman which proposes an alternative paradigm
in art making from western centric-art to eastern art awareness. The manifesto also calls
for the critical need to progress forward by going back to ones own tradition. The two-
man exhibition was inspired by Eastern philosophy of Zen and Buddhism view of reality.
In short, though this is the turning point in Sulaiman’s artistic pursuit, the writing of his
and Piyadasa’s manifesto revolves only the exhibit. Important as it is, the manifesto does
not provide full account of Sulaiman’s art endeavours.

2.2 In Modern Artists of Malaysia (1983)

This is the first book ever written on Malaysian modern art by art critic and historian
respectively, Piyadasa and Sabapathy. In this book they discuss briefly two decades of
Sulaiman’s artistic involvement (from the early 1970s to beginning 1980s) among their
other selected Malaysian artists prominent in the Malaysian art scene then.

2.3 Kearah Tauhid (1984)

A catalog for his first one-man exhibition on Islamic art at the Australian High
Commission, KL.and was curated by the late Dr. Mohd Ahmad Hj Hashim, (the then
Dean of Faculty of Art & Design), and art historian, Animah Syed Mohammad. The
writing by the former is more on the overview of Sulaiman’s artistic commitment in
synthesizing Malay crafts culture within the Islamic aesthetic. While the latter, delves
onto the approaches adopted by Sulaiman in attempting to uplift tradition into
contemporary idiom. In sum, the writings discuss more on Sulaiman’s creative endeavor
since his return from overseas on completion of post-graduate studies.

2.4 Insyirah: The Art of Sulaiman Esa from 1980-2000, (2001)

A catalog for Sulaiman’s second one-man Islamic art exhibition curated by art historian
Niranjan Rajah who considers Sulaiman as a leading practitioner of Islamic modernism in
contemporary Malaysian art. Perhaps this writing is the nearest attempt in highlighting
for the first time, his artistic development in the 1960s, the 1970s until 2000 but done in
summary statement of his works but very useful.

2.5 Malay artists and the Malaysian &ational Cultural Congress: Three Case
Studies(2004)
A thesis by Jennifer Lovell for her Bachelor of Arts degree, from Australian National
University, Canberra, perhaps another writing model in her research approach to

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 Sulaiman’s ideas during 1960s until 1990s although her central issue focuses on the
influence of National Cultural Congress on three selected Malay artists, the other two
being the late Ismail Zain, and Syed Ahmad Jamal. Her writing is interesting in the sense
that she debunks Piyadasa’s term in labeling the above three artists as the “Malay-Islamic
revivalist” instead as she claims them that “they have arrive to Malay-Islam identity.”
Nonetheless, the above mentioned researchers done on Sulaiman, bits and pieces as they
may, we find these writings have given us the direction in which to disembark an in-
depth autobiography of the artist’s artistic journey in his labyrinth search for the ultimate
truth.

3. METHODOLOGY

Interpreting social phenomenon involving facts findings for primary data about the artist,
his thought and ideas, interview approach is being adopted in this research. A number of
individuals who have personally known the artist have been interviewed, these include a
senior artist Dato’ Syed Ahmad Jamal, renowned Southeast Asian art historian Kanaga
Sabapathy, a Singaporean, art historian Niranjan Rajah (now residing in Canada),
Associate Professor Hj Hashim Hassan, close senior friend from childhood days in Johor
Baru, and his elder siblings, and others.
In addition, research and compilation of Sulaiman’s own writings and art events that he
was directly involved in are retrieved for further scrutiny in which some are included as
primary data, while secondary data are obtained mostly from his own library collections
and also from the library of the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.

4. RESULTS A-D DISCUSSIO-S

As stipulated in the introduction, Sulaiman’s journey from the western centric world in
the construction of an alternative paradigm in contemporary expression embodying
traditional and spiritual values of the eastern world is divided into three parts. Part one,
delves his formative period in his early childhood and student days in London; part two,
discusses his search for identity; and part three, delves on his articulations of Islamic-
oriented art in the early period of the 1980s and in late period, in the early millennium.

4.1 Formative period

4.1.1 Johore Baru English College (1954-!960)

Born in 1941 to a family of talented artists and also the youngest of his siblings,
Sulaiman was thus introduced to art at a very young age. On completion of his primary
school at Bukit Zaharah primary school, Johor Baru, he was offered to continue his
secondary schooling at the prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar. But due to family
reasons he had to abandon his dream instead joined his elder siblings at Johore Baru
English College. Then, the Esa family was already known among the college teachers
and students alike, for their artistic talents. His entry at the college was did not raise any
brows except for his mathematics cum art teacher, Mr. Lim Teck Siang who claimed that
Sulaiman’s creative ability was more refined that his siblings. The excitement upon
winning his first National art competition, at the age of 13, made Sulaiman more inspired
to venture art seriously. This is achieved through diligent and consistent practice in
developing his artistic skill by imitating European Impressionist masters’ art such as
Monet, Cezanne, Sisley, Van Gogh, Degas, etc.

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 4.1.2 Hornsey Colege of Art (1962-1968)
Two years after completing of his Senior Cambridge Examination, Sulaiman continued
his self-study on developing further his artistic finesse. He was awarded the prestigious
Johor State scholarship, which he thought was a miracle for there were more able
applicants in sciences and medical studies who were also competing. In 1962 he pursued
further studies in art at the Hornsey College of Art, in Britain. Thus, was his formal entry
into the dynamic international art scene right in the heart of London He couldn’t be at any
other better place than in London--the nucleus of the art world in the swinging 60s!
Hornsey College of Art in the early 60s was undergoing a new and radical art program
aiming at self-conducted independent research nurturing the scientific and pragmatic
approach as opposed to the conventional approach limited to expressive and vocational
studio skill. In short, art teaching at Hornsey stresses intellectual development through
empirical and analytical approaches. The presence of renowned international art
historians, art critics, artists and designers teaching at Hornsey like Maurice de
Sausmarez, Briget Riley, Arnold Hauser, Lawrance Alloway, to mention a few, has
exerted a strong impact on Sulaiman’s art and his discourse. And it was at Hornsey that
Sulaiman first met the late Redza Piyadasa.Being the only two Malaysian students in the
College and studied in the same art program, they struck an immediate affinity between
them. In similar vein to Piyadasa, Sulaiman’s approach to art is highly analytical and
cerebral.

4.2 The labyrinthine search for alternative paradigm

4.2.1 Western-centric-art pursuit in early 1970s

Soon his return to Malaysia after spending six years abroad, he cannot but became
intoxicated western art and its idealism. But appointed as a designer at Dewan Bahasa
dan Pustaka could not satisfy his burning desire to let off his ‘western art madness’ that
he joined his close friends Piyadasa, Joseph Tan, and the late Khalid Yusoff, at ITM (now
UiTM) School of Art & Design, after only a year’ stay at Dewan Bahasa. And it was at
ITM that Sulaiman’s opportunity to unfold the limitless opportunities in propagating
western art and its discourse.

His involvement in such art activities further gained momentum especially when the
School’s art education system at ITM too, adopted the same Bauhaus art program he had
previously underwent at Hornsey. As a corollary, the Art School at ITM provided a
breeding ground in regurgitating western art ideas and terminologies not only as
individual artists but spread to its curriculum. Thus, in the early 1970s, saw Sulaiman and
his ‘twin brother’ Redza Piyadasa were actively involved with western art oriented
exhibitions including the &ew Scene(1970), Dokumentasi 72. In this period, his work is
deeply ingrained with the Constructivist inclination. But such an objective with detached
approach to creativity augurs well with Sulaiman, for it affords pure terminologies
pertaining to color properties like colour weight and density, colour”in which works
produced manifested new aesthetics where the physicality of the material becomes
central in suppressing illusionist space dimension.

4.2.2 Manifesto Toward a Mystical Reality (1974)

However, in 1973 to 1974, Together with Piyadasa, Sulaiman made a shift in his creative
development when they embarked on a manifesto (mentioned above) Mystical
Reality(1974) where the conventional arrays of art work have been rejected, instead
randomly collected objects from the everyday environment were displayed. The whole

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 idea of this show is to reject western art aesthetics and instead, utilizing Taoist and Zen
concepts in search for a non-western approach as alternative paradigm in local artistic
expression. The most pertinent to these two artists, is not so much producing aesthetically
pleasing objects but generate ideas and values relevant to the societal needs. Thus, this
historical event marked the first imprint in Sulaiman effort to search for the truth. The
trudge home to the Centre, thus began!

4.2.3 Waiting for Godot series

A few years after the Mystical Reality show he stopped producing work until in 1977
when he submitted Waiting for Godot for Printmaking Competition organized by the
National Art Gallery. This series is a visual interpretation of Sulaiman’s inner conflict in
resisting western art paradigm that has deeply ingrained in his life for more than two
decades, and mulling over the adoption of Malay Islamic cultural tradition in his search
for the Truth. He was indeed caught with identity crisis in between two opposing
worldviews. As succinctly expressed by Sabapathy:
And here too, the situation that emerged is characterized by dualities, tensions,
and dichotomies. In this respect I can think of no more appropriate than Sulaiman
Esa’s Waiting for Godot.(1994: 74)

Thus, the nude figure in waiting for Godot, signifies western art orientations that he has
undergone for more than two decades of his life. While the Islamic ornamentation in the
background symbolizes the world of Islamic art. The idea of integrating the two—the
sacred and the profane is none other than visualizing the critical catharsis that he found
himself caught in between these two opposing worlds.
Much to the surprise to everyone, his Waiting for Godot won an award in the competition
for his highly accomplished etching technique and of course, it witty content.

However, toward the end of the 70’s, the UiTM School of Art & Design held the timely
seminar entitled, Akar-akar Peribumi ( Indigenous roots) along with art exhibitions by
the art school’s faculty members. It is during this show, Sulaiman made his first public
attempt in creating his interpretation of Malay culture through the integration of woven
mat-like surface from canvass in hard edge painting approach. His Warisan (heritage) is
echoing his constructivist imput of the early 70s. Such a roundabout turn can be
discerned as a new beginning in his arduous search for artistic direction that would truly
embodies his religious beliefs and identity.

4.3 Islamic period

4.3.1 Study at Maryland Institute College of Art

In 1979, Sulaiman left for the United States to pursue Master degree in Fine Art at
Maryland Institute College of Art. It was here he stumbled into an unprecedented
experience that shaped a new direction in his creative pursuit. He learnt how to make
hand-made paper.
It was not long before he became deeply obsessed with the techniques of making hand-
made paper that by the end of his two-year stay he managed to take part in four
exhibitions including a traveling exhibition to Tokyo, manifesting his preoccupation with
songket techniques using Islamic symbols with titles drawn from Muslim prayer times to
exert his identity to the western audience.
. In the final year, he had accomplished excellent academic performance that the Dr. L.
M. King, Dean of the Graduate Studies writes:

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 His presence at the Maryland Institute has been one of extraordinary creativity.
Esa is an artist of many dimensions and we are seriously going to miss the
artistic sensibilities he brought to this environment. Esa’s academic performance
is nothing short of excellent It has been our rare pleasure and honour to meet and
know such a man as Esa. (1981, June 4)

4.3.2 Ke Arah Tawhid (1984)

Three years after his return from MFA study, Sulaiman held his first One-man Show in
his lifetime as an artist. Ke Arah Tauhid (Towards Unity) may perhaps be considered his
formal early attempt to articulate Islamic Malay aesthetics as a modern expression as a
consequence of his readings in the writings of renowned Muslim scholars’ work on
Islamic art studies whilst pursuing his Masters in the USA earlier. His art is
mathematically-oriented in striving art as ego-effacing as well as creating an intuition of
the attributes of the ‘‘sacred being’’ in terms of Islamic aesthetics.
In early 1985, Sulaiman was commissioned by UMNO (after winning the design
competition with other senior artists) for a long mural the symbolizing UMNO’s
perjuangan (struggle) from 1940 until 1985. The mural made measuring 10 x 168 ft
made from Italian glass tiles, provides grandeur to UMNO headquarters at Putra World
Trade Centre.

4.3.3 Doctoral Studies in Islamic Studies at Temple University, USA

In 1986, he left for doctoral studies in Islamic studies at Temple University, Philadelphia
in the vicinity to New York up in the North and Washington DC down south. It was here
he had the opportunity to study under renowned Muslim scholars on Islam and art with
professors like the late Ismail and Lamnya Faruqi, S.H. Nasr, Mahmoud Ayoub, James
Morris (Muslim convert), and many others. It was here that his understanding of Islam,
art and other world religions further deepened and enriched. For the first time in his life,
the vast ocean of knowledge is at his disposal that Temple University’s library became
his second home! The whole environment provides breeds learning atmosphere. But the
sudden demise of his supervisor, the late Ismail al Faruqi had disrupted his studies
somehow and eventually managed to get replacement for a new advisor. In sum, his five
years of study at Temple was indeed an intellectual booster both in knowing deeper in
Islamic faith and its art and also art from other major culture in the eastern regions.

4.3.4 Post Temple U period (1990-2000)

In the early 1990s, saw Sulaiman actively involved in propagating contemporary
Malaysian Islamic art representing the country at international conferences overseas
including United Kingdom, Australia and Indonesia. Locally, he was actively involved in
shaping an alternative paradigm in local artistic expression. A number of shows were
organized by the National Art Gallery. Among some of his curatorial writings are:
Islamic Identity in Contemporary Malaysian Art (1992); From Traditional to Modern:
The dialectics of Displacement and Re appropriation (1994); the Re flowering of the
Islamic Spirit in Contemporary Malaysian Art (1993), SEni Islam Sezaman Malaysia:
Perkembangan dan cabaran (1995); An Islamic Perspective on Figurative Presentation
(1999) and many others.
In 1993, he was among the three selected artists representing Malaysia for the prestigious
First-Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, in Brisbane Australia.
And in 1999, he received the Arnold Hancock Fellowship, Melbourne, Australia, for his
creative endeavour in uplifting craft as the same status of Fine Art.

4.3.5 Insyirah: The Art of Sulaiman Esa from 1980-2000.

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 A decade later in 2001, Sulaiman held his second one-man show sponsored by Petronas
Gallery, KL and curated by art historian Niranjan Rajah. Insyirah meaning “to open up”
(terbuka) is Niranjan’s reference to Sulaiman’s creative manifestations on socio-cultural
issues derived from multi-ethnic perspectives such Zen, Buddhism and Hinduism. Such
an open stance to art is not only his latest interpretation to elicit racial harmony among
our multi-racial society but it is also his response to the Qur’anic verse:
Oh mankind! We have created you from a single pair of male and female
and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye
may despise each other). The most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he
who is) the most righteous of you… (Yusof Ali, 1983,Sura al-Hujarat verse 13)

5. CO-CLUSIO-

It cannot be reputed that from the above mentioned text, Sulaiman Esa has indeed
contributed immensely in the development of Malaysian art. In his trudge to search for
the Truth, he underwent through incessant challenges for decades but finally arrived to
his destination. For him Islam is the answer and believing in it is one of the means to
achieve felicity in this world and the world after.
To Lamnya al Faruqi (1984:16) Sulaiman is ‘a trail blazer in the Post-modernist period’;
To Piyadasa and Sabapathy (1983:137), “Of the artists who featured prominently in the
Malaysian art in the 70s, he [Sulaiman] may be considered as one of the most important
innovative artists;”to Niranjan Rajah ‘Indeed, Sulaiman Esa has built a bridge to our
living sacred traditions and. while he has given substance and direction to the
contemporary art of the nation, he has also produced art works of enduring value.’
(2001:13)

REFERE-CES

Ali, Y. (1983). The Holy Qur’an. Preston: Amana Publication.

Faruqi, L.M., (1984). Islamic Literary Principles and the Visual
Arts: a Case Study from Malaysia, Seminar paper‘Literary Art Development in
Malaysia,’ Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Lovel, J. (2004). Malay Artists and the Malaysian National Cultural
Congress: Three Case Studies. Unpublished thesis.
Hashim,, A.M.(1984). Ke Arah Arah Tauhid, Exhibition catalog.
Kuala Lumpur: Australian High Commission
Rajah, N. (2001). Insyirah: The Art of Sulaiman Esa from 1980-2000.
Exhibition catalog. Kuala Lumpur: Petronas Gallery.
Piyadasa, R. and Esa, S. (1974). Towards a Mystical Reality. A
Manifesto. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Sabapathy, T. K. & Piyadasa, R. (1983). Modern Artists of Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka
Sabapathy, T. K.(1994), (ed.). Vision and Idea. Kuala Lumpur:
National Art Gallery: Kuala Lumpur.