History On Canvas

THERE are many ways to tell a story and Robert Lim chose to use old photographs with the proper captions for his latest work Malaysia’s Struggle for Independence, a showcase of murals installed at the foyer of Stadium Merdeka.

Hard work: Lim took about eight years to collect the photographs used in the murals.

The 53-year-old photograph restorer said the historical snaps were from his collection and had taken eight years to accumulate.

The photos, dating from 1875 to 1963, were restored, enlarged and put together in a collage with the aid of digital technology to cover the four walls of the foyer. Each mural is at least 10m by 5m in size and tells a visual story of the historical moments leading to the country’s independence.

“There is a need to remind people, especially the younger generation, of our struggles. Many of us have forgotten the hard times during the Japanese Occupation, the Communist threat and the Indonesian Confrontation.

“It is my hope that these images will remind the younger generation that the life of a nation doesn’t start and end with them,” Lim said.

In addition to evoking a sense of nostalgia, Lim hoped that the murals, a depiction of the events which had led Malaysia to its independence, would prompt his countrymen to look back and use the lessons of history as a reference before charting new territories and looking at new ways of doing things.

Textual info: The captions help weave the story around the photographs.

Lim and his digital artists had taken six months to choose, restore and assemble the photographs in chronological order.

“We had to go back to studying Malaysian history first. That was when we made the decision to start from the year 1875, which was a critical point because of the signing of the Pangkor Treaty, and to end with the formation of Malaysia,” Lim explained.

The murals have been divided into different phases, each carrying a theme that depicts the historical events of the time.

Full regalia: Tunku Abdul Rahman dressed to the nines.

In the first phase, The Spirit of Nationalism, visitors will see the pictorial events leading to Umno’s formation. As one progresses further, one sees the chain of events leading to the Merdeka mission, its proclamation, the communist insurgence and the formation of Malaysia in detailed black and white images.

To ensure the accuracy of accompanying captions, Lim and his team referred to a historical volume on Government and Politics edited by Professor Datuk Dr Zakaria Haji Ahmad.

National spirit: A mural traces the history of Umno.

Tunku Datin Paduka Khadijah, the daughter of Tunku Abdul Rahman and her husband, Datuk Syed Hussein, were among the distinguished visitors to the exhibition so far.

Lim has also done historical photo exhibitions of the Malaysian monarchy. His last exhibition, Dirgahayu, in 2005 at the National Art Gallery, showcased close to 1,000 photographs of sultans past and present with their subjects and the roles they played in shaping the country’s history.

Malaysia’s Struggle for Independence is on display at Stadium Merdeka. Entry is free and exhibition times follow working hours. For enquiries, call Canvas Art at 03-7726 7116.