Malaysian artist offers a cutting commentary on religion and society
A prayer mat vandalised and cut into squares, an unsubtle commentary on the secular and the sublime – Engku Iman challenges expectations of her as a Muslim woman
She swears, she bends the rules and she has written her own six pillars representing her artistic practice: religion, culture, society, roles, gender and humanity. Malaysian artist Engku Iman challenges stereotypes and people’s expectations of her as a Muslim and a woman.
A recent artwork, Kilang Agama, which means “religion factory” in Malay, comprises one of her family’s old prayer mats which she provocatively cut into squares. She produced it after a research trip in 2015 to Kelantan, one of the country’s most religiously conservative states.
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The work is featured in a solo exhibition of her art in Hong Kong, called “Rukun Iman”, a term meaning the six pillars of Islam, and it is so close to her own name – passed down through royal lineage – that it’s as if it is her birthright to subvert it.
The vandalised prayer mat has been reassembled and placed on a wooden base to make a sliding puzzle. On it are painted symbols that give an unflattering summary of the Kelantan trip.
A 7-Eleven logo covers up the original, woven niche that must always point at Mecca when a Muslim prays. The convenience stores were her lifeline in Kelantan, she says, because she felt thoroughly deprived during her fortnight in the backward state. All her material needs were fulfilled at a 7-Eleven: air-conditioned havens with free Wi-fi and perfectly edible food.
