EDUCATION KIT | ARTIST FOLIOS
FYEROOL DARMA
SINGAPORE
The Most Mild
Mannered Men, 2016
FYEROOL DARMA
The Most Mild Mannered Men, 2016
EDUCATION KIT
ARTIST FOLIOS
THE ARTIST
THE IDEA
Fyerool Darma (b. 1987, Singapore) works primarily
In response to historical amnesia1 , The Most Mild
in the medium of painting. With a focus on themes
Mannered Men was created to highlight two key figures
of migration, cultural identity and postcolonialism,
in Singapore’s history. The artist was inspired by stories
his works take on storytelling qualities which retrace
of Thomas Stamford Raffles and Hussein Mua’zzam
contested histories of Southeast Asia. Using a
Shah, and their roles in the making and shaping of
methodology of creation and obliteration, he examines
Singapore. The idea behind the work was to uncover
the relationships between symbol, text and image.
the relationship between the two men, as one is widely
Fyerool has presented his paintings in a solo exhibition
remembered while the other is often forgotten. Drawing
‘MOYANG’ at Flaneur Gallery (Singapore, 2015),
from his research into the early history of the Malayan
and participated in group shows such as ‘A National
region, Fyerool presents the findings of his study of
Conversation: blah!’ at the Institute of Contemporary
the relationship between the two individuals while they
Arts Singapore (2013) and ‘Portrait in Verses’ at Fred
lived, and in the historical representation that followed.
Torres Gallery (New York, 2015). His work has also been
included in a survey of ASEAN contemporary art, ‘Art
of ASEAN’, at Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art
Gallery (Kuala Lumpur, 2015–2016). He lives and works
in Singapore.
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Amnesia – a partial or total loss of memory
FYEROOL DARMA
The Most Mild Mannered Men, 2016
THE ARTWORK
Plaster and marble, appropriated replica bust
and plinths
180 × 55 × 55 cm (each)
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Biennale 2016 commission
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ARTIST FOLIOS
Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum
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OBSERVE AND DISCOVER
GUIDING QUESTIONS
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
1. Look at the bust and empty plinth on display. Who
A. History is often understood as being shaped by
are these figures? What do you know about them?
dominant figures. Many people have seen portraits
How well known are they as individuals?
or paintings of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.
However, not many know of Hussein Mua’zzam
FYEROOL DARMA
The Most Mild
Mannered Men, 2016
2. Why has the artist chosen for an empty plinth and
Shah. Has Singapore forgotten some of the key
a bust to represent Sultan Hussein Mua’zzam Shah
individuals who contributed to the founding of
and Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles? What was the
modern Singapore? Read more about the events
artist hoping to achieve?
that contributed to the signing of the treaties of 1819
and 1824. What did you discover?
3. What are the similarities and differences between
the representation of these two figures?
B. The artist was inspired by stories of Sir Thomas
Stamford Raffles and Sultan Hussein Mua’zzam
4. What do you think this work is about? What makes
you say that?
Shah, and their roles in the making and shaping of
Singapore. Do a quick internet search or name as
many people as you can who have been credited with
5. Does the work make you want to investigate
something? If so, what and why?
the founding of Singapore, e.g Lee Kuan Yew, Yusof
Bin Ishak. Discuss with your friends what you know
about these figures. Often we remember and honour
the legacy of important figures with a memorial or
commemoration. Think of your local area or your
journey to school. How many roads, landmarks
or place names can you list that are named after
historically significant people. Share your findings
with your class. Did you discover something that
surprised you or you were unaware of?
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FIND OUT MORE
ARTWORK
INTERVIEW
Scout. (2015). Fyerool Darma.
Meer, L. (2012, May 2). More Than Playful
Retrieved September 21, 2016, from
Paintings. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from
http://www.scoutsgp.org/#!fyerool-darma/dzqme
http://www.actually.sg/more-than-playfulpaintings-fyerool-darma
Artsrepublic.sg. Moyang – a solo exhibition by
Fyerool Darma. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from
FYEROOL DARMA
The Most Mild
Mannered Men, 2016
http://www.artsrepublic.sg/moyang-a-solo-exhibitionby-fyerool-darma
BIOGRAPHY
Fyerool Darma. (n.d.). Biography.
Retrieved September 21, 2016, from
http://www.fyerooldarma.com/BIOGRAPHY-1
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ABOUT SINGAPORE BIENNALE 2016
AN ATLAS OF MIRRORS
AT ONCE, MANY WORLDS
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ARTIST FOLIOS
FROM WHERE WE ARE,
HOW DO WE PICTURE THE WORLD ­—
AND OURSELVES?
Humankind has always devised ways of seeing
beyond sight. Two such instruments are the map
and the mirror, which make visible more than
just physical terrains. While the atlas – a book of
maps – locates where we are and charts where
we want to go, the mirror shows us to ourselves,
sometimes unreliably, and in curious ways.
Through an exploration of the literal and
metaphorical characteristics of atlas and mirror,
An Atlas of Mirrors reveals artistic perspectives
that arise from our migratory, intertwining
histories and cultures, particularly in Southeast,
East and South Asia.
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ABOUT THE ZONES
NINE
CONCEPTUAL
ZONES
The main title of the Biennale is woven through nine
• CULTURAL & COLONIAL LEGACIES
‘conceptual zones’, or subthemes, which locate each
•BELIEFS
artwork in particular curatorial contexts. These zones
• COLLECTIVE MEMORY
shape the flow of the Biennale experience, like chapters
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ARTIST FOLIOS
in a book or sections in a poem. Like the title – ‘An Atlas
Haunted by the past and pregnant with the future, the
of Mirrors’ – which is built on the relationship between
present is preoccupied. As shoals of shivery metal fish
a collective noun (“an atlas” as the collective noun) and
materialise out of a Malay folktale, and a ghostly fabric
what is being thought of ‘collectively’ (“mirrors”), these
‘cast’ of a centuries-old Korean gate from a family home
zones are conceptually themed along specific collective
hovers, spectral gold-hooded figures row out of a gallery
nouns and what they hold together for contemplation
wall in charred Indonesian longboats, and the walls
and experience. Artworks located within each zone
between worlds thin. Nothing is really lost: lest we forget,
resonate on many levels, and at the same time, all nine
lest we be forgotten – we touch the past and the past
zones coincide, intertwine and reflect each other along
touches us in return.
the conceptual continuum of ‘An Atlas of Mirrors’ as
a whole.
Retrospection reveals the present as a thoroughfare
where all realms coincide and are mirrored – where the
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Each zone represents concepts, ideas and ways of seeing
personal nudges collective memory; the seen implies the
as explored in the 58 artworks and projects.
unseen; legacy evokes loss and forgetting.
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All works are © the artists unless otherwise stated. Information correct at the time of publication. All rights reserved.
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