RECENT WORKS

ARTIST STATEMENT

Sulaiman Esa’s Sketchbook (2024) is an interactive art that contains 21 archival images Sulaiman Esa’s drawings. These drawings were done in Johor Bahru between 1956-1965. These are personal drawings by Sulaiman Esa which are not intended for a public audience and is “unfinished”; unlike many of his masterpieces. Instead, these sketches were mainly meant for the artist himself as means to practice his art. The familiar gestures of turning the pages provides visitors with an intimate encounter with the drawings, as opposed to his grand paintings that are viewed from a distance.

This interactive art work by Suzy Sulaiman, in collaboration with Farahhani Azwa and Dr. Anis Haron and with generous support from the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University.

Exhibited at Balai Seni Visual Langkawi’s “Pustaka Imaginasi” from June - September 2024. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

When my marriage ended, the first; and only; piece of furniture I replaced was the dining table. Though still in good condition, I found it difficult to eat there in peace. Eating is an act that requires calm and stillness; it supports not just digestion but a sense of emotional grounding. Yet this table held the weight of memories; of a family that once was. It became a trigger for grief, a reminder of the years spent nurturing a home that eventually fell apart. This experience led me to reflect on how everyday objects carry dual meanings: they serve a practical function while also becoming vessels for memory. The artwork engages with this idea by framing meal-making as a kind of domestic currency. The video captures the unseen labour behind preparing an intricate dish; llaksa; while its bluish tones evoke the lingering memories etched into the table, like strands of emotional DNA.