1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

Sued Ahmad Jamal who has done a great deal to promote knowledge and appreciation of Islamic a r t ...empathizes the unity, the serenity and clarity of Islam. his work he is interested insuggestion of the space of the cosmos, withthe striving of human heart to attain higher levels of experience and con­ sciousness. (9) Commenting the 'Nursyiah' series by Sharifah Fatimah Zubir, an artist - art historian eluci­ dates: Sharifah transforms the infinite into the finite, the intangible into the tangible, the inner into the outer ... Her imagery is refreshing because her approach is philosophical which the notion of space is tied to her perception of colour imbued withsymbolic and mystical connotations. (10) Apart from the local critics, international scholars too are equally impressed. For exam­ ple in reviewing the Tauhid series of Sulaiman Esa, an eminent scholar of Islamic art - the late Lamya al-Faruqi writes: Studying Islam and its relationship to art, immersing himself in the craft traditions of his people, Esa is a trail blazer the "Post Modernist period. His designs present one 'variety of interesting exemplification of principles of the Islamic art tradition. (11) In sum, in expressing his overall assesments of the achievement by the Malay artists, an art historian asserts: "Above all, the dedication of all these artists who include Islamic influences Malay form and content intheir paintings has not only been to enhance the interest towards Malaysian modern art but also has placed local artists within the contemporary interna­ tional art scene. Their approaches art has s t a unique style which reflects an identity; namely the National Cultural Identity. (12) The Challenges. While the voices of those that praise the works of these Islamically - oriented artists are numerous, so too are those that dissent. To these detractors, works by the Malay artists have not adequately addressed some of the fundamental issues pertaining to the creation of Islamic art particularlv regarding the fol- ■ lowing three issues. Lack Of Clearly-Defined Philosophical Basis. For many critics, the major shortcoming exhibited in their resides mainly in their lack of sound understanding of the basic philo­ sophical and metaphysical principles that constitute the foundation of Islamic art. Their approaches to "things Islamic" deal mainly either with the elements of form, imager}' and religious content of Islamic art, but seem to ignore fundamental issues such as the ration­ ale, objective, the concept of beaut}', the spiritual role of Islamic art and artists. *>' This shortcoming has resulted in many artists adopting a rather simplistic and reductionistic approach towards Islamic art. Unsprisingly, this has rendered their work a sense of pred ic tab ility and superficiality especially in the treatment of image and content. Does a depiction of a mosque, the "use of jawi form in optical squiggle, or the incorporation of the intricately graceful image of awan larat rendered a painting necessarily Islamic? What is the definition of Islamic art? What deter­ mines its Islamicitv? How does it differ from Muslim art, sacred art or religious art? 30