The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) Catalogue

Artists The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 72 Jamilah Haji working in her studio in Narathiwat, Thailand 2021 (opposite above and below) Test and beauty of life no.3 (details) 2020–21 Organza, calico, silk, various lace fabrics, used clothing fragments, markers and synthetic polymer paint / 290 x 477cm / Courtesy: The artist Jamilah Haji’s art is inseparable from her life, both as a marker and celebration of her faith integral to her sense of self. Of the three embroideries she has created for APT10, two are quintessential examples of Haji’s practice, evoking in textiles her vision of spiritual life as a Muslim woman. The third is similarly grounded in ideas from her faith; however, its distinctive design elements are owed to her younger brother. As one of four children in a family of hijab makers, from an early age Haji was attracted to art — especially sewn textile techniques. Since childhood, her embroideries enabled her to contribute to the family income, and she developed her textile- based practice as part of her formal university art education. Today, using her mother’s sewing machine, Haji embroiders large, densely layered textiles that convey her expressive and deeply personal response to her life in the south of Thailand. Haji’s art is differentiated from that of her contemporaries in the historically annexed sultanate of Patani by a desire to share aspirations in the face of daily political and military threats and the marginalisation of a community of disabled youth she closely associates with. Butting up against the Thai–Malaysian border, Patani includes the southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla. Patani’s distinct culture, language and Muslim majority reflects its Malay history as well as Chinese, Indian and other influences — all of which have been in conflict with twentieth-century Thai directives for forced assimilation and homogenous national identity. Since mid-last century, separatist insurgencies — involving many different militant groups against Thai–Buddhist integration — have been common, with tens of thousands of armed fighters and civilians injured or killed in conflicts over the past decade. As a result, many artists reflect the conditions and personal consequences of the unrest as a means of remembrance or resistance — in sharp distinction to Haji’s organza patchwork effects and flower-filled images. Motivated by her faith, Haji applies her creative skills to honour and inspire the Muslimah’s (Muslim woman’s) way of life. She is particularly inspired by Islamic sermons regarding the roles and responsibilities of pious women — considered the pillar of the nation — to their families and societies. Her embroideries include the figures and virtuous practices of Muslimah, including taking daily prayers, marriage and motherhood. Aspects of her own life are also present; for example, she is seen at her mother’s sewing machine in Test and beauty of life no.1 2019. The textures of organza and lace fabrics, colours of the machine embroidery and fields of handsewn flowers are chosen to convey conscious and subconscious feelings and the devoutness of her religion. Haji’s work often aims to inspire spiritual strength and an integrity of faith understood to be powerful enough to overcome personal or collective struggle. Test and beauty of life no.3 2020–21 indicates Haji’s recent turn to imagery arising from her and her sibling’s experience of prejudice as people with disabilities, and her teaching and work with disabled youth. To represent more positive social attitudes towards the less able, Haji began incorporating embroidered motifs of drawings by disabled children and youth in 2019. Her largest composition to date, Test and beauty of life no.3 is a stitched tableau of renditions of drawings made by youth with intellectual disability — primarily her brother, who loves drawing cars and trucks. Created from drawings on canvas layered with machine and hand embroidery, this work directly connects viewers with the participants’ fertile imaginations. Haji’s unique textiles arise from personal experiences and are made with the love of a sister who would like to see ‘people live in this world with freedom, equality’. 1 Zara Stanhope Endnotes 1 Jamilah Haji, email to the author, 14 January 2020. Jamilah Haji Born 1989, Narathiwat, Thailand Lives and works in Narathiwat