Ideas International School sent me an invitation to one of their first exhibitions and film screenings in the recently-opened campus in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. It has only been a month since the school was built, and according to them, the school houses the migrants with the idea of providing education for all.
I first encountered the phrase “art exhibition” in the email invitation. I haven’t attended any in a while- since I became absorbed in work and never-ending, mundane tasks.
So I decided to accept the offer and went there. It was located next to MyTown Mall (IKEA Cheras) on Jalan Nakhoda Yusof (just a four-minute walk from Cochrane LRT Station). The people there were very friendly upon entry—never once did I notice frowning on any of them. It’s a fresh change from some of the places I’ve been to; it was really nice to see some smiles after a long day. It felt like I was going up to a hotel reception before entering the main lobby.
As I entered, there were chairs, a large, clean mat, and some bean bags in the middle of the hall. They were all pointed towards one thing: a large screen illuminated by a projector. This was where they were going to show the documentary film of one of the artists, Komeil—an exclusive one made by a filmmaker Nicky Almasy. Beautiful piece of work, really. I learned the story of how Komeil travelled away from Iran-Iraq war, and rebuilt his life here in Malaysia.
From what I saw, it was an escape. Komeil’s father was an artist, too. He drew portraits of the fallen during the war, and from that, Komeil picked up a similar trait. In the documentary, I saw faces; a lot of them. Those portraits were drawn for the families of the lost—some brought to the funerals for memorials. It struck me then, that “tragedies bring forth the best motivation to express oneself”.
The creativity shown by Komeil in some of his works (in the documentary) also portrays a lot of his experiences. He made friends, created his own family, and grew up here—he had gone to the point where he would fear going back to Iran and lose everything he had found here. The way Komeil said, it shows that he, as any of us are, is a human too. The produced artwork of his throughout the years tells a story that only a selected few understand.
And those selected few reside in the school. Ideas International School gave them hope. To rebuild what they have lost in their journeys.
The documentary produced by Nicky Almasy was one of the highlights of the exhibition. There was also a gallery showcasing some of the digital artwork produced by françois BANCON—a digital photographer. His artwork, from what I see, is purely conceptual. They were digitally produced, tens to hundreds of pictures taken by himself and stitched together in a single canvas to make a whole picture. Some took months to make, according to françois himself. That night, all of his work I saw was based on the concept of migrants—“the Other, and Ourselves”.
There was a lot to unpack when I was studying his work. I had the opportunity to discuss his ideals and the concept behind the produced artwork. françois wrote something that was tied to the produced work I saw in the exhibition:
“Migrants are both the Other and ourselves”.
I approached him about this. He explained that the displaced are often seen as “the Other”, or as how I perceive it, “the different ones”. They are treated and seen as not part of us, but rather as a different group entirely. It is understandably so as to why we treat them as outcasts—humans fear what or who they don’t know or understand. But they, too, are humans—living beings who are yet to unlock their potential unless given a chance to. People who want to experience what it feels like to have a life. And so, they are also referred to as “ourselves”—humans. Living beings. Actual souls.
The more I spent time talking to françois and his concepts of migrants, the more I saw from his and the school’s ideals of the migrants. He, alongside the team who are behind Ideas International School, unlocks the perspective I kept hidden away due to the overwhelming negative perspectives of those people from our own. I get that we fear them, as humans are capable of the extraordinary. But shouldn’t we at least give the children a chance to live and make a change for themselves?
This is also part of the reason why I love writing.
I get to listen. I get to experience. I get to see.
What the others want to express, I get to experience them. Komeil, Nicky Almasi, françois BANCON—they are part of the reason why venturing out there and seeing the world makes it worth it for me to write about. In the never-ending hustle culture and business mindset that we have now, there is very little space left to just “stand and stare”. This exhibition from Ideas International School helps return the passion to write once again. To produce my own original work. To express and let others experience what I want them to experience.
Big thanks to Ideas International School for the invitation—I felt like this is one of the many things that can be done to help the displaced. Every child deserves a second chance, and education is indeed for all.
The school is more than welcome if you wish to book a tour and experience a school day with them. You can contact them through WhatsApp: +60 12-210 1832, or learn more about the school through their official website here.
As always, thank you for reading one of my personal writings on this website. Feel free to click here for more of my writings, and I’ll see you again in my next entry.
Muzhameer Putra
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