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In Memoriam: Benjamin McKay |
BENJAMIN MCKAY: 1964-2010
The Annexe Gallery is very sad over the sudden passing of Benjamin McKay, writer, critic, academic and lecturer at Monash University. As we write this, the cause of his death is still unconfirmed; it is believed he passed away due to an accident in his apartment sometime during the night of Sunday 18 July, and his body was found by his friends. [Update: According to Universiti Hospital staff, Ben died of a cardiac arrest, although the coroner has yet to release an official statement. July 21, 2010, 12am]
Born in Australia, Ben traced a colourful life and career that spanned the globe, starting out in the performing arts and eventually finding his niche in the world of academia and writing. Since 2005, he has lived and worked in Kuala Lumpur and embraced it as his home. Here, his film criticisms and columns in publications such as Kakiseni.com, Criticine and Off The Edge were as loved by his readers and arts practitioners as were his lectures by his many students.
Benjamin was also an ardent supporter of The Annexe Gallery, through which he began his hobby as a collector of Malaysian contemporary photography, and where he also appeared as guest speaker at various events on topics ranging from film history to sexuality rights. We had the honour of hosting his mother’s solo exhibition “The Magic Hour: Barbara McKay solo show” in 2009. Through his life and work, he touched the lives of many Malaysians. We are honoured to have been blessed by his encyclopedic intelligence, easygoing charisma, sharp wit and kind generosity.
We would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Ben’s family and friends. You will be missed, Ben. Rest in peace.
Read an interview with Ben on the Thoughts On Films blog published in 2008 here.
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Annexe made it into Wall Street Journal |
We gasped. We wrinkled our foreheads. We touched our cheeks in disbelief. And then we did a little dance and high-fived each other. Why? Because The Wall Street Journal published a story on The Annexe Gallery! Read it here.
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Annexe Heroes 2009 featured in Malaysiakini & The Star Blog |
Five 'heroes' named for battling ignorance, injustice
by Aidila Razak
Malaysiakini, Dec 12, 09
The Annexe Gallery, known for its work in championing freedom of expression,today lauded a number of individuals as 'heroes', including Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan.
The Annexe Heroes award, which is being handed out for the second successive year, honours those “whose efforts courageously fight against injustice, ignorance and indifference for the betterment of all in Malaysia.”
Also honoured were book publisher and filmmaker Amir Muhammad, web talkshow PopTeeVee producers Fahmi Fadzil, Hardesh Singh and Mark Teh, advocacy group Sisters in Islam and political scientist Wong Chin Huat.
The recipients were nominated by the public through the Annexe Gallery's website, and the final selection was done by its arts programme director Pang Khee Teik and media manager Jerome Kugan.
The five join 2008 Annexe Heroes - political blogger Ahmad Hafidz Baharom, Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez, author of bestseller 'March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up' Kee Thuan Chye, artist and Sisters in Islam programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi and writer Shanon Shah.
True to the gallery's unique nature, no trophies were in sight. Recipients instead received a military-style dog tag engraved with their names - a nod to the 'battles' which each of them has fought to open up public discourse in Malaysia.
The audience of approximately 80 people were kept entertained by the witty conversation between award host, Pang, and the recipients, and the antics of the 'dog tag' bearer who came in bedecked in red cape and antlers each time a 'hero' was announced.
'Laugh so you won't be afraid'
Indeed all the recipients have courted considerable backlash through their work, like Wong, who was arrested for sedition in May for writing articles and organising a series of '1Black Malaysia' protests.
However, the harsh reaction from the authorities has little affect on Wong's sense of humour, which he credits as a deliberate strategy to confront fear.
“It's important to be able to laugh, because when you laugh you will not be afraid,” Wong told Malaysiakini later.
The irreverent university lecturer also dedicated his award to his “friends in Bukit Aman”, saying that he feels honoured to have been awarded so much importance by the police force.
When asked of his New Year wish, he said that he wants Malaysians to have more love for freedom, which he said comes with many responsibilities.
“We don't have the Internal Security Act because the BN government is evil. We have it because we cannot overcome our fear of freedom,” he said.
The award was also accepted in a very light-hearted manner by Amir Muhammad, whose approach to media censorship has always been a comic one.
Amir is credited for pushing boundaries of expression by publishing “though-provoking books on pertinent topics”, including perceived taboo topics such as sexuality, which was broached in his Matahari Books' 'Body2Body: A Malaysian Queer Anthology'.
Like Wong, the writer who started writing for the New Straits Times in his teens, also credits the authorities for much of his 'fame', which he said came mostly from having banned films 'Lelaki Komunis Terakhir' and 'Apa Khabar Orang Kampung'.
“There's a list of films which have been banned in Malaysia, including 'Schindler's List' and 'Brokeback Mountain', and I feel very honoured to see my films in that list,” he quipped.
On a more serious note, Amir said that his contributions to freedom of expression pales in comparison to others, in particular two documentary makers in the Philippines who were murdered for their work on extra-judicial executions in Mindanao.
'Don't wait for heroes'
Gan also shared this view, saying that for him, the launch of Malaysiakini 10 years ago was merely something that needed to be done in this country.
His hope for the New Year was for Malaysians not to wait for heroes.
“I'm not one. If we wait for heroes, nothing will ever change. All of us must do our bit, and do our best in whatever little things we can do,” he said.
SIS, on the other hand, hope that they would win their case against the banning of their book, 'Muslim Women and the Challenges of Extremism', not just for their sake, but to set a precedent for other book ban cases in the future.
More than that, SIS hopes for a more inclusive Malaysia, with more “democratic spaces, especially in the context of freedom of, in and from religion.”
Meanwhile, PopTeeVee producer Hardesh Singh said that he was happy to finally receive an award as he has long been misrepresented as an “award-winning composer”.
Hardesh is part of a proudly multiethnic team which include Mark Teh and Fahmi Fadzil, who hosts online talkshow, the 'Fairly Current Show'.
Fahmi said the show aims at encouraging more dialogue through laid-back but informative discussion, which broached topics such as the recent fatwa against yoga, in a humourous and accessible manner.
He added that his personal wish is for Malaysians to not give up in the quest to make the country better for all.
“Stay on course, Malaysia, stay on course,” said Fahmi.
The original article can be viewed here:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/119702
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Annexe Heroes 2009: What Malaysians should pay attention to
The Star Online blog; Posted by: Hafidz Baharom Wednesday 16 Dec 2009
When it was announced this past weekend that it would be the Art 4 Grabs bazaar once again at the Central Market Annexe, I almost pulled out of the treasure hunt I was to attend.
Almost. It's a company event.
However, it surprised me that I didn't find a snippet or even a mention of it in the Star on Sunday. The event managed to garner at least a quarter of a page last year. Guess some other event was taking place that was more meaningful for the Sunday Star spread. Either that or perhaps The Star didn't want to venture a mention of certain winners of this years awards for sensitivity purposes.
Anyways, the 5 award winners for this year Sisters in Islam, Popteevee, Steven Gan, Wong Chin Huat and Amir Muhammad, only one of the five recipients, I'm guessing, would have courted less controversial content from the rest.
1. Sisters In Islam
As I mentioned in my post, I actually voted for them so kudos to Sisters in Islam for receiving the award, particularly since they were kind enough to ask me to join them during the Sri Mariamman temple visit in Section 19, Shah Alam, during the entire "cow head" fiasco was taking place.
SiS is no stranger to controversy, yet I've noticed that whatever they've mentioned is not personally to me, controversial at all. In fact, people seem to hate them so much for stating the obvious truths that they can't handle, like how books are banned without reasoning, or even how women dressing like men can suddenly turn butch is ridiculous.
And as an ex-UiTM student who had at least four classmates wearing manly clothes, I never felt safer with them as company, and I'm sure many other guys on campus didn't even bother about it.
2. Wong Chin Huat
What can I say about the man who wears all black? I've met Chin Huat on two occasions, one probably unbeknown to him was during the walk for freedom from the National Press Club to Dataran Merdeka where he was shouting for 'press freedom' and I was in the crowd saying that it was moronic because we were walking for 'media' freedom.
Big difference, Chin Huat.
The second time was, of course, the visit to the Sri Mariamman Temple, after he took a Facebook post and critically analysed my thoughts on the death of Teoh Beng Hock.
I'd have to say that while I don't agree with public protests, I found Chin Huat's idea of flash mobbing for his 1 Black Malaysia campaign ingenious.
For those who may not know, he simply asked people to go into an Ipoh White Town cafe, clad in black, and sit down and drink kopi O as a signature drink.
And of course, the police went scatterbrained and stopped people in black from drinking coffee.
Sadly, I was roped into this at the MIHAS seminar because I was accidentally wearing all black during the PM's visit and having a Nescafe' O Ais at a nearby cafe. The police and security got the jitters, and I had to personally assure them that I was merely there for the food, and that black was slimming.
I may disagree with Wong Chin Huat on many levels, and some of his students know this especially when I told one of them that they should be arrested and put to jail since they protested for his release outside the gates of campus instead of on campus. However, his belief in what he's doing is ferocious and catchy, plus easy enough for the entirety of the Malaysian populous to follow.
He definitely deserves more than a dogtag for such.
3. Steven Gan
Regardless of how Steven Gan says he's not a hero, don't buy the cow manure.
Any guy who managed a website posting the video of what exactly took place during the cow head protest deserves kudos. Somehow the MACC saw this as a threat, with their director going on Popteevee with brochures and boards explaining their decision.
Again, don't buy the cow manure. Steven is a hero on so many levels, just that the nation's government perceives him as a threat towards their stability on the seat of power. Since the last bunch of people who did so ended up in Kamunting, Steven is a breath of fresh air.
Less rhetorical than Malaysia Today (*cough*), Malaysiakini is now more trustworthy amongst its readers than most online newspapers (*cough cough*). Therein lies it's pull.
4. Amir Muhammad
What can I say about a guy who became the publisher who produced a 'queer anthology' that has maintained it's Number 1 placing in Silverfish book store for the past 17 weeks (could possibly go up to 20). With Matahari Books under his management, they have managed to publish the rather interesting New Malaysian Essays Volume 1 and 2, Body2Body (mentioned in Time Magazine) as well as a tribute book to Yasmin Ahmad.
With his books and films courting controversy and being banned with stupid reasons mentioned by the ministries (his Lelaki Communist Terakhir was banned because a minister went to 'ask the people' and they weren't ready to face the 'atrocities' of the past), Amir Muhammad has accomplished what no other film director or publisher has done. Made it on to the banned list, not twice but three times in a row, yet managed to somehow maintain his cool and prevailed under dumb autocrats who can't think any better.
A hero who beat the system.
5. Popteevee
Quirky, yet relevant. That would be my comment on Popteevee, an online TV channel that has interviews with various individuals on politics, arts and entertainment alike. From Ida Nerina to Yasmin Ahmad, to politicians from PAS to Fahmi Fadzil's mom, they've all been there and sat down to be interviewed.
And their answers, while some personally draw my wrath when they blame the media for their problems, have been direct, profound, precise and of course, some would pull out brochures and boards and talk crap.
Their heroism is nothing like the others, in going about protesting or even having Kopi O's. Their heroism is in the fact that they get creative and fun about what Malaysia's talking about in current terms and let the people judge for themselves. No one can brand that less than heroism.
Conclusion
While Steven Gan states that people shouldn't wait for heroes, it is my firm belief that he is only half right. Heroism is overrated. Icons are also overrated, even more so idols.
What makes a person who saves another's life more of a hero than a single parent who goes to work slogging 8 hours a day, being on call 7 days a week?
Perception, for one.
We insists that heroes must be people that have done something more with their lives, something that has meaning to the public.
Again, don't buy the cow manure.
You're a hero because you speak out or act out on your beliefs. You're a hero for caring for others. You're a hero for simply sitting behind a desk and typing out reports but making sure to go back in time for dinner with your family.
And of course, it is my personal belief that you're a hero because you're you, not taking yourself for granted and thinking with your own God given minds.
The original post can be found here:
http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=28097 |
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Join The Annexe Gallery Facebook Group |
Oui. The Annexe Gallery has been on Facebook longer than this website has been alive... it's true. Don't know why it's taken us this long to announce it here but... as people like to say... better now than never.
Look for us on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5266613587&ref=ts
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