Dari Pusat Tasek
The 12th series in the Koboi Project, 'Dari Pusat Tasek'', consists of a pair of photographs titled Naan Anaiyttal and Rockin Cowboy taken in Kampung Indian Settlement, Batu Caves and on West Broadway, Mount Pleasant, Vancouver, respectively.
1 Naan Anaiyttal presents the Koboi standing before a hoarding of 12 meter cutout of formerly jailed Deputy Prime Minister and Parti Keadilan leader, Anwar Ibrahim. The Koboi stands gesturing forwards and upwards with a green skinned mango in his right hand. The cutout was initially erected around the 2008 election but taken down in the context of political controversy and fears that the structure would be vulnerable to weather conditions. It was put up again for the 14th general election which took place in May 2018. The Koboi photograph was taken in 2018. Naan Anaiyttal is title of a song from M G Rmachandran's hit film Enga Veettu Pillai (1965). MGR was of course to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the song has populist and egalitarian theme. Anwar Ibrahim, in turn is, however tenuously, in line to be the next Prime Minister of Malaysia.
2 Rockin Cowboy is a small image that presents the Koboi standing with Cowboy Dave (Dave Lawr) and Danny Kresnyak of the Rockin Cowboy Western store in Vancouver, British Columbia. This is where I got my hat, boots and my shirts for the very first Koboi performance at the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur in 2013. I bought one black and one white version of the Rockmount Classic Sawtooth Western shirt. The white shirt is now in the collection of the National Art Gallery. Since than, I have acquired much of my gear for the Koboi Project at the Rockin’ Cowboy. The store at 106 East Broadway closed its doors in January 2018 and the new store is at 118 West Broadway.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/92379
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2008/10/07/councilapproved-giant-cutout-of-anwar-draws-flak
https://www.malaysiakini.com/photos/420400
https://montecristomagazine.com/style/rockin-cowboy
