Tenacious in dissent, hopeful in power

IN 2022, my old school friend Khoo Boo Teik, now an accomplished academic and author, approached me to design the cover of his book, Anwar Ibrahim: Tenacious in Dissent, Hopeful in Power. I was impressed by the contents, particularly the subtitle. It sparked many ideas in me about the rich symbolism it could generate. I thought about hope’s fruition in flowers and light. About eyes seeking truth. About arrows pointing upwards as struggles to achieve, and ideas in the seed and fruit. The circular jala ikan, or casting net, with metal chains around the edges, points to constraints in any political struggle.

I did not submit this concept to the publisher. Instead, I asked Stephen Menon for permission to use his prints of the prime minister. There are two reasons for this. First, all biographical books on VIPs require their faces on the cover to sell on the bookstand. Second, I saw an opportunity to use Warhol-like art on the cover. I was very glad that the publisher, after some hesitation, approved the design.

I have designed two other books for Boo Teik, both on former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad: (1) Beyond Mahathir: Malaysian Politics and its Discontents (2003) and (2) Paradoxes of Mahathirism: An Intellectual Biography of Mahathir Mohamad (new revised edition, 2025).

This project underscores my idea that “biographical expressions” do not have to be done alone; they can be created in concert with others. One can claim partial creative ownership as long as one can demonstrate creative input. Creativity, for sure, is not confined to art—for me, much of my creative energy went into designing and revamping publishing systems, and ensuring they became sustainable.

Fun with Acrylic Plus was part of Lim Siang Jin’s solo exhibition, Evolution: A Conversations series, at Art Voice Gallery, 28 Jalan Kovil Hilir, Sentul, 51100 Kuala Lumpur, June 28 to July 28, 2026. It was curated by Stephen Menon. Read here, here, here and here.