Early Islamic Period

Transforming Craft as Art (1979 -1985)

After negating Western art, he slowly came to terms with his Islamic roots. During the post-colonial period, Sulaiman was confronted with complex questions of how to reconcile Islamic elements with Malaysian Nationalism, Islam and Modernism. However, two sociocultural factors have given impetus to his commitment in perpetuating Malay Islamic-oriented work as a new creative endeavour which began in the late 1970s. First was in response to the National Cultural Congress policy, which calls for transformation of traditional Malay art to the special status, it once enjoyed? He was taken aback by the Keynote address for Indigenous Art Seminar and Exhibition (1979) by Professor Awang Had Salleh who lamented:

In his effort to restore Malay Islamic identity in modern idiom, Sulaiman draws on Malay aesthetic tradition since it provides spiritual significance embodying Islamic ideology. To do so, he deliberately employed Malay decorative patterns to subvert the Western art model, which prioritises iconographic expression as a superior form of art. Far from being branded as “intellectually impoverish” and not considered as “true art” (by western orientalists), Islamic art is what Islam is all about. It therefore, could not be interpreted from western art criterion. It is deeply rooted in the Qur’anic world view. As a corollary, in the external features of traditional Malay art forms; be they in geometry, arabesque, and calligraphy, all the elements are intrinsically embodied with spiritual dimension specifically interpreting the pervasive concept of Unity, tauhid. Sulaiman deliberate attempt to reject the dichotomy between art and craft was made possible by revitalising craft as art, a prestigious status it once enjoyed before foreign colonisation. Although relegated as crafts by the colonials, it plays a significant role in Malay society as it is spiritually enriching to the souls of those who came in contact with it (Coombes, 1995).

After much reading on Islamic art by Muslim scholars and experimenting crafts materials with fibre art while doing his Masters abroad, Sulaiman came back and transformed Malay crafts as art. He produced the first contemporary Islamic art exhibition showcasing purely on woven fibre with geometric patterns in Ke Arah Tauhid (Toward Unity), 1984, at the Australian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur. Expressions through abstract pattern interpreting tauhidic concept with woven fibers in geometric patterns on handmade-paper, was central in this exhibit. It was the challenge in the synergy of this new found materials that inspired in his work. The exhibition was a refreshing one, since Muslim society then, were more familiar to seeing Islamic art in calligraphic form only unlike Ke Arah Tauhid – as an alternative expression of spirituality in a contemporary manner.

The UMNO Mural

This commission work was a winning design selected by the ruling government visualizing the political struggles of UMNO. It locates Sulaiman at the heart of the resurgent of Malay Nationalism of the 1970’s and 80’s. Central to this work is the spirit of UMNO’s struggle with Islam as the foundation in all of its activities while at the same time reflecting Malay identity. Measuring in height of 10ft. and 168 ft. in length in Italian glass mosaic tiles, the mural which adorns the ground floor of the UMNO Headquarters at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, was considered by many, as the longest glass mosaic mural in the country (Sanusi, Ahmad, 2010)