The Pirate’s Daughter 海盜的千金 is a pavilion-sized installation by Poesy 小詩.
It depicts an underwater graveyard of a pirate’s plunder, where countless fallen ships and souls of sailors who lost their lives rested in peaceful melancholy to a heartbroken tune by the pirate’s daughter.
This installation piece has been 40 years in the making, when the artist’s father collected maritime artifacts. His activities almost bankrupted his family and resulted in the gradual deterioration of his mental health.
Its message of loss, redemption and solace is particularly relevant in the era of Covid-19.
This eye-catching work includes 62 shipwheels, 38 storm lamps, 7 ship oars, 3 hunting spears, 3 western swords, 1 oriental sword, 2 trumpets and other maritime artifacts.
A piano tune titled the Forgotten Star was composed in 2014 and the sounds of this installation continues to develop over the years.
Poesy said “The Pirate’s Daughter is about healing from dark times. As our country suffers under this global pandemic, just like the sailors who lost their lives at sea, their souls were comforted by the piano of the Pirate’s Daughter. Similarly Malaysia and the world reel from this tragic plague, but together we will heal. Together we can heal.”
The Pirate’s Daughter opened on May 1st 2021 in Abundantia Kuala Lumpur. This exhibit will run till end of 2021 before moving to a public venue for its next season.
Earlier draft versions of The Pirate’s Daughter were first staged at the artist’s family home at the heart of downtown Kuala Lumpur and was also shown at Poesy’s pop up gallery on the embassy row.
Abundantia Kuala Lumpur is a unique art space that houses Poesy Inc HQ in Malaysia. The space includes the multidisciplinary creative production studio, an art gallery and a private event venue. It is open only by appointment.
Abundantia received a grant under Cultural Economy Development Agency CENDANA’s Arts Venue Recovery Programme.
The Arts Venue Recovery Programme hopes to prepare, train and transition performing arts, visual arts, independent music as well as crafts venue owners nationwide to be ready in preparing safe and healthy environment for the audience/participants. In addition to that, the programme supports basic operating expenses i.e. rent, utilities and marketing costs.
Poesy is a multidisciplinary creative practitioner who is globally active in the arts, interior design, fashion and jewellery, social impact and innovation. Poesy has toured and shown in USA, Europe and Asia. Her street art is permanently featured New York, Manila, Singapore, Johor Bahru, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur.
She travels with a mobility scooter all over the world to aid her walking disabilities caused by spine tumours since she was 17 years old. Poesy was named HerWORLD Women of Year 2011 and awarded other media titles.
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