Poodien’s street stencil works are born from an awareness of racism, first sparked by the punk subculture which offered the alternative knowledge missing from public schools. He emphasizes that racism is not mere individual hatred, but a systemic and structural force deeply embedded in post-colonial laws and power frameworks. His artistic practice challenges these hidden structures, covering vital issues like racism and feminism. By placing his bold art in public spaces, Poodien reminds viewers that while the struggle is long, ordinary people can still disrupt the matrix in their daily lives.
Bukan Aku Berselindung Tapi Dikurung /I’m Not Hiding But I’m Locked Up (2025)
The Malay phrase “Bukan Aku Berselindung Tapi Dikurung” means “I’m Not Hiding But I’m Locked Up.” This poster was designed in the lead-up to the Women’s Day March and visualizes the demand for equal participation of women in political and public affairs.
False Consciousness (Reproduce from 2016)
“False Consciousness” here refers to the mistaken belief that gender is fixed to the biological sex of man or woman and its associated stereotypes. In reality, gender exists on a spectrum, with many variations that shape a person’s gender identity.
Stop Racism (Reproduce from 2016)
The Malaysian state continues to use the colonial legacy of racism to divide and rule, and racial discrimination remains embedded in its constitution and policies. While dismantling this system will be a long and difficult struggle, people can begin to end racism in their everyday lives by organically breaking its matrix.
Protected Area (2025)
This design appropriates a signboard used in pre-independence Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency to mark designated areas protected from potential threats by anti-colonial guerrillas. The artist reinterpreted the design with a satirical twist, pointing to imagined spaces that resist new ideas—highlighting language barriers as a key factor shaping this resistance.
KL’s Traces to Herstory (Reproduce from 2016)
This poster was created during protests in Kuala Lumpur to defend certain areas and buildings—part of the city’s heritage—from being demolished.
About Poodien
Poodien lives and works in Kuala Lumpur. Heoften engages the public in conversations that prod at the conscience of Malaysian society. His work is especially concerned with issues of individual freedom and the challenge of the obsolete, unchanging, dogmatic, and supposedly foundational “truths.” Rooted in cultural activism, Poodien’s practice is deeply informed by his involvement in the DIY punk subculture. He actively participates in grassroots movements and employs guerrilla-style street art to respond to current socio-political issues. Alongside this, he maintains a more conventional studio practice that spans painting, drawing, installation, performance, printmaking, and digital collage. Through strategies of appropriation and détournement, he explores and subverts the relationship between representation, ideology, and aesthetic production.
Selected exhibitions include: Sunshower: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia (Tokyo, Japan, 2017); If the World Changed, Singapore Biennale (Singapore, 2013); Becoming (solo show, Richard Koh Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2013); BARRICADE: Kuala Lumpur 7th Triennale (MAP@Publika, KL, 2013); and End Game (solo show, Galeri Chandan, KL, 2010). He also participated in Global Warming, Perfurbance #4 International Performance Art Festival (Merapi, Indonesia, 2008).
Poodien received the Malaysian Emerging Artist Award in 2009, organized by House of MATAHATI (HOM) and Galeri Chandan. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in various art collectives—beginning during his student years—advocating for independent art and activism.