30 cat illustrations have appeared on the lawn of the Malay Heritage Centre. Part of Paw-verbs on the Lawn, together with standees of Malay proverbs, they highlight how the cat is portrayed in Malay proverbs and literary culture.
Illustrations by Juno
Paw-verbs on the Lawn is open to the public from 10 March till 30 May 2021. The illustrations are by Japanese artist Juno (@mofu_sand). She is known for her cat illustrations which depict her love for felines.
This is the first collaboration between the Malay Heritage Centre and the artist. It also represents the first time that Juno’s cat illustrations are going on display in Southeast Asia.
Malay Proverbs and Cats
In Malay proverbs, cats (or kucing in Malay) are portrayed in different ways. They are used to characterise human behaviour such as shyness, elusiveness, being intimidating, being authoritative and even being quarrelsome.
There are 10 Malay proverbs which are sharing the lawn with Juno’s cats. These include:
Bagai kucing lepas senja (like a cat after dusk), which describes a person who is difficult or hard to find.
Serta lalu kucing, tikus tidak berdecit (when the cat is around, the mouse will not squeak), or the arrival of someone who instils fear and those who fear the person will keep silent.
Malu-malu Kucing (like a shy cat), which is a way of saying that a person is pretending to be shy.
You can pay a visit to the Paw-verbs on the Lawn exhibit at the Malay Heritage Centre to learn more about the other Malay proverbs.
Paw-verbs on the Lawn Programmes at Malay Heritage Centre
Other programmes will also be held in conjunction with Paw-verbs on the Lawn including a performative storytelling session titled The Lure of the Feline by theatre actor, director and playwright Gene Sha Rudyn and a ‘Find the Paw-Verb!’ gallery hunt.
Get more ideas of what’s on for the March school holidays 2021 in Singapore here.
