Persatuan Pengasah Malaysia is a body of work that takes its cue from the culture of mobile sharpening trucks that park around certain areas to offer sharpening services for different communities.The work centers around the culture and designs of knives and tools in Malaysia, notably the parang as a multifunctional everyday tool of a Malaysian in agriculture, farming and day to day tasks. In particular, the communities existing today who continue to champion and celebrate the unique processes involved in caring for these objects.

The imagery from the “Nine of Swords” tarot card, which typically depicts a figure rising from bed by a wall lined with nine swords, symbolising anxiety, depression, nightmares, and stress, conjures up an n association with the nightmares often experienced by artists, and the anxieties of becoming irrelevant and fading over time. Hoping to relieve the artist of these negative connotations, the work likewise hopes to reframe the knife as an object that requires repeated discipline and care. And when organised as a shared experience within a community, it can foster a sense of unity and collaboration towards progress.

To continue this spirit of care and celebration of our local culture, an imaginary association called Persatuan Pengasah Malaysia was formed. This imaginary association involves all aspects from the design of a logo to the structuring of its member body. These plans and directions for the association are conveyed in drawings and a registration counter that includes registration cards for new members and a guidebook on how to sharpen knives. On display are also various sharpening tools and devices