Kopi Jantan Series

Kopi Jantan series (Masculine Instant Coffee series)
Instant coffee with gum arabic on acid-free 300gsm watercolour paper, 41.8 x 52.8 cm each (framed), 2019

Featured in Biro Kaji Visual George Town

Locals have found a way to appropriate coffee culture, creating a more conveniently consumed and affordable tonic drink infused with vernacular remedies, especially Tongkat Ali. One type of premixed instant coffee is colloquially known as “kopi jantan” (masculine coffee) because of its supposedly aphrodisiac properties. Although sometimes tainted by controversy because its proclaimed medical benefits are unsupported by scientific evidence, this coffee is readily available at local mamak (Indian-Muslim) stalls. I replicated the premix’s packaging design using instant coffee pigment to create a series of sepia-toned paintings, as a way of studying its visual vocabulary that promotes masculinity while celebrating the use of traditional medicinal roots and plants.