The Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève presents two films by Ekin Kee Charles.

Meet us at the Ridge : 6.0753° N, 116.5588° E
2024, 8 Mins
Single-Channel Video, Stereo

The film displays an internal conversation of uncertainty and doubt on the perspective of faith and tradition with
one’s self.

CREDITS
Produced by The Han Nefkens Foundation, as the result of the Han Nefkens Foundation – Loop Barcelona Video Art Production Grant 2022, in collaboration with the Fundació Joan Miró; MoCA TAIPEI; ILHAM, Kuala Lumpur; Center d’Art Contemporain, Genève; Art Hub Copenhagen and Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing.

Artist’s Statement :
‘’A year ago, my father’s side of the family organised a Mongukas ceremony. This is an event where we pay respect to relatives who have passed. We were supposed to sacrifice a buffalo where the meat is feasted on by the living family members and the head of the buffalo is sent to the grave as an offering to our dead relatives. I learnt from my parents that we weren’t going to carry out the ritual, and I was angry with myself that I couldn’t counter what my parents said and that I had no knowledge of my own tradition to do it myself. As much as I am regretful that I am slowly drifting away from my culture, I am more sorrowful that I am slowly forgetting the spirit of my ancestors.’’

PEACELAND
2024, 12 Mins
Single-Channel Video, Stereo

Rena, Mina and Joni, fashionable besties in their 60s, hitchhike on an illegal truck to make a long journey from their distant village to town. They are going to purchase monthly household goods and to convince Rena’s daughter to come home.

Artist Statement :
‘’I grew up in Kota Marudu, a district that is labelled as one of the poorest places in Malaysia. I finally left the village when I was 19 years old. When I was younger, my favourite activity with my cousins would be to imagine what our lives would be like if we were rich. We would watch our favourite YouTubers, dreaming of a fabulous and fashionable life, like what was portrayed online. Not being able to afford things was degrading to me and it made me feel small; so I made a goal that when I got older, I would reinvent myself, and move to a big city. I now work and live in Kuala Lumpur, achieving a dream that I had, to run away from the rural village where I was from. But whenever I scroll through Facebook, I see my mother and her friends living their best and authentic selves in a life that I used to hate. They are living a life dictated on their terms. They are so sure of themselves and they do not need validation from anyone. This film is a celebration of these women, a realization that I love them, and I want to be just like them when I am older.’’

About the artist

Ekin Kee Charles is an indigenous filmmaker from Sabah, Malaysia. She is a descendant of the Kimaragang tribe, a sub-tribe from the Kadazandusun Dayak umbrella. Ekin grew up in a closed community that consisted of family members who migrated from the inland mountain area to Kota Marudu, Sabah. Her works are often set around the community and lifestyle of the people in her hometown, oftentimes including them as cast and crew in her projects. Ekin has shared her passion for film through workshops conducted for indigenous communities not only in Sabah, but also in other parts of Malaysia.