Loss and Liberation
‘Surrender’, 1997, Oil on canvas
One of the few works that survived the total loss I experienced at Jaguar Motors. This piece was saved because it was kept by Sanna during my visit to Sweden.
The Art of Letting Go: Beyond the Jaguar Studio
Introduction
In 2001, Malaysian–Danish artist Amir Zainorin suffered a profound loss when his artworks, documents, and personal archives were cleared out from the Jaguar Motors studio in Kuala Lumpur. Among the devastation, only a few works survived, including Surrender (1997) and Double W (1999). This experience of sudden erasure marked a turning point in his artistic journey, forcing a confrontation with impermanence, memory, and resilience. What began as tragedy evolved into a meditation on freedom and renewal, shaping his ongoing explorations of diaspora, identity, and the fragile art of letting go.
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I lived in a spacious bungalow on Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, just a five-minute walk from KLCC in Kuala Lumpur. The bungalow also served as an artist studio owned by Jaguar Motors, the authorized dealership for Jaguar cars, with their showroom next door. I shared the space with Johari Said, a print artist, and Azhar Mohd, a sculptor specializing in marble.
The studio was expansive, giving me the freedom to create large-scale paintings, prints, collages, woodcuts, monoprints, assemblages, and drawings. I had brought in all my earlier works and family photographs from Melaka, intending to weave them into my practice. This period in KL was one of my most creatively fruitful.
In mid-2001, after returning from a short trip to Perhentian Island, I found the studio occupied by construction workers. To my shock, they told me my belongings had been removed and left on the roadside. At the Jaguar showroom, staff confirmed that everything had been cleared out without my consent.
The realization was devastating. Alongside countless artworks, I lost personal documents—my birth certificate, diplomas, and old photographs. I left without meeting the owner, overwhelmed by disbelief and a deep sense of betrayal.
For three days, I isolated myself at my mother’s house in Melaka. Then I told myself: I had to begin again. The loss became a harsh lesson in letting go, teaching me about detachment, acceptance, and the freedom that comes with not owning.
Though the setback felt irreparable, it forced me into resilience and renewal. What began as tragedy became a turning point, shaping my understanding of creativity as impermanent, and identity as something that could survive erasure.
‘Double W’, 1999, Acrylic and collage on canvas
Another work that survived the Jaguar loss. Created while visiting Sanna in Gothenburg, Sweden.
