The Return of Raja Durian
16 November, 2024 – 9 February, 2025
“The Return of Raja Durian” marks the homecoming of Penang-born durian tycoon, FAMEME (b. 1983). Having left the land of his birth to lead a globe-trotting existence, this fabulously colorful figure only returned to Malaysia in 2017. This exhibition presents a selection of objects and documents pertaining to his life and his creative transformation of the family durian business. It includes exclusive screenings of a new documentary by Taiwanese artist and filmmaker, Yu Cheng-Ta, that goes behind the scenes to detail the story of FAMEME’s personal struggles.
The fortunes of FAMEME’s Sino-Malaysian family were built by his grandfather. Educated in Singapore and in the U.K., he led a nomadic life for many years. He returned to Penang to rejoin the family business, centering his efforts on creatively rebranding a traditional product and bringing the industry global, aligning with the Malaysian government’s promotion of durian exports to the Chinese market. FAMEME first came to international notice when he organized the Museum of Durian in New York City in 2019, a pop-up space that promoted Asia’s ‘king of fruits’ as the basis for a trendy, healthy lifestyle. In order to bring his durian-centric message to the masses, he also acquired a 1,600 square meter electronic billboard in Times Square. This marked the start of a worldwide durian conglomerate. Between 2019 and 2022, in addition to the Museum, he also established the Durian Exercise Room in Seoul and Durian Pharmaceutical Ltd. in Taipei. Perhaps most significantly, in 2020, under the auspices of Durian Pharmaceutical, he collaborated with scientists to develop an elixir named MST, or MISOHTHORNIITM, a distillation of some of durian’s most powerful properties.
“The Return of Raja Durian” surveys FAMEME’s career in the durian industry, from the innovative MST to his efforts during the onslaught of the global COVID-19 pandemic to keep the durian market alive, including hiring muscular men to sell durians while shirtless, and donating surplus durians to hospital staff. In the inclusion of Yu Cheng-Ta’s film, the show offers viewers a close-up look at FAMEME’s personal life. (Yu is also one of the curators of the exhibition.) The film tells the tale of its subject’s life and family. It delves behind his signature oversized sunglasses to trace the history of the Chinese immigrant community in Penang, as well as providing an intimate look at his relationships and self-identity as he struggles to create his own durian empire.
The exhibition is co-curated by Yu Cheng-Ta and Singaporean curator and art historian, Louis Ho, and presented by independent contemporary arts platform, Blank Canvas. It is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan and the Taiwan Content Plan.
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