In the collaborative exhibition Con-Fuse, Yee I-Lann and Kamal Sabran explored the instability of perception and the digital mediation of identity. Staged in late 1997, the project arrived as Malaysia was navigating the early influences of the digital age on both cultural production and social interaction. The exhibition was structured around a lexicon of visual engagement—using terms like glance, gaze, pry, and spy—to interrogate the power dynamics inherent in the act of looking.

Yee’s work moved further into the realm of digital montage, fragmenting photographic reality to mirror a sense of cultural “confusion” and flux. This was paired with Kamal Sabran’s sonic interventions, creating an immersive environment that moved beyond the static gallery experience. Rather than offering a cohesive narrative, the artists emphasized the “noise” and layers of interpretation that define modern communication. By distorting the gaze and manipulating the image, Con-Fuse captured the anxieties of a society in transition, where traditional identities were being reconfigured through new technologies.