(ea nirmala dutt shanmughalingam TALENTINE \ LLIE fine Fart— ee Ca ersLet the bamboo grow in your heart A conversation with Nirmala ‘Won Hoy Cheong: One of the many thinge I've elveye wanted to ak you is how you feel about people's reaction to your srork as being overly poltca! ~ that it's propaganda and not ar. You know, the [ale modernist pyramid where abstract and pure ait sits on the pin- Tale and political and ploboian et ite at tho baco: | am particularly interested inthis because my art has been said to be poltical, hence ind opportunistic, 1can symsathise with tat | feel the same kind of frustration. When my paintings on Thatcher and Reagan were removed from the "Side by Side” tition, some people seid twas a publicly stunt, a storm in & “teacup. find these remarks ignorant and obscene. You see, the “Fonds in Need painting war about the Bornbing of Libye by the USA sided by Ertan. | made this work as © painful rescton | provoked in me by the sight of a dead child being lifted out of © te bbe. twas an image of cruelty geinstan innocent. Treane out of an anger, a deeply felt emotion. Propaganda was the Hast thing on your ming, | euppose, “Yes, and this dichotomy of political art and propaganda versus | pure ert is ridiculous, Aren't the sculptures in great Indian ter jes propaganda art? They wore propagating a vay of life and inking, To stir the minds of the worshippers. Yet they are as [pure an artform as any other ‘pure’ art. The same can be said of Budchist art. And of course we all know of the European tradi: © ton of fropaganda painting and froseos in cathedrals-didactic g ane-inspiring, glorifying not God, but kings, the aristocracy popes! poe eat robels. Especially Chu Ta and Shih Tao. They wrote about the connection of lfe to art: But under those oppressive times, they hhad to hide thelr crticism under nuances and symbolism. And the painter Cheng Hsieh, one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangchow, was a social eric. ‘ It ie interesting that you refor fo artiste from the Eat Fm excited becouse offen we associate social criticiam with the West. And here, we have Chinese artists in the 17th century who strongly believe in social commentary - People say that ‘Chinese artis all the same, Bhaharata Natyam js all the sam But there is a tradition of social criticism im the East. Wayang Kulltis another example. ‘So you don't mind be called a poltcal artist? Not really. dont mind if people call me a political artist What about a feminist anit? haven't worked that out yet. | consider women and men as ‘equals so I don't think of gender. But in reality, there is so much Injustice done to women. ina way, this ls my concern since 95% fof my works deal with the sufferings of women and children, ‘And foo! the frustrations of being.« woman. {In a recent book published on Southeast Asian art, look at how my biodata is written: “While accompanying her husband on his ‘overseas cuties and studies, In the circumstances of being a mother and housewife, she managed to undergo art training at {8 number of institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States." Why sit weitten in such a patronising manner? Why is“| am an artist first and foremost - not necessarily just a woman artist or feminist artist or political artist.” imy life discriminated against? Why is my biodate the only one that refers to my personal lite? What about the male artists who, also “managed lo undergo art training” 2s householders, hus~ ‘bands and fathore? And the manner in which its written is awk ward: “a mother and housewife"? Sounds ike Fm a mother and married to @ house! (Laughs) {lam an artist frst and foremost ~ not necessarily just a woman artist ot feminist artist or political artist [ knew I wanted to be ‘an artist at the age of ton. And | oxhibited at the Hague Museum Jn 1987, years before I supposedly followed a man.around pick- Ing up the erumbs. Labels ike “poitical artist! or “foriniat eric’ or ‘aborignal arist often ghettos an already marginalised community. Like the way your biodata was wrtfen, it became easie: to marginalee you further bby making you into a Woman artist who managed to study art as mmather and wife. I's tke you have no wit and agency without some {erm of ragnarimay from the patriarchal society. Yes. | dislike labels. Once labelled, people feel they can de with you. Itis easier to contro! and oppress you when you are ut into @ category. But I have not resolved how to deal with this as | really care @ lol about issues that affect sromen and chil dren. 'm against all forme of injustice and oppression, more so It they/re against worsen or children. You know, I spent almost a year working with women and feminist groups and | came away thoroushly disillusioned and angry. But eft with my views clearly and directly expressed because | don't believe in backbiting, | find that feminists tend to have ‘more than one agenda, There is also so much politcal infighting ‘and hierarchy. | feel as though I'm being recruited into a camp .. which is another frm of Categorisation. ‘Yes, The truth is that at this stage in my life, [have only enoush ‘oneray left to do art-In a way, this is all! have and possess. 1 have to find my own ways of being strong, for myself and for my ‘work to survive. But | still support the work of women’s groups. ''m stil their friend and they have my unconditional vote on any {saue conceming injustice against women. 'm generally an apo ical person. ‘Why do you say thal? Your works are so politically charged. | ean't fit into political circles, of women oF men. 'm ignorant of polities and| want to be ignorant ¢o I can speak moro honestly. Uke “The Emperor's New Clothes’ all those who were aware of politcal cduse and effect sald the right things, the poitically ‘correct things. It took a little boy, ignorant of any political cor reciness of outcome to speak the truth. | feel I need to keep clean of such whoeling and dealing 1d ke to return 1 an isu | mentioned earlier. Thore aro some poo- pple who claim that poliical art is expoitative. While the artists reecive glory and money from seling thoir worke, the oppressed ‘continue to suffer. This has been said of my work - especially of my portraits of migrante - and 'm eure it has boon cald of you too. But thie le a very real issue for people whose work is based on oppressed communities, | think our conscience must play @ pert. When I did my work ‘about the squatters of Kampung Polo, | felt had to compensate ‘and give something in return to the community. | used to take food to them. I got quite close to one of the women and used to take her and her children to hospital when they wore sick Or | ‘gave them some money to buy books for school. My conscierice ‘required that. And | know you also did all you could. Besides, my ‘contacts with thse people covered @ much longer span of time. So | took much more than you did But some friends told me that the attempt to bring an aware- rness to the public and perhans make them think about the Issue was good and important in itselt. It seems to me that most of your work grows out of a deep-seated ‘empathy for an-opproaces and diconfranchised community rather than being motivated by a poltical ideology has been sald: “et the bémboo grow in your heart before you paint it® But the bamboo growing in the heart is painful. It push ‘es and changes direction. It torments. But finaly, when its fully ‘grown, you are reedy to act. When I am confronted with issues, | feel anger and compassion. Its the first moment of realisation which hurts me the most‘but itis also the moment which is decisive and strongest. ‘This was how | started to do the photographic documentation of the squatters in Kampung Polo. lead about Kampung Polo's squatter problems again and again in the newspapers. | was very disturbed by the situation and then one day, I felt had to” do something and | went there to document their living condi tions. But | had to sit throuah the pain of the incubation period. Lind what you ere saying very interestng because Ito0 nocd a period for an emotion or idea t8"ncubate before | can siart creating, What {do you do during ths period of incubation? | might read a book and try not to think oft. Or | might do some research or collect things | might use later. The subconscious ‘cannot be dictated to.but rather, it dictates, And it cannot be {forced into aetion or else your work will emerge a shallow mess. ‘But when the incubation period is over and I feel ready, the cre alive process comes naturally. Then itis between the canvesBecomes paint and colour and shapes. It becomes an aesthetic process formal and material process. | have to put away what orig Inaily moved me and gave me so much pain. In aw ‘anaesthetised to my pain. The painful content of the Sars working, as you seid, lke paint, colour and shapes ... fue get enveloped by the orignal emotions, then we become immo: Bliss, urable tact well say leave the painting. Some years back | was explor the works of Otto Dix Goya and Jecques Callot. All three did | aseries of etchings on war. You know, Dix fought in World Wer I, | For meny years after the war, he had nightmares of the times he Spent in the trenches during the war. But when people said he id the war-etchings #s a means to purge those nightmares, Dix | feplied that t was not catharsis, He did art because of his desire F focreate, because he was an artist E | agree with Dix. In the final analysis, tis my desire to create thats the motivating foreo, the roason I paint Wong Hoy Cheong, Petaling Jaya February 1998 ‘and me. The pain and torment disappear. lam unaware of the 1. Cheng Hew (7699-1765 images of pain and oppression. nt Evert f Ysa 2 sense as | was intaniewing her and etucyng hor work, behind the creation of her work | began to reali that he art president of ho school's Noighbouthoed Service Club: going in the 8 ater schol tothe free ward at ho Penang Genera Hoop help en, there have been many social issues that have caught hor ming and n: pollution of the environment, squatter villages and the children ved there, ravages of war in Vieinam, Libya, Beirut, Bosnia, refugee n of Asia, boat people, the pight of the Penans, apanheid, injustice of maria, Al these have entered her works of almost 30 years working fll: jamais. But inal these yoora, Nirmala as eis, had never consciously planned to {198 hor art ina sociopoltico Woice, nor aspire to become the conscience of Per times. However i was inedtable that when an artis ivohves herselh The process of creativity ‘The making of an artist as social commentator ‘0 extraorinanily in matters that touch her Rear and stirher rind, and expreesee her care and concer for the victim snd the defenceless so oloquentl in her ‘or, it would be only a malter of time before her work becomes a formidable cchalenge against injustice and inhumanity. As an anit she takes a frm stand and upholds truth and integrty with great ‘ath. And without the eightestnton tion of doing $0, Nirmala has extended the parameter and given new meaning, 10 the role ofan arts in Malaysia. Iwas in 1994, during her post-graduate research in London, in examining the Processes underlying creativity, that she read with much interest the World ‘War | experiences in the trenches of German arts, Otto Di, who had sulléred ‘nightmares for years: But in the inal analysis, it was really the desire to create ‘and not the need for cathare’s, that had made him use his experiences for a series of war eichings and paintings, "Not that painting would havo boon a release ... tie not true that you do that for the peace of your soul. You don't thnk ofthat at al... the reason for doing, its the desire to create... 'vo got to do il I've seen that | can siélremem= ber it I've got to paint.” Otto Dix wrote# Besides Otto Dix, Nirmala alsa, read and saw the series of war etchings by Jacques Callot and Goya. These thee avtiste have given confirmation to her ‘own process of creativity, for all three were moved by this inevitable deere to create, even if their experiences happened 0 be of the tragic and dark side of ite, but had they been deeply moved by colour, light, structure or space, _they would have used these as sources for thelr at. My sources happon to be social Issues because they move me most strongly and help me to work with honesty ‘ ; For Nimala good art comes from feeling strongly about and having genuine ‘concern and empathy withthe issue at hand, Like most serious artists Nirmala i fret and foremost an artist. An exceptionaly sensitive artist whose psyche is in total attunement with the temper of her time and the struggle of a people, An atypical, complex, yet childlike artist who has enormous faith in humanity and holds a simplo conviction that: : «.- There was God; there was art, There were ‘good works’The evo ci Nila Bt Sharughaingar es anal ras the chang: faleseespatcs lavitepeect tn ethiy rap SOX wexecica ere Ines le sa warm 9 Soqsirce' els! dee sen ca aasehalgtcaly 16 lassen ol Slerysese) Mayet it is expected’of a true artist to be sensitive not only to his or her immediate: ‘environment but also to the life surrounding it. Nirmala is’such 2: person." Hara elo cls tbs Foena dh at cslogu of Neel a oo sohblon'n 19812 Many people were genuinely moved by hec works and admired her great ‘courage in creating her art. Bul for many years her works were not popula Hers were not paintings 1o decorate their ving rooms, Besides her artist Friends, the strongest support comes from writers and poets. _- we al know how uch time they [wsters and poets] spend onthe dark to survive. | stayed et the YWCA and applied for jobs ... going throust PSD interview to secure the job in the Tourism Department. Ministry Commerce and industry | worked in the publications section where boss thought my artistic abilities could be best used. | got the job mai because | did @ poster (on commission for RM250) for this departme My boss, the late Osman Siru, knowing where my interest lay, allow me to use a'spare room in the department as a studio to paint int weekends ... Nirmala maried a young MCS cadet officer in the Treasury, Ministry Finance. In 1966 both husband and wite travelled to Washington DO wy they both attended courses. Het the World Bank, white Nirmala enrolled f time at the Corcoran School of Art unt the time came when she had tole \when het husband's course ended in 1967, But in 1970-7% they were oe ‘again‘n the US, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Nirmala enrolled herself it ‘one-year, credit course in Art History at the Fogg Art Museum, pursuing “NMly sources happen to be social issues becaus they move me most Side. But covers enclose their works, covers which readers can choose to keep closed. Therefore they are less prone to give offence. Not so we ‘artists, We have to bere our souls publicly, and the viewer Is confronted with the content and its sources ‘The pain is ours,” wrote poet Kemala on viewing her solo exhibition, “I do think that you are pioneering the néw era for Malaysian artists ‘o become more real- istic towards humanity” Indeed the process of art for Nirmala has been forged out of formidable Courage tera ru arp asa. Nevertheless a pracens tha! fas” heen forged out of pain and anguish over injustice and inhumanity. At great ‘cost to hersell, art has gamered for her not only praise and accclades from ppatrons, colleagues and admirers but also condemnation and censorship from detractors and bureaucracy At worse she has eyen received the threat ofa law ‘uit for trying to bring to public attention an unjust situation. “The works of Nirmala have evolved through many series and phases. The sum ‘cial of which (1980s-00s) have all attained an impact thatis not easy to ignore, But untke her colleagues she has never eeally had a conventional beginning. Nevertheless, even in the early days, Art has always besn a forte for Nimale, A directing spit. A clear sense of direction in her if, my father who descended from generations of brahmins, was only interested in performing his dharma by marrying his daughters to brah~ ‘mins. Education was for boys. My art teacher and water-colourist uncle ‘thought otherwise. (Father's brother ... both had suffered aborted educa- tion, being in Raffles College, Singapore, when World Wer Il sterted) | ‘gre up encouraged by my uncle and Mr and Mrs Tay Hooi Keat: The for ‘mer promised to send me to Paris; the latter encouraged me to study art ‘and return to take her place as art teacher in MGS, Penang. After Form V, {moved to Kuala Lumpur and thwarted my fether’s plans for me by study- ing up to Form VI on my own. After that | had to find a job quickly in order ay Harvard Extension Course. She also attended nightschool t the Bai College of Art for Life Drawing classes. “The years 1975-78 were spent in Oxford, UK, where “the whole famiy went ‘school"-the children, the husband and wife. Nirmala finally had a streteht {years to devote to study. She fonged to study in London's vibrant arts en tment Untortuneeh, the lopstes of daily commuting to London as walag ing for the, family made that option unfeasible. She therefore enrolled i degree course in Art History & Psychology, with options in Fine Art, ‘Att & Photography at the Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brooks Uni In 1978 she graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons). The Oxford Polytechnic was. inted to Orford University, and Nirmala had access to al the ancient libati Orford as well as to the Ashmolean Museum of Art. She mado ful use pprivlege and enjoyed the facilities enormously, R The US experience of1970s exposed her to the vibrant sprit ofa pop ar land the impact of abstract expressioniam. The Amarican avant garde only art but also music, theatre, film and literature, had obviously impact on the Malaysian artist, f not directly, at least in a more subtle use of allusions, paradox and satire, fo enhance her voice as artist and 10 fan impact in her vsual art eesthetics. :well and Rauschenberg have been labels often attatched to her work.” bt labels meke for convenient study, putting an artist, especially one id ratual tondoncy in our coarch o underetand and intorore! what con = silos tho making of on anit. Hor favourite painter, sho claims, i i fact Vincent Van Gogh, and has besn since her schooldays. Her MGS Form V Art Prize voucher was spent on aequiting ‘copy of her fist art history book on Van, Gogh: y ‘= autographed by Mr and Mrs Tey Hoot Keat, it s my most treasured ook, etter my old copy of the Bible. with notes seribbled in margins but very precious. | walked into the Teng's Shop ina litle lane off Penang Road with my voucher, fell in love with Van Gogh's “Potato Eaters’, “Sorrow, “The Weaver, “The ‘Sweeper, and walked out with the book Nirmala cites, among her other Traries, the Zen osinies Senge and Ina's Jamin’ Rey: CHing dynasty Fts-tne Four eminent Monk Painters, especaly tin Tao and Ci To, the Ini ho greatest rebel of the Four Among the Eight Eccentics of Yangchow eedeo0r th famous Four) Nirmala admires mecst Cheng Hsic, an art at fn cromplayfoedom of eit... and temperament naturally gen fo de ance etal convention” Protesser Francois Creng turer reiterated that tne "ver of Chora Hsioh reminds us hat at every sage in tho Netory of Crineoe fing, & current of thought marfete thatrefuees to conider ate fight ‘rom realty of 28 the product of purely aesthetic concerns but ase concrete form of human accomplchment.« " While often wistfully admiring the artists who are immereod in at for ans cake, Nirmala is inevitably an artist for whom life and ert become inexticably woven as one whole, Naturally she feols a bond ahd an affinity with the ethoe of the ‘rebel’ painters mentioned above, but she also feels she has so far only ‘skimmed the surface and would like to study deeper into. this area of Chinese art. . at the time of my ‘805 paintings | wes reading Kawabata and came ‘across “The Master of Go." Tho black and white configurations on the board fascinated me as did the discipline of the grid. find myselt greatly ‘drawn to Chinese and Japanese brushwork {from questions | get asked, | have leamt that few people know how ‘york. That | start my paintings with brushwork in black, white and burnt ‘umber, covering the whole canvas in a rough composition in one session, \Wnat moves me on then is the passion for the brushwork and the white untouched areas. | could leave it that way, but | am also driven by subject ‘matter from given issues: Hence I then introduce these, and from then on itis a back and forth strugale of image/brushwork/image, to attain coher- ‘ence, composition and structure. once Cheong Laitong was looking at my painting which was composed of black and white brushwork. It had no silkscreened images. | went up to “him. He tured and asked: “Did you study Chinese brush painting?" It was, wonderful to hear those words, | stored them away and bring them out whenever someone starts on Rauschenburg. | ike Rauschenburg and his work .. from my short aequeintance | felt him to be a warm and generous person. | remember once Letiff Mohidin said to me,~ .. and who influ- fenced Rauschenbura?” | came seross and read Dawn Adam's book on photomentage and was net really surprised to find an answer to Latif's ‘question. In her school days she had already actively paticipated in art actin, tke being selected to paint the schoo! mural ife-sae Christmas nathly scenes for Wellesley Church; to paint posters and sets f6r school plays. Mes Tay Hoo! Kat, her art teacher, selected her painting forthe International Exton of hid Art, Hague, Holland, 1857. While werking in the Tourism Departmen Kuala Lumpur, cho attonded art olascos with Hocssain Enas (Angkatan Polskie SSomenanjong). Ono of her early portrait wee accepted for the open exnbiton ‘ofthe National Art Gallory 1064, which marked an important entry in a major ‘rkibition fr the young ariet. = | was offered 2 solo show by Frank Sullivan in 1971, There fs no record because there was no show. However, | remember Sullivan's offer in ‘graphic detail, He had been submitting my work to the National Gallery's ‘annual shows (1964-69), and he had sold my work and bought my work {recall one *May 13th 1959”, which has since disappeared without trace. My paintings and some pastel drawings also hung in his Loke Yow. Mansion gallery.He visited me at home to make an offer and discuss a solo exhibition. “Thad sufficient work. However I was strongly advised against having a show at Sullivan's Gallery. So strong was the opposition, well meant | believe, that | succurnbed and said ‘No! . Frank Sullivan was hurt and let ‘me know it! There is regret. My peintings got scattered without record. 1 had hurt Frank Sullivan, a human being whatever his nature, who took an interest in my work for many years, and helped many Malaysian artists ‘sorrow remains when I recall this incident .. When Nimala returned from Washington in 1987 she painted Teratai (Water Liles), three small pieces of work framed as a composite of one, in strong ges tural abstract expressioristic style in monochromatic tones. Her trademark of ‘bold spontaneity, evoking an instinctive psyche ofthe unconscious was already ‘apparentin this work. This period saw her Landscape Series ofthe early'70s, ‘works of abstract expressionism in acrylic and collage, in boolones of land: “art is a process to bleed her heart onto canvas” scape: When she fetumed from the US (1971), Nirmala ound herself working in tot ization sn I mpedes contact with fellow arists contact with the outside worla Dawn Zain introduced moto tho late Ismail Zain wh helped to break the isolation and to provide in his characteristic urbane, refined, intalectual and thoughtful manner, @ mature perspective on the local art scene. | ‘would work on my own for a morth or 0. Then we would meet forte, with my husband present, which would turn the whole evening into a pleasant social occasion. Untied 197, waa er enlyatemt to oxlor the we of picture colage ot Children, bold brushwork and letting, Her vory fret attempt of making alli sions tothe unconscious in a cream of consciousness ao. As kt wae fn her landscape paintings, what was important for Namala, even then was her con ein belencing the empiy spaces wih the pained surtaces ta srke a stuc- tured unity and harmony inher work : ‘A srtcant pee ia ner Wew From Feder! Hil1972,Exeoted in a piney ste, tis abstract acre work proved to be the tring pci fo the art 4 ereng work, One ean 290 tha the foings are sensive and stucio, tho compostion is bod anc evs, the blanco ard harmony i impeccable, but the eye no longer proved viabe for an artist whose passion in art would go far beyond hr camas. Even f those early days the tala signs of » new dzecion wore srady presnt in ber psictings “It was as if she had reached a critical threshold. Nirmala's passion for her art {a total, Nirmala’ pasion for life ie extra eonsory. Hor heichtoned coneivity towarce « hoatty lf is irropressble, Blasted with Mother Earths instinct, raw Infoligenee and a charp wit, she cannot help but surrender tothe more pos tive yin eneray which awakened in her an awareness of her dystunctoning ‘emvconment. Her instinct had shown her the way to answer that deep call within he: heart. She took that quantum leap. She changed. But nat in her art direction, which evelved into a more serious and deeper involvement with what ‘was happening around her county, and later what was happening around ‘the world. In 1973 the National Art Galery organised a competition enfiled Man & His World, Nemala submitted her famous work Statement 1978 wiich won the Major Award. She shared the award with Sulaiman Esa, who submited his Sell-Portrail, 1973, Both pieces were conceptual art works. In retrospect Nimale's Stafement 1973, has become a significant miestone inthe history of contemporary Malaysian At. *Nirmele’s award-winning work must bo recognised forthe liberating influence ‘that i helpod bring about in the Malaysian art ecene at a time when good tasta in art was often equated with Abstract Expressionist paintings and painterly skills,” wrote Redza Pyadasa inthe calalogue of Nirmala's first soto exhibitor at the Dewan Bahasa & Pustake, 1981." In etroopect we ean cam that her award-winning pieeo of 1873 was tho fret istalltion ain Malaysia, and tho fret documentation prosoniod as co ‘al statement cn pollution and environmental destruction. The national slog that year towering over Malaysians whichover way thoy looked wae Bing “Malayeial Thio work i a eprtual/ornotional response: {share many an individuals irsion to slogans and jingles. That wa: ina sense the genesis of my Polliton Plece (Statement D, tha a (Gina Malaya which wes manifesting itself in uncontrolled develo and atthe cost of destruction ofthe envionment and the eco-yae There wes no government body to monitor the situation caused by inl ‘timinate development-no ministry of envionment. not even @ dope ment of environment. ‘A mivod moda work of 20 black and write photeprins on ervirnmenia |uten,indsorminate dumping of indusial waste and the desiacton of stream acfacent to old Inlan Damansara. She took morethan sx month record and create the piece. It was the most comprehensive attempt by frist fo express urgent waring signals against cealogial destruction by senting 88 evidence relevant ena, diagrams, photoarahe and even big in ruboigh, indi weste ond garbage from tho actu to trea in ‘galery opac0. Her work caused a ete among the art community, Nevecls win the work Nemala ha set te procedant fo th oe of ais. soca rntator in Maya ‘Statement I questioned the viewer: Can we halt this ‘development thro. destruction and appeal tothe voice of tha people to elfect change in to develop the land with some regard for the landscape i.e. to change in mony with nature. Its aim was to make felow Malaysians aware of the ind Criminate destruction in the name of ‘progress. To try and stop this before worsened and reached the extremes found in the US and Japan. To sir prevent apathy and raise awareness among her people of our intrinsic As ‘sense of beauly and tradional love of harmony and geileness. “The piece was well ahead of its times. The panel of judges who awarded ‘work misthave realised hs, and gave credit and ecogriton othe era ‘orginal, he excllones in tho total process of creat ator than ishod product teat For indood in tho lato 708 deractore of polution and om“The matter that moves her most concerns injustice and inhumanity.” Pace ard ant-global warming groupe of tho "20s }, booan Yo champion for Baty Caves, Endau Rompn, Bekun Project etc, Nirmala joinod hor fits to paint for euch ceuses: The Ministy of Environment was only in tho lao "70s. Following year, 1974, Malaysia witnessed another milestone exhibition at Nhe Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka that had stired the art acene in the history of lemporary Malaysian art, Reza Piyadasa and Sulaiman Esa presented Hawerds A Mystical Realty, a conceptual at event, which garnered for them resia reactions in the ar Grcles, Nirmala as arte, howover, decoverod nde spit in these new ecene etits, and ohe was no longor working in iso jon n her genre of art. This wae the perios che was searching for mearing Jad het conternporatios ofthe new scone provided tho eymbictc feedback and Iccoradechio. imak's change from tractinal painting techniques to using photography os a Median was a natural process of evoluton. Inthe '70s she explored photo ocumentation of the erwvironment. A significant work was Pollution Piece 7074, a series of 12 biack and white photograchs depicting environmental pol: ton surrounding Batu Gaves and Jinjang. What wo oan perhaps recognise fas an awakening to her destiny of playing tho roto as eacial commentator, it nas therefore inavtable that Nirmalé’s role as! anist began to broaden in lorient and deepen in scope and intensity in her involvement with issdes ‘around her. From expressing her cr documenting the destrction ofthe environment, she focussed her creative eye on the children of such-landscape, the squeter-chldren of Damansara, The victims of development and progress. Statement ll, 1975 and Statement I! = ‘A Comparison 1975-1979, are sijnitcant examples of her work on squatter chides. fe psychs in landscape painting fo “The chalenge for Nirmala fe to capture the arowing imbalance and inequality, ff life around: hor which affects hor deeply. In thie case, as in all her other series, the matter that moves her most conceins injustice sh inhumariy. It Ceoniceens a morah quéstion of ethics. A lack of care and concern for one another. ‘An indiscriminate waste of precious Wie, in a nutshell: the sacriice and viola: tion of sacted Iie 1975-78 Nirmala wes in’ England, furthering hor course in Art Hictory & Paychology. The ‘ist work that ehe did upon returning from the UK in 1978 ‘was Statoment (IA Comparison 1976-79 This work bocamo a contoverey. wos rejected ty. the National Art Gallery for being too socialist. I was the timo of the (SA warrants, Neverthelees it wes an‘interesting documentation of hor Batu 4, Damansara Road equatier children: It took 4 years to complete. In) 1978 when she relurred to Malaysia, she photographed the same squatter clildeen she had photographed in 1975. Statement JI is an extension of Statement Il It was an indictment on unequal ‘development’. That the chiiren ‘of the 1975 slum have grown physically but their social conditions remsined ‘unchanged: meanwhile the environment surrounding them hed blossomed Into, Uusper mile ane afluence, It was itonded to bo a conscionce etiring piece on our vision of develonment and ‘progress’. Tho late Professor Dudley Seers (DS), Sussex University, on seeing this work commented: "A statement about development problems tuer than statisticsVOL R un Dear eon ue nny pee oe ee a es ee ee eet nc See ee ee ee ed ee en ee ee ee ees oe eres ie Cen a ee eck em ee Ce ae ea ete ee ee cee ees eee a ey of conscience and with sincenty and integrty willnaly racord the history ofthe ee er Nirmala was stoadiy gaining confidance as an artist in executing works on ee ee tee as ee ek ees ee ee ary nol safe issues. Nevertheless she painted them. She painted the refugee chi Cee ana! Re Ue a ea een aero SR ee occa ete enone nightmare for far too long. At least | hope as artists, we didn’t stand by and walk away Diptych 1979, mived media, is another example of exploring tech eee ae ee ee eet Re ee eee ee eee ere) ee eee eet ae pee ee en ne fect eee eee ena Renee er eon Pe oto her message, sweeps of broad brushwork juxtaposed upon dolborato tione of photographic imagos on war childron and motors on elkscre balanced anit aesthetic ompy spaces, which make up tho laquerty eee en ea et ae ithezdines and phrases {rom a Malay newspaper about the actusl irc Se te ee Se ee Seno De eer te en show through, not because Rauschenburg uses ther. If I collage roa een ee ae Se eee111989, @ tho epitome of her famous eilkscraon sories. One of the 08 in which oho created a photo-montage of war children and by tho uso of photo sikscreon, juxtaposed against broad raw brush fo Gistort and toar avray the rectangulaiy of the photo-prinis. The stk isa elksoreoned anicle of the Nuremberg trials of World War I. the arte cpils over omo the mother’s forehead. And the artist raises and moral question: .. how Is it that the Americans who con- Nazi war criminals could subsequently drop napalm bombs on aris! has taken another leap forward. She has extended her involve th national issues to a universal perspective on war issues, For indeed «confined to any national, racial nor religious boundary. It is not 80 aliical, bureaveratc, economic nor religious ideology that Nirmala is about, but rather with the ignorance and thé inabilty of man to learn isiakes of karma most leryin the Beit Series 1989-85, twelve paintings of con ilended to unshackl our indiference and complaisance and awak pang uth. The Beirut Series marks a signfcant phase for Nirmala, gined for hor intorational recognition as @ sorioue arin hor con- p:coftomporary Malaysian she has mastered to tha ful tochniquo. Tho. samo The same sombre mood. ea epic proportion pervades the paintings of Bout asin those of Cambodia, consistent and aiectvely repeating a single seream i curage atthe utter hopelessness, horror and fuility of war “Will mankind canvas, are the piercing cries of the Palestinian children and jako us realise the stark truth thatthe young have become fodder _ Hinactine, The Beit images seriakzed the 1882 massacre of Fiage, a bo ofthe regenerative force of Ife being broken, the ‘chil in shel-shock buids to crescendo the tension and dis Binding rage and violent struggle gets the pain across, In Befut hearthe shattering in Nirmaa'smittor of nightmare. Athough ‘expresses tension and chaos, the total aesthetic efectis one of we have lived wit this nightmare for far too et on Hiroshima cautioned: * ... One of evils principal modes of beyond wath incference that which is before our eyes..." AS ala is not able to look beyond with inference, cometimes at herself for the purpose of her work isto mitror for us the deep. Pon our hearts 1 remind us not to walk away in vain. The over- Gualy gots to tho'heart of tho matter and forces us to take a look To question ourseivos and our actions. If we review the events of and after the Beirut massacre, we realise there is much truth 8 expressing in her work. ‘@presses:...We share the monsoon and the trace winds e share the roots of an ancient culture, and yet we continue the other .. Her paintings on Beirut ave behind this hu ‘- Wil mankind ever learn?* a Disturbed by the grBat sacrifice of tives that was so unnecessary, Nirmala con tinved painting the war theme. The paracigm shifted, From focussing on the ‘wrenching pathos of war victim, the ast began to change the central motive and focus of war: In 1984/85 Nimala carried out esearch on the Kelantanese wayang Kult and the wayang purwa of Java, For her the whole repertoire of social comment built into the structure of wayang kult offers unimaginably vich potential in visual art. For an artist of ‘organic intellect and sense of humour, the ispiration called from her study in _wayang kul took just ovemght to flower! ‘The two famous pieces based on wayang igure, Fiend In Need and Save The Seed That Wil Save The Black People, were submited or “Sedo By Sido: ‘An Exhibtion of Contemporary British Malaysian A” atthe National Art Galery Her works caused a fury of offence in the Gallery and were removed ‘on the opening day of the exhibtion Beoause VIPS trom Britain and Mlayoia ‘would be attending But he at of remeving hor paintings causa furor among the ant commuiy who wrote in support of Nn’ paintings i he bea news. papers throughout he folowing wok: * 1 elt thatthe removal of hr paintings had poltical ovortonds ...rot only is thie an inoult fo an artist but this f algo an insult to our Prime Minisjer.. do ot know who is responsible... i the decisions were made by the Malaysian side. then those particular Malaysians ‘ae sill coloiaists at heart. Even” ‘tor 90 years of independence, there sill seems to be residue ofthe Yes, Si choo of thought. "Usman Awang (erie, playwright, poet) ever learn?” +. ve tale fo various Americans and. Bish on the inct and they also fel that rtf a case is very badly need inthis world... There was misc munication somewhere. Sometimes; the Malaysian overemphasis on courtesy curbs our own prople unnecessary” Adah Amin (cic, journal, wrier)* +. the controversy not only brought reda attention bu it has managed fo tighight the issuns. In this respect Nema has won . he isoues she raed are realy Malaysia's pont of ve. its wel known that Malaysia isa leading ponent of apartheid in South Aca. everybody knows how our PM ft about the American attack on Libya” Dawn Zan (rt atone onotime ar ete veth NST and manager of Galery 11” ‘The net day the two works were quickly re-hung on the wats of the National ‘Art Galery. Ina letter of support to Nimala, Syed Ahmad Jamal, the then director cf the National Art Gallery, wrote * ...1 wae only doing it according to What | thought wee right... that art ie about truth, about reality, about things beyond! ‘mere looks ... | chal lways stand for tho cause of art and my follow att. ‘The incident has jolted tho art econo. What has happened has éuddenly + changed our awareness ofthe role of art, atste and society... What you have done, what has happened, is very important for Malaysian art played the minor tle, you played the major .. Thank you -To.this case |, “The incident stirred Mary Rose Beaumont, the British contemporary art cic in ‘charge of selecting Bish works in the exibition: “ [fel the whole busi nosis absurd, | saw nothing wrong with either of ber artworks. In Bit, we have faction of satire and Mrs Thaicherhas been the subject of caiicalure and sate. not every Briton agrees with Mrs Thaiche:’s poicies. | am qute cettain it would not have offendedThe folowing month she wrote again about | Nirmala's works in the Art Monthly, London, November, 1988: * ... Poltical artis alive and ‘wallin Kuala Lumpur, so healthy indeed that two watks were removed before the opening of the ‘eahibtion as ‘ikoly to cause offence’. Both were: caticatures of Mre Thatcher in tho quice of an Indonesian shadow puppet. The fist, enitled Fiienée In. Noed, showed her bare breasted, wih Prosidert Reagan, and between them a rnevrspager photograph of a dead baby, Klein the Libyan bombing. The other picture was a condemnation of cur poi in South Afrea-They ‘were perhaps an unfortunate chovee for a friend ly gettogether between Briain and Malays, land might have, endangered trade doals between the two counties, but the ‘eruciel point at icoue was that of censorship... Niimala Shanmughalingam is ‘a docply compassionate artist, commitied to exposing political cruelly and ‘ho plight of the delencoless, be it in Vieinam, Beirut or the homeless squat ters of KL, Her art is too uncomfortable to be popular, and here «a lone ‘pice exying inthe wikieress."™ Nevertheless @ deen resonance of a pioneering wornan answering to that scent call of destiny. Even from the very beginning she was stesing hersell Lunconsciousiylconsciouely to that oie tue direction in Art. She surrendered oreo tothe calling af her psyche, her cultural herilage, inorder to project a more universal dlemms ofthe human condiion, The process of artis a process ‘of attunement, to flow with the temper af the times and its people. For Nirmal ‘artis a process g bleed her heert onto canvas and uplift her mind to the wings. ‘of her spirit. She could not understand how har art could cause embarrass: ‘ment at oficial lovele, She had oariod out the proper research ito the tools of her an bbosides working on art-based social issues, I read and researched for ‘myself the arts and erafs of the ASEAN region. One of the most fascinat- ing is the Wayang Kulit of Malaysia ard Indonesia, | spent some time in Jakarta and Bali researching shadow puppet theatre | collaborated with @ DDalang, Pek Herman Pratkto in Jakarta (1986), in producing an anti-war piece. I wrote the script to bo Incorporated into a gara-gara scene!" He ‘sang it exauistely, gotting It beautifully Into context. His task was aided in no small measure by Adibah Amin's wonderful translation from my original English version into Bahasa Malaysia. We made an audio-tape. Pek Dalang Herman Pratkto gave me photographs of himself conducting a full Wayang Kulit performance and a book written by him called “Wsyang-Apa dan Siepa Toko-Tokonya! | also brought back a sot of ‘wayeng characters: Seman Petruk, Gareng & Bagong ~ the Punakawan* ‘ho took part in my version of the dara-gara scene. ‘After several abortive attempts at performing and recording the Children ‘of Wer (Anak Perang) in KL, | have stored away in memory the delightful time | had working In Jakarta. | also st away my audio tapes and my set of belo puppets, and went back to panting ... be ff Hinds parentage end knowing the ors language, | happen to know the epics of Manabharats and Rarayane. Hones thore in ie, a deep link and love for this at f fan attachment which is stronaly aesthll not religious. 7 “The paintings which resulted during this ps ‘were Fignds Need and Save The Seed VA Save The Black People, These two cr versie! Thatcher paintings aré bint and politica satre. Fiends In Neod, 986 aniewar stalement on the US bombing of Libyo, Tho onus ross into ‘Britain as well. Ronald Reagan is personified by the wayang kulit char ie the teksasa caki or butacakl, tho arch vlan, and Margaret Thaicher ‘an evi wd rakacel. Save The Sead That Wi! Save The Black People fant-aparthaid work which can only be fully appreciated in relation symbolism. Not only does the ais use wayang Kil figures ond cl symbolism, but she also uses Herary afusin in reference to Katho Kol work eniled “Seed Corn Shall Not Ee Ground® Paradoxically te fauie (Thatcher) protectively oncloace miltan white South Atican wi wayang kul fold, erakeas! womb! A futher alsin Is made in the lel ‘which io cctuly a line borrowed ‘rom Gosthe. These two painigs a ato, not caricatures, and ther pictorial impact expresses so than words, clan house o he same name. sone of te pantnge the sar0s ‘00s that Nimala was working on that marked her rot 1 the ‘colour, after many years of using only black and white or monochhror as eymboic overtonoe in hor work This pce is ota chocolat picture Mro Tay Hoc Ket, her a oacher, cautioned against. Ee schooldaye Nrmalahas alvays been wary about decorate monks: sketching Hene ns werk homageto erilhoad tachers ‘and in part. joy in my own return to the full use of colour afer (4979-05) of abeterton < rr aro, tert infer cares so pinta tera a theme, Nef’ IU 1268, s «comment onthe Mem ince Ti used in this pining has symbolic connotations 08 Kec, so a fas is own uricue iterpretton and description of ou. Th sikscteened nf ts work were ealocted from toe oho stale series of the "70s. This painting was last seen hanging at ‘the er MATIC, 1968. hs‘ ango vanishedBP se rian hr guano oun donne: os ett aor, Tote ot worcbecore inp prty byte stato Soh the Chee Mende dah and naib ndottmirets od ot Beer vtayectne vous ote tr oe Sonrrone fd tind tovard Nata Sw ted the ern Morbi angen uti Balk ( tog crn, lortab Poi ear rm 8 Matas provet : EP he tlcogs ron the ple kw rita ks fa ie ists iagde, dates sen totveaiek Wot Helontmn * ound myself side-tracking into experiments with the rust red dye din kat and pua textile. These experiments yielded litte beyond distraction for myselt. Wat | obtained were various shades of ilo rust ed and.a beautiful residue: the roots of the mengkudu or i plant (morinda etrifola) after the bark was stripped off to obtain uff. Inthe jargon of the trade this Is an extromaly fugitive dye. | most maddeningly elusive. The expert dyors of Sarawak and jwould say that my difficulties were due to the fact that | did not offerings to the spirits involved. eid everything else | cout, trom pestering FRIM for inform pis and leaves of the Jirak (@ympiacos) a catalyst, to twice visiting Texto of Jakarta, looking into their books and copying out { Needless to say tho recipes aro varied and meny in number pt secret | admire greati the pua and ikat woaver's craft and jon nt tis area, f and The Creative Process ~ an investigation of the psycho= es volved in creativity in the visual ats with refarence to art “Wile in Loreion she saw the French documentary flm Bosnia at [Contemporary Art (ICA) which hed tremendous impact on her, hhec Bosnia Series of more than a dozen paintings. On Bosnia edt the traditonal painter siyie, Hor moti romains the samo ya, Boat lear Nira iwhat cught to be sacrosanct has been made into a sactitice of Bee ra bot nis wt oi pa oles ee ti dG: Ha mth long ae aloo Fete ere. how rick rier? tly how much gunpowder it takes to kill one human being: how to be happy for one hour intoned Hermann Hesse War He further reiterated“. the present atate of mankind Imontal cigorders: the mepelomania of technology and the enalem ... They have beon responsible for two world ware and their consequences, and before their fury is spent they will have further similr consequences .."* ‘in Bosnia, Nirmala has broken with her usual style. Gone are her early trade~ marks of media text, photo-silksereen and collage work. But the broad sweeps ‘of brushwork, the bold lines of figure drawings of wounded children and ‘women are heroic in impact. The broad brushwork and asthotically balancod ‘empty space remains as powerful. These are pure acrylic paintings in black and white or monochromatic tones of burnt sienna, the blood stained earth of ‘a sinful act. The pathos of sacrifice has achieved an epic presence.- In Bosnia I we detect a creative presence, an inedricable Christspiit, but if ‘we look hard enough, perhaps we do fee! Christ-spirit in al her paintings. That {rand eubmicsion of soul in an act of creation that aurronder to tho cal of duty, ‘that natural reiionce of evorlacting fe and love, That epirt of giving al. We .. the process of creativity for Nirmala comes om that deep source in her heart and soul. . : ‘can see this total process of art in the works of Nirmala, And itis never more ‘rue than in Bosnia J, that we also detect strong affinity to the spirit of the Chinese masters’ brush paintings, For indeed what moves her most strongly ‘makos for powerful work In 1987 Nimala Dutt Shanmughalingam has again evelved enathr layering of creatnvly This time in the form of, what her British fiend cafs, “a moral and tical allegeny.” The genius of Nirmala once again reasserts itself in the frst piece of public at in the county. The Siory of Ogre Citrus, an alison, 0 Coubt creative, against injustice, A graphic poster ofa juicy lemon, upon whose ‘wrrowed skin has been inscribed the tale in four segments, an legorical piece of commercial con-game. When ail else has failed. Nirmala tock to art one! ‘mare timo, to wa the consumer not to be 80 exsily seduced by cutthroat industriakste. The pioco of allogory ie boing circulated to every frond, every ol zon and the pubic .. And from her poster we quote: «the press too remained sient. The people's ples to be heard had gone needed and unheard... Ogre Citas! power seemed iiss [and he Spat athe people. So the psople gaeredfogeher and prayed and decided townie down ther story which perhaps people would read and understand, and coneaquenty avoid buying Ogre Citrus rotton magic lone and be saved ftom cutfring and late. They tld the Angels to please go back and toll God everthing and ask tat justice be done .. Fort was obvious fo thom now that tre justice comes only from God ..* the process of creativity for Nirmala comes from that deep souree in her heart and sou. (Chu Li, 25 December19971. The paragraphs in ites ae taken from Nimals Dutt Shaorughalegam’s jotings | inher Notes & Foototes | f | 2 Bxcerps fom an intesiewe wth Maia | Wetzel 1065, in Dieter Schmet, "OHto Di in Salbsbicr, Borin 1981, . 269 {1 eden Phat enian Mansi = | Constr cf ng’ Ke toot | 4, Fargo’ Cheng, “Empty & Full ~ The Language of Chrese Panty’, Shanthi, eeten & Landon 1994, p. 25 © 6, Reda Pyadace, “Kadaan Menusa = Condon of Bong’, KL 1981 6, Chu L, -Fislan Dar Malays 1992 london | 7, Armad Fes "Sposkrg Out in Support | of mais A, NST October 1865 | ata oa 10. Syed Abmad Jamal’ leer in daferce of Nimala's wor the earowery of 986 Bsh/Maleysia Ebon) 11, Abas Fc “Spesking Out Support of Nemalas At, NST, Okober1996 19 May Rose Beaumont, “it Meni, once 1985" 18 gaa gia nal length wayang akon, ‘the gars-gua cpens the Pate sang por tayrg 2 heroin confsion. Ofen emong. avanese auderces pppdally refering to the lov cave of the Purckawan = Edvard C. Van Noss & Shta Prowrcherso, “Jeanese Wayang Kult’, OUP 1980, p87 agi 14, Somer Folner of the: Punakawan: Gareng,Pewuk and Bagong, an incarnation ot the go Ismay, protect of the Island teva tid 4 : References 18, Punakewar: Tho famous lonncenants usualyin he senice of una. The cares are Sora, Pru, Geng & Bageng ~ bid 16, Homané Heese,“ The War Goes On Pender London 1974, 9.145 17, Namela Outt Shenmushaingam, “The Story of Ogre Ci, 1997Datuk Tay Hoo! Kost, and Datin Tay Hool Keat lee Ost Tay Hoot Ket, | ocll with gativdo the warm contact and generous = ect be gar me when he came to select wots forthe Federal Ineperorte Eshtstons, Ths ast tng {ember he sapng to me a is Reospecive was eur panting o ne cover our magacra”. ws ron which magare, which pt chad, Arc my Eo! art pee Beck No inscrbed ‘Baul es nthe eyes of fe lam be happy onnor of cre ct his er. ay HoolKeat twas fren, There was gu’ contact for many years (secondary Dat Tey yas the a tochor of Wetust Gis Schol, Penarg). There was a specie Ein ever thar rerenaugh and remain frovr m her bt fr her constant encour fers al ats taught me I hote dye i was not common to hav areal art ‘Se keplon been desk a halfinished supe. he head of woman end fe ack crt wherever she fa a moment, She youl ell me, “Go ana sty ot mi back 2° tach here = er ging fo rete soon causeg me o gaze in sen ave she sai thoze averse be forgotien wor ‘Beware of choclate box etniss? yer to tis doy Dal Ty sal, "sone way ane can sto. appecon fr the wed created Tae conve to ven ad spre me. tn ty 0 work vars fe evoking re” snd Go, or whatever pos of tne et 1 me ‘The late RD. Sherme, Teacher, Watercolours A lend. He vst regulary tg ee and commer on wht | ad been xo denca.rgerent ae praised e send mo Patt stu sts air lan ft, oberg vn, Homever, are ve eats Ie eg ips to Batu Frigg menor of ating onto teach whore the was a gant cutccp of nleresng fn fb enjoys rom Rasa Sayeng Hotel) So.we woud bo ett toate: = el cf ere a | bie hen ating an canst ut poeta wang, Post Laureate Abang Usran vara bee at he Poet Rosdng evening: of Grp Tester iy Dinsnan, Sut end Janlar HLS, whom flo poy eutoto Pero hose whose srtinents | shared). 19rd et compote my chologiphlc essay Statement I (1975-78) I wes Parkegan. Acc Abang Usran'sceom ware Send cut massages agains war nuke, rac polaveaten, He“. Anahhu Savana’ spoke to me stout and n 1979 | sec some Enas fom the seem fo underscore my feet Ges quater chien ~ ented Anak Sayeng . (1978) and dedicated it "he yoy areet epatin as nds asl celeboraton ir way Abang ts suppor. He ued a Veinan parting of me for te cove of ibe nen the SEA, Wites! Award He potnyod to nepire me throushout dnd st cows the poe ac the wer of he Feomparable words "a fn he Kang yer ae 0 the leas of chid the Mekong Re. The esi Tenggar sto aso the tears cf a motes in denpest Aca” Arist. Seulpor ft Historian Pyjcssa again here for hs scare nlerest my work and he long and as gone ut of Kc way 1 help rom eviatng my frst sao show and fo gettrg posther done in Pavang for me because cos in Kuala btvo: Meet mpertart of al wag ris unfarg suppor reg the tad Stetorents were beng ‘aecod byte National At Galary cals fey potayed meaty forthe oppressed and poor. Pye csfed end sat “Hang there, Nin" — words | have not forgotton end I Zsi, Painter, Edueationist, Video Arts, . fad one in whom | fund fascinating irtlecta eompary. [S20 Cha Tributes Datuk Syed Ahmad Jomel, Pints, Sculptor, Edueationist I shal avays be grate 'o Dat Syed or the stng sland he look when my work wes taken Gon tom he Natona| At Galen/® *Sde By Sie" row, (See Chu Lis atc) ‘Sate Foimah Zab, Pit Peet Wier Avs ry song spore frend, Shrich hire my tet oe chow al Dean Bahasa an Pataca tently, Dekh Sat Ares Jana to heed by powdea tho boars, fos arid Shaft Fes ahays Coen patent and rd, fre asta @ woman of substance. Joseph Ton, Painter, Educationist “Josephas been asrong suppoive fend of erg standing, nsping rtolectal ard trough Ine equi watk He inteducad me to the MAPA Insite, gave me day If to work, and key soe fice space when | done seme sin ptt sche, ‘Tan Sri Kemarul Ain, Lawyer, Banke, Poe, Fim-Aaker : Kind and supportive poe! end, ero at promotor and ae ofthe eatistcoletars: Hi oer Veyamu" (fice) was nepal fr one of my Aitca parting. ‘ Loti Mehisin, Painter, Sculptor, Poet, Weiter [Aways avaiable fo i parcuar pect brand of rtelectuldcccure chat whi aay Te ascating — inspring by comradeship, discourse, and he work : aha Zain, Poet, Publisher, Writer Gente poe! rend, who uci sposored my ob show at Dewan Bahass dan Pista, (See Chu Us atte) ‘Adibah Amin, Wier, Poet, Journalist: Educationst, Actress.» ‘And test bu cra ct eas, ry dearest end ad soul-ate Acibah who has stood by mo ‘nd my work treugh hike ard tin ae who | Know wl rays contin to dos. Hc support fiends woud fil bok. Thereiore my | psiogee for ométon end een 1b al who hare son by me my rost het thanks Nm7981 037 i 198, 63,65, 1981 ‘968-69 Enda Rompin Pasar Set 1941 in Penang, Nae ‘Attended art classes hel by Hoessan Enas in Kuala Lumpor Se of Carn 8369 5 angi Su Aen Fos Min ot Hive iy Steed ny tn Caps of At Cb Eat Cs Ora Poco Brats ery Cc rt Pe iste Ste, into rvs = UCk = pstiradusta ptm Godsihs Coleg: - MP serch ‘ ‘Solo Bhiten ‘The Canon of Being, Osan Bahasa dan Psat Kila Lumpur Exhibition and Art Event Intemational Exhtiion of Chil At The Hague, Malin ‘Anal Etiors Noten! At Galery, Kua Lumpur ‘Seon Mays, Natonal A Gly, Kune Lumpur Nateyan Lerdseape;Natoral At Galery Kula Lumpur Man is Wo xc, Nard At Caley 4 Nafonal Pielograpty Esiston Haters) Murex, Kula Lumpur Esitin of quater Chieten ard Patten Saves, nlematal Yer of he ‘hid Confwonce, The NatonalCaurel ot Nomen Orsleton (NCHO} ‘Binbton ot Squier Chitten Sere, Man end fie Bape Pogainne, ‘hid ard Envrerment Regie! Seminar ty MAB Misty of Heath, Sexe eee Unt GER), Pine Mnle’s Cezar nd UNESCO alo Nad Werma(Exeing bf Clay Tones). Gp Tet Et, Pu Sa France ‘if, Netonal Musoun o A Rod Seangor Pribaminic Saciely Exhiston ‘Year lhe Chid Eatin Moble Eehibton by Mnsty of Hea, Malaya Side osenton ad cerns, Sets by Macca Fahy Lrsnrsty of Mase ASESHITaveling Exnoten of Pantng and Phegsphy Pardore (Promer Exhbiton, Malayan A's" Aesociton, Urs of Nays, | Kiela Limpir ‘th Tene bi! Now Dah ¢ 25 Yeas of Malays At, Maton! At Galo, Kea Lumpur Gerstra, Porars Musaum an At Gory © ‘Sercipta Pu Malays, Unersly of Vaya, Kc Lipar Neto! lavaon Show Natera et Gary, la Lumpur ‘eet yan te nn, lr Min At San Sngeone Anan Sgaeree- Matin rege, Amen Enbisy Kas Lumps > ‘Sajna Fine At Eaton, Cy Hel, Kus Lanser : = Beton and Aueton to rae fics forthe Malaysian Herlage are Selenite Exped, Eras Ron See by Sie Cartan rt ard Maayan At, Nata At ley Kuala Lumpur Maayean fot 1967-87, Netona Galery. Kula Lumput Pan Ming Palettn Palestine Week Exton Jono Seb, Nala Nirmala Dutt Shanmughalingam 1002 1985, 1986 Inettatons Caection j | Nana Galo, Hes Lunper Segapie dt Maroon | Roya rin Natal Gale Unveay Sgece Nady, Foran Bane Negras Malay, Kale Luror ve Storer Soe, Hong Korg, > ~ the Nalond Art Galery _Cherening rad Sih, Lenidon Coniemgoran Patios ol Malays, Paci Asin Museum, Pasion, Clk Een ASEAN Taig exe rey Parege ans Cae Eb Set Pagar Bek der Ke Longa Meteo St toon Dy esbten, Cy el Kula ur S erenn Pedra 3 Nata At alr Kase Lanpir Pere Pekin Sera Ns, Mena Maan, Ki nna ante Mansa ~ Saran Cabra, Kets cen Kosraaren Osi omen-A oy of Chair, Cote an Deacanen Negua Eciotn al Pate Sy Main Nine’ Azote Nata A Galen, Bonne 3 etre of Plsne, Gy Hal Kane Lorpr ee 3 Anan A Shon Fe Nt Maser Jap Metorra Pe, Asa Carterory at mass Cares, Buca Cotte, Lréon “Gp Sow Nene vt Go Hala are : ‘Worn an Cry, Own ena in Pst, Ko Lp atin 08 Asssaton PPM) Eee, Sho au nd {Sh oan str orton Maa, Nted A ae APSO. 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