THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF MALAYSIA: A SYMBOL OF OUR INDEPENDENCE AND A WITNESS TO OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS A MODERN NATION.

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According to the foreword written in the exhibition catalogue of the National Art Gallery’s ‘First National Loan Collection’s exhibition in 1958 which coincides with the Merdeka’s 1st Anniversary and was officiated by the 1st Prime Minster of the then Malaya, Y.T.M Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj, the idea of an art gallery and a national art collection in the federal capital was actively discussed for about three years. It was only when the late Tunku expressed personal interests in it did the project began to take concrete form. 

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It was felt that as a newly independent nation, the then Malaya had many artists who were able to document, express and reflect the spirit as well as the personalities of the peoples who’ve came together to form the foundations of this wonderful nation of ours. Therefore, only a national level gallery is worthy to purchase, house and display the best artworks for the enjoyment, instruction and to inspire the citizens of Malaya and beyond. It was formed under its own Act which is the National Art Gallery’s Act 1959 and receives funding from the taxpayers through the government while welcoming contributions from artists, collectors, institutions and patrons. 

 

The collection of the National Art Gallery (N.A.G) started off with a mere 28 pieces, with 24 pieces donated by collectors and well-wishers and 4 pieces bought by N.A.G itself. It has grown over the years to more than 3000 pieces covering various media, sizes and medium with an estimated value of around Rm60 million. The prices of artworks will only appreciate over time, and as a Malaysian artist becomes more famous or the works have cultural import, it will become more expensive. Aside from the fact that N.A.G needs funding to purchase new as well as older works by Malaysians, what I’m also saying is that these works are important. Why are they important? Why not just focus on collecting cultural artifacts and traditional crafts?

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Now, it is undeniable that the visual arts were used as a tool for documenting the daily lives and habits of the peoples of Malaya at that time as well as to map the landscapes by the then colonial powers. The existence of the peninsula and its surrounding region was already known and documented by the Chinese, the Spanish, Portuguese and others.

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It is also undeniable that each ethnic group before and under the various colonial period already have their visual and performance traditions, some which are few hundred years old. But it was due to the British that a modern and secular, as oppose to traditional and spiritual ‘arts’ that the idea of a modern Malayan art took root.  The growing presence of Immigrant artists who’ve received traditional art instructions from their country of origin and later from Europe as well as expats have also played a part in shaping the early history of Malaysian modern art.

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With the introduction of formal art education by the British in the early 50s, it resulted in successive generations of Malayan practitioners and teachers of modern art. A handful were also sent overseas to pursue their higher education and returned to be educators and policy makers. The handful of pioneers from this generation includes our National Art Laureate Dato Syed Ahmad Jamal, Yeoh Jin Leng, Anthony Lau, Lee Joo For, Tay Hooi Keat and Grace Selvanayagam.

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It must be put on record that there were also many talented pioneers who did not receive formal art training but who has also contributed to the development of our Malaysian art.  That only shows that the visual arts are not the exclusive domain of the chosen few specialists, but are open to all who are talented and creative.

          

But it was a visible and sustained effort to fuse western techniques of art making couple with eastern and local sensibilities to suitably express local situations and realities that a truly Malayan modern art has arrived.  These efforts reveal that far from being just an instrument for documentation, which is why the camera was invented to replace it in the first place, visual arts in Malaya became an instrument for expressing a growing socio-political and cultural consciousness, an outlook which was a natural outgrowth for many newly independent countries around the world at that time.

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It was an ideal platform to accommodate and absorb the many different traditions, cultures and even political views of Malayans without excluding one another.  One finds it hard to tell the race, gender and creed of the painter of a painting just from looking at it. And the visual language that was employed too was stylized and universal enough.

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The subsequent initiatives that help developed the country’s visual arts launched by the second Prime Minister of Malaysia; the late Tun Abdul Razak is further testament of the increasingly important role art came to played in nation building and the construction of a coherent post-colonial national identity.  It was the visual arts ability to convey a sense of ‘KeKitaan’ without resorting to divisive stereotypes and cultural exclusivity that made it a valuable ally. Large scale murals and sculptures by artists whose works also forms part of our national collection were commissioned to adorn the various administrative buildings and at public squares to not only bring art to wider audiences, but also to instill national pride and patriotism.  The agendas to further strengthen the country’s economy through various industries were also intelligently and artistically depicted. See the murals and sculptures by the late Ibrahim Hussien, Cheong Lai Tong at the National Museum, the late Chuah Thean Teng’s Mural at Malayan University and Ismail Mustam’s mural at the Dewan Bahasa Pustaka.

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The racial riots in May 13 1969 crippled Kuala Lumpur and momentarily derail the country’s march towards a full developed nationhood.  That black mark in our nation’s history did not escape the keen eyes of our artists.  Works by the late Redza Piyadasa, Datuk Ibrahim Hussein and Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal expressed the deep disappointment caused by that tragic event.

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The creative urge, a sense of freedom for personal expression through visual means, sensitivity towards changing socio-political economic climate locally and abroad coupled with an innovative spirit led to more shifts in paradigm. This time, visual expression has gone beyond convention forms to address wider ranging issues while in the process expanding its definitions and scope.

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The permanent collection of the National Art Gallery is a visual testament to the historical development, the unfolding and making of a modern nation up until today. It documents the high hopes and ideals bear by our forefather’s generation. Those ideals and aspirations drew inspiration partly from the rich cultural and spiritual practices that are a hallmark of modern Malaysia. It also documents the challenges and re-questioning of those ideals as we continue our journey in the new millennium.

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Though its trunk may spring from roots steep in the past, its branches have spread out to include many variations and innovations that encapsulate what is now called contemporary Malaysia. It hints at possible directions and destinations that we choose for the future.

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It has remained relevant by displaying art pieces that are both informative, contemporary and of national import. We have included trends and genres found in new media, urban and youth-oriented expression like Graffiti, graphic design, low brow art and re-introduction of Mural painting to reach out to more sections of the public.

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A tour through the corridors of our nation’s art gallery will give any visitors a visually delightful lesson about the timeline of history of Malaysia and its artistic heritage as well as innovations.

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