Malaysian Art Research Articles

National Policies and Their Reverberations on the Art Making and Art Scenes in Malaysia under Mahathir Mohamed’s Premiership

This article examines the direct and indirect reverberations of the 1971 National Culture Policy, followed by the indirect impact of the Islamic resurgence and the 1985 Dasar Penerapan Nilai-Nilai Islam dalam Pentadbiran (Inculcation of Islamic Values in Administration Policy) on Malaysian art and art scene. The National Culture Policy (NCP), reiterated the ethnic preference policy of the National Economic Policy which resulted in an espoused policy that centres on Malay culture and Islam. Although there were incongruences and inconsistencies in the impact of the policy towards the art field in general, this policy has resulted in the rethinking of the presentation of art in Malaysia. This article first discusses the context of the NCP and traced how many exhibitions and discourses along the line of Islamic/Malay culture are frequently organised. This article also discusses the tendency of the artworks that were selected to be included in these exhibitions based on the selection of works that alludes to Islamic art, the Malay culture and works that have both elements of Islam and Malayness.

Arts Community Resilience in Malaysia during the Time of COVID-19: Five Arts Centre’s Open House Initiative

The intrusion of COVID-19 in Malaysia had resulted in the disruption of many art projects for the whole year of 2020. Due to the country’s countermeasures to combat the disease’s ongoing spread, several art groups and art projects were facing mass postponements, cancellations, and uncertainty—arts communities were vulnerable to economic losses, social and environmental limitations during the volatile period. However, there were few art groups that managed to adapt their practices and work around the pandemic constraints they’ve encountered. Five Arts Centre arts collective was sampled and interviewed for this year-long study which looks at the preliminary impacts and responses of COVID-19 on the arts communities in Kuala Lumpur. The results indicate Malaysian arts communities were able to remain resilient against the pandemic mostly due to their social connectedness across the arts practitioners and institutions within the arts ecosystem. Added with their intuitive instrumentalisation of existing resources to meet the environmental limitations that the COVID-19 presented. The research findings are analysed through the utilisation of an adapted resilience framework to help explain the sampled art groups’ experiences through the pandemic period.

A Conceptual Framework in Curatorial Practices in New Media Art in the Malaysian Art Scene

In Malaysia, technological devices such as computers were introduced as one of the art mediums to be used in the 1980s. New media art in Malaysia is often equated with electronic art, digital art, video, and media art. Thus, the objective of this paper is to identify the curatorial practices in new media art practice by the curators in the Malaysian art scene. This paper aims to construct a conceptual framework of curatorial practices in the new media art. This conceptual framework aims to highlight the main attributes and factors in curating new media art in Malaysia’s art scene. The method used in this research is the Kawakita Jiro which extracts the keywords related to the curatorial practices through the literature reviews. The result shows that the curatorial practices in new media art disciplinary, application, concept, perception, production, integration, and awareness are the curatorial practices in new media in the Malaysian art scene, and the conceptual framework shows that the interrelation between each attribute of curatorial practices has contributed to facilitating the production of new media art.

Interactive Creation and Performance of Digital Music Based on Virtual Reality Technology

It explores the application of Virtual Reality (VR) technology to the development and performance of digital music on the e-MARZ platform, which promotes Malaysian arts and culture. Following the ADDIE model's systematic approach, the emphasis is on the Design phase, which involves conceptualizing and realizing the goal for interactive digital music experiences. Through painstaking attention to user requirements and immersive design concepts, e-MARZ strives to provide entertaining and informative experiences that inspire creativity and enthusiasm for Malaysian music. Using VR technology, users are transported to virtual spaces where they can explore, compose, and play music in novel ways. By adhering to user-centred design principles and pedagogical effectiveness, e-MARZ seeks to give a transforming trip across the realms of digital music within a virtual landscape, enriching the cultural tapestry of Malaysian arts and music. The results of the usability show that the e-MARZ module effectively addressed the usability needs of both professionals and high school students, offering an immersive and engaging learning experience in Malaysian arts and music

Active Learning on Students 'Interpersonal Skills Impact: An Online Theater Approach

This study aims to examine the improvement of interpersonal skills through the application of active learning in the teaching and learning of art education. The approach used is the theatre-play approach. Theatre games are used as a fresh and appropriate approach to learning art education subjects through various types of games that are applied with various theatre techniques, including improvisation, role playing, physical exercise, and voice acting. The subject of art education is a theoretical and practical one that requires high focus during learning. Therefore, theatre games are applied to encourage active learning and prevent students from getting bored when learning is conducted online. Students play, act, improvise, and sing while learning. This qualitative study involved eight Form 5 students at the Malaysian Art School using observation and interview methods. The study applies social learning theory and constructivist learning theory. The data was thematically analysed using Nvivo software. Findings found that active learning takes place in learning through the application of a theatre game approach and highlights the interpersonal skills of students. Two-way communication occurs in every activity because the activity is carried out in groups. Studies on the learning of art subjects that apply this active learning through theatre games are believed to promote confidence and stimulate students to improve their interpersonal skills without realising it.

Meanings Behind the Carving Motifs of Traditional Malay Houses

Woodcarving motifs, including Negeri Sembilan, are significant in Malaysian art, bearing ancient knowledge and latent meanings. However, the understanding of Malay woodcarving motifs in Kuala Pilah is relatively limited compared to the east coast. The urgency to study these motifs intensifies as urbanization rapidly changes the landscape, representing not only woodcarvers’ skills but also profound cultural symbolism. This paper aims to interpret the meanings within these motifs in traditional Malay houses in Kuala Pilah, employing qualitative methods such as observation, interviews, photographic records, and secondary data analysis alongside Ferdinand de Saussure’s Semiotics Theory for analysis. The cultural and social significance embedded in these motifs is unveiled through signifier and signified analysis. The results revealed the presence of various motifs encompassing geometry, fauna, flora, and still life. The study also uncovered that each motif plays a pivotal role in conveying the cultural and social values of the Malay people in Negeri Sembilan and enhances our understanding of the traditional art form of woodcarving amidst contemporary transformations.

The Issue of Malaysian Art Culture Inspired for Fashion Design Course

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society country with a rich artistic and cultural background. This diversity contributes to significant inspiration in creating cultural heritage such as clothing, dancing, art sculptures, weapons architecture and diets for the civilization. Therefore, the study on the influence of Malaysian art culture towards Fashion Design students’ inspiration was conducted on Malaysian Polytechnic second to fifth-semester diploma students majoring in Fashion Design and Clothing. The objective is to facilitate the student by measuring the tendency to be inspired by suitable Malaysian art culture characteristics elements and principles while maintaining its authenticity during producing and developing the research for their fashion design portfolio. The study is quantitative and implemented a set of questionnaires as its research instrument that was distributed to 92 respondents as its data collection techniques. It was found that 96% of them agreed with the design framework proposed during the design development process to achieve the purpose of the syllabus. The overall result will be used to upgrade the guidelines and improvements in the syllabus to achieve the conditions of sustainability in Quality Education Practices (SDG4) and Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8) as recommended in the SDG17 plan.

THE DEPICTION OF ISLAMIC ELEMENTS IN THE ARTWORKS OF YOUNG CONTEMPORARY AWARD

The National Art Gallery (NAG) introduced the Young Contemporary Award (YCA), also known as Bakat Muda Sezaman (BMS), in the early 1970s with the goal of improving the creative thinking of the art scene. The platform has resulted in a significant percentage of notorious local artists producing remarkable artworks. Nevertheless, with the fast advancement of the modern era in Malaysia, the intention of presenting national culture and traditions especially the Islamic values through visual art among the Muslim artists appears to dissipate. The new generation of Muslim artists' preference for western and universal styles led to the abandonment of Islamic symbols. They appeared to ignore their own cultural motifs and ideals without concerning the impact of their decisions on the next generation of Muslim artists. Thus, this paper will discuss the examples of Islamic elements depicted in the Young Contemporary Award artworks based on the principles from the National Culture Congress 1971 using the qualitative method. It is important for these visual arts to be studied for their contribution in Islamic art. These findings can be used as source of reference to improve the content of Malaysian art making.

Socially Responsive Performance Art: The History and Context of Selected Performance Art in Malaysia

Since the 1990s, Malaysian artists have been using performance art as an artistic medium. Nevertheless, the history and context of performance art in Malaysia have not been examined in the context of Malaysian art history in particular. Coming from the fine arts background, artists such as Intan Rafiza, Sharon Chin, Aisyah Baharuddin, Rahmat Haron, Azizan Rahman Paiman, Mislina Mustaffa, and Fared Ayam, are among Malaysian artists who have been producing performance art as their main artistic medium. These performances, as will be discussed in this article, are what we define as “socially responsive medium” as these performances are not only ways for artists to express themselves but most importantly, the performances were inspired and executed as a form of artistic assertion or response in regard to various issues happening that triggered or inspired these artists to react via the execution of these performances. To give a better historical context and background, this article will first elucidate and delineate the historical development of performance art within the larger visual arts practice in Malaysia before focussing on the examination of selected performances by the few artists that this article argues as being “socially responsive.” This section will focus the term used and the nature of the performances itself.

Challenges and Opportunities among Local Entrepreneurs in Malaysian Arts and Crafts Industries following Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

The Malaysian art and craft industry contributes to people's social well-being through job opportunities and income generation. The implementation of the lockdown has jeopardized the sustainability of these industries due to canceled and postponed activities to curb the spread. Despite this situation, Malaysian entrepreneurs have maintained and increased sales by adapting marketing strategies to be flexible in difficult moments. This study aims to gain the inside of local entrepreneurs through an initial observation during a craft festival after post-COVID-19. It summarizes the strategies to overcome the situation, including the development of products, promotion, digital skills, and marketing

The Spirit and Elements of Malaysian Multiculturalism in Chuah Thean Teng’s Batik Paintings

This paper examines the batik paintings of Chinese artist Chuah Thean Teng in the context of Malaysia’s multicultural society. Batik, an ancient traditional craft in Malaysia, was initially produced on textiles through wax and dyes and is often applied to daily clothing and objects. As such, the motifs and elements of batik paintings are closely related to the local culture and have a high symbolic value. Chuah Thean Teng has improved and developed the batik process into a work of art with aesthetic value. This paper aims to understand the social and cultural climate of the time through a generalised analysis of the results of Chuah Thean Teng to evaluate the artistic elements embedded in the batik works. The paper adopts an art historical research approach, which consists mainly of form and context analysis. The study is descriptive, with data in the form of text and images, including the artworks themselves, publications, books, journals, and other official records. Chuah Thean Teng, a Chinese artist, has inherited and evolved the traditional Malaysian batik art by seeking artistic inspiration in a culturally diverse environment. His work is a hybrid expression, reflecting the exchange and borrowing between cultures. This is in keeping with the historical context of the time and also conveys modern Malaysian art’s inclusiveness, diversity, and richness. As an essential part of contemporary Malaysian art, batik painting is itself a sign of modernity. It is hoped that this study will help to enrich the research and analysis of Malaysian batik painting and, through it, generate interest in batik painting and provide knowledge and methods of interpreting the content of the artwork.

Chempaka: A Flora Motif as Design Identity in Batik Chempaka, PPDK Merbok

Batik Malaysia refers to the traditional Malaysian art of batik-making which includes the application of wax and dyes to cloth to produce elaborate patterns and design. Batik has a long history in Malaysia and is a key part of the country’s cultural legacy, representing its identity and customs. This paper discusses the floral motif as design identity and production of the Chempaka flower motif. It explores the history and cultural significance of the Chempaka flower motif in batik making and how it has been adapted to create modern design. Overall, the paper concludes with the importance of the Cempaka flower motif as a design identity and the need to preserve its cultural significance in the batik industry.

Batik Paintings, A Beautiful Cultural Heritage​

In early 2020, Malaysia’s creative industry was weakened by the country’s constant lockdown due to pandemic Covid-19. Lim Anuar, a deaf artist, illustrator, and designer, was struggling financially and missed his family in Vietnam as many galleries and art workshops were closed during this pandemic. In this research, the authors discussed the impact of Covid-19 towards creative industries globally, issues with Malaysian creative industry and batik during Covid-19, batik paintings during modern Malaysian art in between 60s-70s, Kwan Chin’s style of Modern Malaysian batik paintings, exploration of Lim Anuar’s batik paintings in contemporary Malaysian art. Three significant batik paintings of the artist’s interest namely Gotong-Royong II, Best Friends, and Family Togetherness, produced in 2021 were discussed in terms of subject, form, and content. The researchers found that there are some influences from the Western art namely Cubism and Kwan Chin’s “crackle” effect in Lim Anuar’s batik paintings. This study also clarifies that local artists especially those with special needs who contributed to the development of contemporary Malaysian art should be given more opportunities for career expansion and voice in the creative industry during the post-pandemic era of Covid-19.

Theater Education: A Need Analysis of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) at Malaysian Arts School

This writing is a needs analysis study to draft Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) acting in implementing the teaching of Theater Arts coaches of Malaysian Arts School (SSeM). The background of the study is externally related to the existing acting content knowledge and effective acting skills in implementing the teacher's teaching and directly is the practice of acting in the form of noble values and discipline. This study was conducted specifically to identify the PCK focusing in field of acting knowledge by the coaches and explore the acting skills and practices in the implementation of teaching. Next, exploration the practice in teacher teaching in the value of morals and discipline. The design used in this study is a qualitative and case study strategy. The scope of the study is on the selection of coaches at Malaysian Arts School and purposive sampling. The study's findings are to analyze the knowledge and skills of acting in the implementation of the teaching of Theater Arts. The need analysis of the study will survey to create a guidelines model of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Theater Arts, especially in acting. The importance of research to improve the teaching profession in the Malaysian education system, especially in the production of Performing Arts Education teachers, that can be applied by every teacher and prospective teacher specialization or non-specialization in the application of new curriculum and used as a guiding model framework by the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) or the Department of Higher Education (MOHE).

Malay Culture Value on Malaysia Stamp Postage (Aidilfitri Festive)

Stamps are issued in conjunction with certain themes or commemorations. This study aims to analyze the visuals used in the Aidilfitri festival stamps in the Malay community in Malaysia that showcase the culture of the Malay community. Our thoughts about culture and language are also damaged a lot by politicians, causing Malaysian society to be divided according to race. The emphasis on science and technology during the era of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's rule made all of this possible. This cultural issue is increasingly being raised with the recent appearance of lanterns and new Jawi writing. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore visual art from a socio-cultural perspective, which shows the change in the visual image of postage stamps as a record of the civilization process by examining changes in the cultural practices of the Malay community when moving from different years. This study aims to conserve, and identify the priorities that influence stamp production. The results of this study aim for the Malay community to be able to strengthen unity and individuality as well as self-identity and identity as the protection of national heritage treasures. The cultural values of the Malay community are practices in the daily life of the Malay community. Good manners are the culture of the Malay community which is full of order, virtue, speech, behavior, wisdom, and politeness. This paper shows how Malaysian cultural values have always been a practice in the production of Aidilfitri stamps in Malaysia. This study will use qualitative methods involving observation, and library data. This study will focus on Aidilfitri stamps issued from 1996 to 2021. This research will provide knowledge about the value of Malay culture through the representation of the use of Malay cultural images in the stamps. In conclusion, the cultural values found in the Malaysian celebration postage stamps aim to remind Malaysians about the culture and values found in the Malay community as well as the cultural beauty that is often seen during the Aidilfitri celebration. With this study, researchers thought it would benefit art enthusiasts, researchers, stamp enthusiasts, and Malaysian art historians.

Ceramic Raku Practice through the Context of Islamic Art Practice in Malaysia

In contemporary Malaysian art, the concept of authenticity has faced a dilemma, which emerges from ambivalence in the Malay/Muslim community in their belief towards the issues of representation in Islamic art practice. This research will attempt to answer the questions raised in addressing the dilemma of ceramic Raku; a traditional Japanese Ceramic firing practice through the context of Islamic art practice in Malaysia observed as contemporary Malaysia art.

Influence of Intermedia in Development of Malaysian Art Scene

Media art has evolved over time. Artists are developing intermedia in their art. It begins in 1950s NYC. The idea of Intermedia has since extended globally. Malaysia's media development is influenced by western Intermedia. Malaysian artists are intermedia experts. This research aims to determine why Malaysian artists use Intermedia and to classify its disciplines. This research was place in studio or online, depending on current conditions. Pandemic, artist demand. This research used library, catalogue, and web sources for data. The data will be analyzed to classify the artists' Intermedia use. Intermedia has diversified into numerous disciplines, and it's still growing.

Spaces of Experimentation and Collaboration in Early 1990s Malaysian Art

Abstract: At the zenith of the Mahathir era, amidst the economic boom and rapid development of the early 1990s, Malaysian art exhibitions were charting a novel path in the arena of installation and performance art. This paper will closely examine three seminal installation art exhibitions, namely Sook Ching (1990), 2 Installations (1991), and Warbox Lalang Killing Tools (1994), where some of the artists involved chose to perform and/or collaborate with dancers and theatre makers, culminating in some of the earliest experiments with performance art in Malaysia. What sets them apart from other installation exhibitions of that period is their use of performance as a tool to confront, unsettle, and challenge audiences in institutional spaces, thereby opening up new possibilities for experimentation and risk-taking.

PERCEPTION OF CREATIVE ARTS PRACTITIONERS ON THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR CREATIVE PROJECTS AMONG CREATIVE ARTS STUDENTS IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING

Innovation and continuous development of digital technologies have brought significant changes to learning. The use of digital technologies allows accessibility to a vast array of information and provides students with the opportunities to learn and grow in different ways. While the Malaysian government has constantly put in huge investments for developing Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities in higher learning institutions to prepare students for new technologies and ‘new’ workplaces, information which focus on creative arts students’ digital competency in staying relevant to creative arts is still limited. This paper aims to explore the use of digital technologies by creative arts students for creative project development. This study employed qualitative methodology where in-depth interview was conducted with five well-known Malaysian creative arts practitioners. Perceptions and views of creative practitioners on creative arts students’ digital competency are gathered and analysed. While students in this day and age are known as ‘digital natives’, creative arts practitioners have different views on creative arts students’ digital competency in creative project development. Majority of the informants noted that digital technologies are helpful for creative arts students, but they also expressed their concerns on the challenges faced by the students. The interviews revealed that practitioners associated several issues in students’ creative projects, such as building collaboration, obtaining constructive and helpful information, as well as identifying goals and copyright concerns. The data collection outcome will enable policymakers and practitioners to identify actions that should be taken to prepare creative arts students with better skills, knowledge and attitudes for meaningful participation in the digital world. This article is written to generate and facilitate discussion on how creative arts students’ digital competency can be further improved for productivity and efficiency in accomplishing their tasks.

The Development of Personalised Training Needs Analysis for Malaysian Arts Culture Entrepreneurs (ACEs) Using Psychometric Approach

Entrepreneurship training programmes (ETPs) are regularly regarded as one of the most effective approaches for training prospective and established entrepreneurs with critical entrepreneurial mastery. While numerous selected segments of the entrepreneurial community have undergone such ETPs successfully, a greenhorn segment of the creative economy industry known as the Malaysian arts culture entrepreneurs (ACEs) community is emerging. However, the current ETPs training needs analysis (TNA) instruments are considered too mainstream, disregarding the ACEs’ distinctive psychometric inventory, making the training process less appealing. As a result, this proposed study would update and improvise the current entrepreneurial psychometric assessment by capturing the psychometric inventory of ACEs that are distinct from the rest of the entrepreneurs’ community. This study will take a mixed-method approach. The proposed main study output is the ACE- Psychometric Inventory instrument, which could develop a personalised TNA that allows for more individualised ETPs content and delivery for ACEs. This paper concludes with discussions and implications of the research