Fauzulyusri’s 'Nota' (mixed media, 2025) is featured in the 'TanahAirKu' exhibition at Galeri Puteh in Kuala Lumpur, where the national anthem and the Rukun Negara remain elements that continue to resonate in contemporary art. Photo: Galeri Puteh
From the stately posters of the early years to today’s playful mashups, the storyboard of Merdeka has steadily evolved. In the 1960s and 1970s, artists and designers relied on unmistakable national symbols – Tunku Abdul Rahman’s raised arm, the Jalur Gemilang, the National Monument – to anchor a young nation’s identity and set a template for future generations.
Exhibited in galleries and official halls, these images gave independence a sense of permanence, tangible reminders of a hard-won freedom.
