DEAR Board of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, (un)enlightened bureaucrats, fellow practitioners in the creative industries, to all art lovers, I want to tell you that we have failed. As a Malaysian writer and artist who has been active in the creative industries for almost three decades, the recent débâcle of the National Art Gallery removing – and subsequently reinstating – works from an exhibition by artist Ahmad Fuad Osman has left me not only with a foul taste in my mouth but a seething kind of anger.
Malaysia is one of the most culturally diverse countries in Asia – with our rich history and heritage, with layer upon layer of cultural skins, we are truly global citizens of the world. But for decades, artists and writers in Malaysia have been penalised, persecuted, shamed and vilified for their work. It is a cyclical reality many of us have had to bear, time and time again. The public institutions that are supposed to protect and safeguard our interests and our work have failed us. And in this Malaysia Baharu, it is also indicative that the veritable sh*t is the same, but on a different pile.
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