{"id":148239,"date":"2025-11-23T05:52:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T05:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/148239\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T05:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T05:52:12","slug":"from-gallery-to-kampung-malaysias-national-art-gallery-takes-art-beyond-walls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/148239\/","title":{"rendered":"From gallery to \u2018kampung\u2019: Malaysia\u2019s National Art Gallery takes art beyond walls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 \u2014 For decades, Malaysia\u2019s National Art Gallery, or Balai Seni Negara, has stood as the symbolic heart of the nation\u2019s artistic expression \u2014 housing thousands of works and hosting exhibitions that helped shape Malaysia\u2019s cultural landscape.<\/p>\n

But for director-general Amerrudin Ahmad, 55, the future of Malaysian art isn\u2019t confined within the gallery\u2019s walls along Jalan Tun Razak.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s being shaped in fishing villages, small towns and riverbanks far from the capital \u2014 through a deliberate effort to decentralise and bring art to the people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we decentralise, we realise we are no longer on the colonial-era track,\u201d he said in an interview with Malay Mail at the gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy decentralising, we elevate local businesses, highlight what is unique, and involve credible people to benefit the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Director-general <\/p>\n

Director-general of the National Art Gallery Amerrudin Ahmad speaks during an interview with Malay Mail. \u2014 Picture by Firdaus Latif<\/p>\n

Amerrudin, who has served 27 years with the gallery and was previously its deputy director-general and senior curator, explained that the shift is part of a broader rethinking of the gallery\u2019s role \u2014 from being a repository of fine art to becoming a bridge between artists and ordinary Malaysians.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our main functions is to preserve knowledge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important bridge to ordinary people, the makcik-makcik, the villagers, is information.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more than 30 art galleries in Kuala Lumpur and over 70 nationwide, but our role is different. As a national institution, we focus on our function to society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art beyond Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n

For decades, major exhibitions and competitions like the prestigious Bakat Muda Sezaman (Young Contemporaries Competition) were confined to the gallery\u2019s halls.<\/p>\n

Since 2022, however, the competition has adopted a site-specific format, where shortlisted artists develop their projects within their own communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreviously everything was done here. But when we changed our approach, we saw originality and creativity without limitations, including size,\u201d Amerrudin said.<\/p>\n

He gave the example of one of the past entries from Sabah.<\/p>\n

The artist worked with a remote Bajau community in Pulau Silk with no electricity or running water, reviving traditional symbols through a large sculpture that functioned as an \u201cice box\u201d for storing freshly caught fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project is called Aisbok Bajau. The fishermen would go out to catch fish and then return, some to sell them, some to keep them for their own consumption.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d bring the catch home and store some of it in the ice box. This way, they\u2019d have fresh fish to eat. But the ice box itself was a sculpture, an artistic approach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Bakat <\/p>\n

Bakat Muda Sezaman contestant Andry Chin Yung Tet collaborates with the Bajau community in Pulau Silk, Sabah, on the creation of \u2018Aisbok Bajau\u2019. \u2014 Picture from National Art Gallery<\/p>\n

The artwork attracted visitors and corporate social responsibility projects from private companies to the island, turning a community art project into a practical solution with social and economic impact.<\/p>\n

Another artist in Raub, Pahang, Mohamad Ismadi Sallehudin, built close ties with villagers through his Art Garden Madi studio in Ulu Dong.<\/p>\n

Taxi drivers in Ulu Dong know him by name, said Amerrudin, with locals taking pride in his projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen artists are involved with the community, the community knows them. There\u2019s a sense of ownership,\u201d Amerrudin said.<\/p>\n

In Kuala Terengganu, a mural painted on bridge columns now serves as a navigational marker for fishermen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fishermen tell their children, \u2018If you want to bring the boat home, follow the painting.\u2019 When you show them art, they might not understand. But when it benefits them, they get it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

@ohmyganung<\/a><\/p>\n

Makin cantik tiang Jambatan Sultan Mahmud. Kreatif betul diorang dapat lukis macam ni. Kalau naik bot cruise sungai Terengganu boleh singgah nanti. Biasanya tak mahal pun nak naik bot ni. Jambatan Sultan Mahmud, Kuala Terengganu<\/p>\n

original sound – Ohmyganung – Ohmyganung<\/a><\/p>\n

Breaking away from the old model<\/p>\n

The National Art Gallery has always reflected Malaysia\u2019s evolving identity.<\/p>\n

It was established in the 1950s during a time when visual propaganda was a powerful tool for post-colonial nation-building.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, countries with multiple races and no standard language relied on visual communication,\u201d Amerrudin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe British had to set up a National Gallery before artists could bring their own collections.\u201d<\/p>\n

In line with that early vision, the Cabinet approved the use of the Dewan Tuanku Abdul Rahman at No. 109 Jalan Ampang on April 22, 1958, to house the newly formed Balai Seni Lukis Negara (as it was then known).<\/p>\n

As the nation grew, so did the institution.<\/p>\n

On May 21, 1984, its new premises at No. 1 Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin \u2014 the former Hotel Majestic \u2014 was officiated by then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The main entrance of the National Art Gallery, located on Jalan Temerloh, off Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. \u2014 Picture by Firdaus Latif<\/p>\n

The gallery eventually moved to its current location on September 27, 2000, also inaugurated by Dr Mahathir.<\/p>\n

For decades, these centralised spaces embodied the gallery\u2019s role as the country\u2019s cultural hub. But Amerrudin said the world has changed \u2014 and so must the gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur approach is no longer just exhibitions in KL, but connecting with communities everywhere. In the modern world, connecting with people without crossing borders is no longer an issue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that the gallery doesn\u2019t compete with commercial galleries.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we said \u2018you continue doing what you\u2019re doing. We\u2019ll help you with whatever you need \u2014 customs, tax, anything \u2014 we\u2019ll support you.\u2019 We should help them, not compete.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we sell art here, it becomes a conflict of interest. Private galleries have to survive. We focus on society instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adapting during Covid-19<\/p>\n

The pandemic accelerated this shift.<\/p>\n

With physical exhibitions halted and maintenance work disrupted during lockdowns, the gallery redirected funds to social media promotions.<\/p>\n

Instead of hiring agencies, they worked with artists to produce videos promoting themselves and the gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe repositioned ourselves, telling the youngsters out there that the National Art Gallery is one of the cool places for OOTD,\u201d Amerrudin said with a wide smile, referring to the the popular social media acronym for \u201cOutfit of the Day\u201d, where people take stylish photos of what they\u2019re wearing.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors <\/p>\n

Visitors explore the main hall of the National Art Gallery. \u2014 Picture by Firdaus Latif<\/p>\n

The gallery began engaging directly with visitors online, while upgrading its physical spaces \u2014 adding more sofas and planning to enhance its cafe \u2014 to make it a safe, comfortable place for families.<\/p>\n

\u201cRain, storm, traffic jam, scorching hot, please come here. Have a coffee, wait for your kids, or let your kids wait for you here. It\u2019s a controlled environment because we preserve treasures. We have CCTV, security, the temperatures, it\u2019s all controlled. And parking is free as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we say one of our main roles is for society, we mean it. It\u2019s all about you,\u201d Amerrudin added.<\/p>\n

Despite this shift, the gallery\u2019s permanent exhibitions remain one of its core functions, serving as an anchor for its role as the nation\u2019s custodian of artistic heritage even as its programmes extend beyond Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n

From central authority to local wisdom<\/p>\n

Amerrudin stressed that decentralisation is not about control.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople no longer want to hear the grand narrative, which is the single truth. Everyone has their own truths. We focus on what they (the artist) can find, which is local wisdom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While the gallery continues to maintain its mainstream exhibitions and collection of around 5,000 artworks, only around eight per cent are on display at any given time due to space constraints.<\/p>\n

The rest, he said, lives on through community engagement and decentralised programmes that extend the gallery\u2019s reach far beyond Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlobally, this is the new approach. There\u2019s resistance to doing things the old way, but we\u2019ve learned from the past,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re moving forward \u2014 with society at the centre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amerrudin said that when people start to look for it, they will find that art is already all around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to go far, it\u2019s already part of your surroundings. Art is all around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n