What is the biggest difference in the art scene today compared to the past?
I have seen the art scene progress from Merdeka to now. I witnessed the British flag come down and Malaysian flag go up. In terms of art, you could say I am a child of Merdeka. A year after Merdeka, Tunku Abdul Rahman set up the National Art Gallery to preserve Malaysian art. There were groups of people in power, mainly government servants, who supported the arts and wanted to see the art scene grow. The support given to nurture the arts was healthy and fantastic. Artists like me had more freedom and were not hampered by tradition. Art was seen as an expression of society. The government encouraged and supported artists to take part in international exhibitions. Malaysian art was travelling all over the world. International audiences and critics were impressed with our work and praised it. I was only in my 30s when I got such exposure and responsibilities. But slowly the exposure of Malaysian art in the international art scene declined. Why do you think this happened? The focus was on
