Our academic staff from the Faculty of Creative Multimedia (FCM), Madam Mastura Abdul Rahman has been selected as one of 36 distinguished local artists alongside 14 international participants featured in the art exhibition, Rona dan Kata: Palette and Pen.

In conjunction with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship this year, Bank Negara Malaysia is hosting two exhibitions namely Palette and Pen (Art Exhibition) and Numismatic Marvels: Minted History, Printed Heritage (Currency Exhibition).

For this showcase, Madam Mastura presented three mixed-media works (acrylic and collage) on canvas. Two of them, created in 2024 and measuring 3’ by 6’, are titled Bicara Pungguk 5: Serangan Waktu Berpisah and Bicara Pungguk 6: Lagu Merindu Kasih. These pieces draw inspiration from the traditional Malay text Sha’er Burung Punggok (The Poetry of the Owl), researched in 1957 by Raja Iskandar bin Raja Muhammad Zahid from Universiti Malaya’s Malay Studies department in Singapore. The original text was penned in 1865 by a traditional poet, Encik Brahim, from Tanjong Pinang, Riau.

The third artwork, The Story of My Daughter (Cerita Anak Perempuanku), also created in 2024 and measuring 3’ by 6’, is based on the artist’s personal diary entries reflecting her only daughter’s childhood fondness for eating and reading. Notably, two of Madam Mastura’s earlier works from 1986 and 1988 are part of the permanent collection at Muzium dan Galeri Seni Bank Negara Malaysia.

Let us celebrate this achievement and support FCM’s artworks by visiting the exhibition, which runs until October 2025.