Nirmala's 'Self Portret (WIP)' artwork seen at Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. It is part of the 'Nirmala Dutt: Statements' exhibition, now in its final month on view. The show ends on Dec 24. Photo: Ilham Gallery
The late contemporary artist Nirmala Dutt (1941-2016) was a pioneer in many ways.
She was one of the few prominent women artists of her time and boldly experimented with different forms and techniques from early on in her career.
One notable example comes from 1973, when Nirmala deposited a pile of rubbish and industrial waste in the middle of the National Art Gallery as her submission for the Man And His World competition, naming it Kenyataan I (Statement I).
This piece is, arguably, regarded as one of the first installation works to be shown at the National Art Gallery, and Nirmala went on to win the Grand Prize in the competition, sharing it with fellow artist Sulaiman Esa.
“Nirmala was well ahead of her time in the way she was making socially engaged work in Malaysia as early as the 1970s,” writes Ilham Gallery director Rahel Joseph in her introduction to Nirmala Dutt: Statements, the gallery's exhibition showcasing works from across her practice over four decades.
“She wanted her art to both reflect the realities of life and protest against what she saw as the many injustices happening in the country and in the wider world.
“Nirmala was fearless in the way she consistently confronted issues in her work, whether it was the environment or those relating to urban poverty, the human cost of overdevelopment or the huge income gaps between the rich and the poor,” adds Joseph.
Were she still active today as an artist, Nirmala and her works would have perhaps been widely lauded for highlighting the plight of the marginalised, underprivileged and oppressed.
However, throughout most of her career and even today, Nirmala’s works are not widely known outside of art circles, which is why the curators of the exhibition – Joseph, Beverly Yong, Snow Ng and Ellen Lee – put together the exhibition to shine a well-deserved spotlight on her work.
From the 'Anak Asia' series by Nirmala, showcasing her deep interest in regional concerns of the era. Photo: Ilham Gallery
“We felt that Nirmala is not as well-known as she should be and that it was important that we present this exhibition exploring and celebrating her artistic practice,” says Joseph.
The exhibition, which opened at Ilham Gallery in July, is a thoughtfully curated and comprehensive look through Nirmala’s work, covering key works and series in her practice, as well as her evolution as an artist through the years, making it a perfect starting point for those unfamiliar with her art.
An artist first and foremost
Nirmala was known for being unafraid of speaking out about the exploitation of the disenfranchised by the rich and powerful in her works.
This includes issues deemed controversial, such as Sarawak's Bakun Dam hydroelectric dam project in the 1990s, which resulted in the displacement of indigenous communities and the devastation of rainforests in Sarawak, or the political and military actions of superpowers such as Britain, Russia and the US during the Cold War in the 1970s and 1980s, which sparked wars and outbreaks of violence in parts of South-East Asia, as well as Africa and Eastern Europe.
Despite this, Nirmala has been quoted as saying, “I am an artist first and foremost – not necessarily just a woman artist or feminist artist or political artist.”
Joseph echoes this, sharing that those who knew her often described Nirmala as “someone who was on the fringes of things, who kept herself deliberately on the periphery of society and the art world.”
A work from Nirmala's 'Membalak Jangan Sebarangan Nanti Ditimpa Balak' series, which highlights the environmental impact of logging and deforestation. Photo: Ilham Gallery
“Nirmala was not an activist in the traditional sense, but rather as someone whose main role was to be an ‘active witness’, ready to step up and testify to the injustices she saw both at home and abroad.
“Perhaps that detachment, the distance she maintained as an observer, gave her a better perspective to see society clearly and serve as its conscience,” muses Joseph.
Bold statements
According to co-curator Ng, who had worked closely with Nirmala prior to the artist’s passing, all of her artworks involve an act of "transfer".
“All forms of ‘transfer’ in traditional art making is a laborious craft that requires thinking, planning, precision, the act-of-doing, and repetition; such as lithography, monoprint, etching, silkscreen, screen print and Xerox transfers, among others," says Ng.
“In our current advanced generation of cut-and-paste, the art of transfer in a traditional sense is almost obsolete and perhaps seen as unnecessarily laborious to some. Nirmala, on the other hand, truly enjoyed the act of artmaking,” she adds.
When asked which of Nirmala's pieces stood out the most, each curator has a different personal favourite to share.
“For me, the Great Leap Forward series is my favourite. I just find it so beautifully constructed – the use of text, the hard edge triangle and the energy and emotion of her brushstrokes,” says Joseph. “I also like the use of mirrors in The Crass Class – the viewer finds themselves staring at their own reflection, which serves as a sombre reminder from the artist that we too are complicit and benefit from this unjust, unfair capitalist system,” she adds.
As for Lee: “My favourites are probably her Tsunami series of paintings (2004-2005), which was her response to the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004.
A work from the 'Great Leap Forward' series by Nirmala, one of the highlights at the Nirmala Dutt: Statements exhibition at Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Ilham Gallery
“The series shows Nirmala's skill and driving purpose in their most naked forms. The paintings depict aggressive waves of ash grey and white cresting and crashing in front of placid blue skies. Despite the tragedy of the event that inspired this series, the paintings are beautiful because of how much they're trying to contain. Nirmala's style of combining rough brushstrokes with flat elements is one of her greatest skills as an artist."
“Friends in Need in particular sticks in my mind at the moment,” answers Yong.
“It takes its title from the headlines of an article about Britain’s support of the United States’ bombing of Libya in 1986. With all the noise and prejudice surrounding a very real human tragedy, it speaks about the power of the media, about posturing, about accountability.
“It is deeply critical of the political agendas of those in power, throwing them into stark contrast with the fate of an innocent. It asks us to examine our position and our priorities as witnesses to violence,” she adds.
The role of the artist
In her work Kenyataan I, Nirmala ended her written statement with a section titled “Complacency of Our Youth”, asking why there were not more young people protesting the destruction of the environment, as they would eventually inherit the problem.
A work from the 'Beirut' series by Nirmala, showcasing how art is a powerful tool of expression in times of global conflict. Photo: Ilham Gallery
“Why do our youth accept so complacently the inevitable devastation if progress and development continue in their present reckless form? Are they content to inherit a contaminated and polluted land?” she questioned.
Joseph says she hopes Nirmala's words will serve as a plea and a challenge for the next generation to take up her clarion call with renewed energy, as our world moves further and further towards a state of climate emergency.
"Her war series (Vietnam, Beirut and Anak Asia) also carry so much resonance, especially now with the news cycle full of terrible images of children suffering and dying in Gaza," she adds.
“I hope that people who visit the exhibition will see what an incredible artist she was and the important role artists can play in challenging and transforming the way we see society, the world and each other."
Nirmala Dutt: Statements is showing at Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur until Dec 24. Free admission. More info here.
