Reflections of National Cultural Elements in Young Contemporary Award Artworks

The Young Contemporary Award (YCA) or also known as the Bakat Muda Sezaman (BMS), has been established by the National Art Gallery (NAG) and set out to be a reflection of Malaysia‘s visual art scene. However, the idea of displaying the Malay culture and traditions in visual art has been forsaken through the development of contemporary art in Malaysia. The tendency of the new-generation artists to prefer western and universal styles have further contributed to the abandonment and less emphasis of the cultural symbols. This conceptual paper will discuss the framework of the reflections on the national cultural elements in YCA artworks. Methods used in the study include observations and gathering sources from books, journals, research papers, and catalogues from the NAG. Interviews were also conducted involving several academicians and artists who are relevant for the field of study. Hence, this findings can be used as documentation and reference to improve more on the value and content of the national cultural elements in Malaysia's visual art field.