Nirmala’s last wish

By Ooi Kok Chuen

July 2010 PENANG PALETTE
main image
Nirmala looking at an unfinished work in her studio. Notice the confident application of pigments and the strong streaks.
Advertisement
Nirmala Dutt Shanmughalingam, one of Malaysia’s most noted – and controversial – artists struggles to complete her last paintings. Suffering from a series of physical ailments, including the threat of total blindness, she paints her final works in praise of her God.Above: A 1986 work from Nirmala’s Damai series on the pity of war, The Pity War Distilled. Ink drawing of a bag lady in Brussels in 1995.With vision failing in her only good eye, Nirmala Dutt Shanmughalingam is in...

Subscribe to our e-archive to read our older articles.

Subscribe Now
Ooi Kok Chuen

is an art-writer and journalist, and the author of MAHSURI: A Legend Reborn (Ooi Peeps Publishing), an adult contemporary fantasy “movel” (a novel conceived as a mock movie) spun from a local legend.

Previous Article Back to Issue Next Article
Advertisement

Trending Now

Anecdotal Accounts of Chinese Women Migrants to Southeast Asia

The Japanese Conquest of Penang: Part One

A Red-light District Worthy of a Vibrant Port

The British-Siamese Boundary Stone: A Momentous Relic in Seberang Perai

A Brief History of 123 Macalister

Subscribe today to access over 2,000 articles in our e-Archive for RM150 a year, and get the 2nd year free.
Support Us

As Penang Monthly continues to evolve, we aim to deliver better quality reads. At present, our three current issues are free for public access. But we need your financial support as we endeavour to be the voice of Penang and an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian.

Every RM100 contribution from individuals (or RM1,000 for corporations) will be entitled to tax exemption receipt.
`