Public sculpture in Malaysia: a case study of Putrajaya

Public art in Malaysia is an emerging discipline whose practice exists as informal rules of thumb rather than as codified standards. Aside from the famous Tugu Negara (National Monument), today, public art in Malaysia has a phantom quality because it lacks clear definition. This study examines the definition and vocabulary of public art in Malaysian context and develops coherent critical and theoretical framework in the development of public art practices. This is the first study of its kind. The thesis describes the historical development of public art in Malaysia from the 'Eurocentric' era, to post - May 1969 which instigated an acute consciousness and crisis of identity, right up to recent attempts at furthering the 'indigenous', or 'national', character of modern Malaysian art. This is crucial in explaining how public art has been perceived as an aspect of cultural integration and diversity and to construct new identities, based on cultural and social realities that are peculiar to Malaysia.