The artist whose painting was removed from the National Visual Arts Gallery on Wednesday has defended her work, arguing that it was more than an anti-Umno piece.

Cheng Yen Pheng ( right ), whose painting 'alksnaabknuaunmo' was removed ahead of the Bakat Muda Sezaman (Young Contemporaries) 2013 award ceremony, said that the work actually represents citizen rights.

“The artwork is not talking about (the protest movement) Asalkan Bukan Umno (ABU), but is an icon of people's power.

“I am playing with the idea of painting space, exhibition space and political stance in an institutional space.

“ABU is a very strong civil society (movement), so maybe I can say that I borrowed this strong icon without permission,” she told Malaysiakini .

Her painting features the spray painted words 'ABU=ASHES', and was a finalist in the premier art competition.

The letters ‘ABU’ - the acronym for ‘Asalkan Bukan Umno’ (Anything But Umno) - has been spray painted on walls all over Malaysia in protest of Umno hegemony.

Jury not told

Cheng's work and the installation piece by fellow finalist Izat Arif Saiful Bahri were removed yesterday without the consent or knowledge of the jury.

Izat's installation titled 'Insert#' features T-shirts hung on a rack with the Arabic letters 'fa' and 'qof' printed on the shirts.

According to Cheng, 32, she only realised that her painting was removed when she visited the exhibition hall after attending the award ceremony, which was graced by Tourism and Culture Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.

She then approached organisers about the missing artwork, but “did not get a clear answer”.

This prompted her to stage a six-minute "performance" where she stood in front of the wall where her painting was originally hung and held a postcard of the painting, while asking the audience where her painting is.

Asked if she will demand the painting to be reinstated in the exhibition, she said, “Maybe, you will have to wait and see. I will post the results of my actions on Facebook.”

Jury member Nur Hanim Khairuddin said the national gallery officials had already given “green light” to both artworks and they were taken down without the jury's knowledge.

When contacted, the national gallery said it cannot provide Malaysiakini with an official explanation as its director-general, Haned Masjak, is not in town.

The Bakat Muda Sezaman exhibition runs from Oct 20 to March 3.