Nirmala Dutt (1941–2016) was a pioneering figure in Malaysian contemporary art and one of the few female artists to have emerged in the local art scene during the 1970s. Born in George Town, Penang, her practice spanned documentary photography, painting, silkscreen, collage, and public art. She began her training under renowned figurative painter Hoessein Enas and went on to pursue her studies in the United States and England. Often overlooked in favour of her male contemporaries, her art is characterised by its brutal social commentary, whether tackling war atrocities in regions as far-flung as Bosnia or the squalor of urban slums in her own country. To this end, she experimented with various techniques, such as the use of silkscreened newsprint and photographs. In 1973, her piece, Statement I won a Major Award in the National Art Gallery’s Man and His World competition, making it the first installation artwork to ever win a major art prize in Malaysia.