13/09/2025

SATURDAY | SEPT 13, 2025

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Malaysian Paper

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Highlighting talent of ‘special’ artists

o Exhibition focuses on neurodivergent individuals, with aim to achieve level playing field

areas,” he said. Amin Rasuad added that he is also continuing his late father’s legacy by running his own gym to discover new talent and nurture the next generation of bodybuilders. He is also training his second child, who is 18, to follow in his footsteps. Apart from his son, he is also training four Johor state athletes, including Mohammad Hakimi Othman, 27, who managed to secure third place in the Mr Malaysia competition in 2023 and 2024. Amin Rasuad expressed hope that bodybuilding, often overlooked by the public, would receive greater attention as Malaysia has the potential to produce more champions. However, he noted that the biggest challenge for bodybuilding athletes is the difficulty in securing sponsorships to progress further. partnered Galeri Kita to stage the exhibition. “I’m here to give support. May God bless them. I like being part of a space that uplifts neurodivergent artists and provides visibility,” she said, adding that art should never be tied to pity. Artists’ Corner founder Khalid M.S. said neurodivergent artists must be valued for originality, not boxed into rigid standards. “In sports, you don’t judge the Olympics and Paralympics by the same criteria. The same applies to art. Sometimes, neurodivergent artists create pieces that look childlike, but that doesn’t lessen their depth or meaning.” Khalid said about 50 artists are featured in the exhibition, half of them students from Artists’ Corner, adding that institutional support for such initiatives remains sparse. “Government programmes are often one-off. A budget is released, an event is held... and then it ends. What happens after that? Artists still need to eat every day,” he said. Launched on Sept 3, Discovering a Beautiful Mind seeks to offer equal ground to neurodivergent and neurotypical artists alike. Galeri Kita chairman Datuk Aminuddin Abdul Manaf said the goal is to build a sustainable creative ecosystem in which all creators are given equal recognition. “Too often, neurodivergent individuals are viewed through a lens of charity, when in reality, they are creators of extraordinary vision and value.”

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Art is often called a universal language, but for a group of Malaysian artists, it is also a test of how society measures dignity and equality. At The Curve in Mutiara Damansara, the Discovering a Beautiful Mind exhibition brings together neurodivergent artists – including those with autism, ADHD and dyslexia – and neurotypical peers, challenging audiences to judge art by its merit, not by sympathy. Among the exhibitors is 19-year-old Chong Sheng, who has cerebral palsy, and his mother Kristy Tay, 52, who has championed his creative journey since he began painting two years ago. “They are not charity cases. Their art should not be bought out of sympathy. Exhibitions like this prove their work holds real value, on par with neurotypical artists,” Tay said. She added that Sheng initially resisted art

Tay and Sheng at their display booth during the exhibition. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN

natural and authentic. Picasso himself once said it takes a lifetime to learn to paint like a child. Sheng has that gift naturally.” For others, art has become a bridge between families. Freelance interior designer and architect Shannur ‘Ain Mohd Nazir, 53, chose to exhibit alongside her daughter Julita, 19, after encouragement from Artists’ Corner, which

lessons while managing therapy needs after completing his American high school diploma in 2023. But his confidence grew when one of his works, Whimsical Houses , drew strong praise online. “Fellow artists told me Sheng’s paintings are examples of ‘naive art,’ a style many adults try hard to imitate but rarely capture. His work is

‘Bodybuilding town’ lives up to reputation BATU PAHAT: Mention bodybuilding and many would think of two legendary figures, Datuk Abdul Malek Mohamed Noor (better known as Malek Noor) and Sazali Samad, who once brought glory to Malaysia on the world stage. Interestingly, both of them hail from Batu Pahat in Johor. Batu Pahat district and Johor state athletes. That’s how I started to develop an interest. “From there, I pursued it formally with specific training starting at the age of 16, and it took nearly a year before I was able to develop suitable muscle definition.”

Mejar-Jen Datuk Dr Ahmad Badrus Othman, which has opened opportunities for him to compete in several international competitions. Since then, his highest achievement on the international stage has been competing against world-class bodybuilders and winning second place in the 65kg category at the 15th WBPF World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship 2024. He said to prepare his physique for competitions, he consumes more chicken, eggs and fish than usual, and also eats brown rice instead of white rice, and takes supplements as well. “I also have to train every day, two hours in the morning and another two hours in the evening or at night. “If I miss even one day, it will affect certain muscle groups and fat may develop in those

Amin Rasuad said his hard work began to pay off when he was crowned champion of the junior category at the Mr Johor 1998 championship at just 18, a platform that enabled him to compete more actively at the national level, Bernama reported. He became a national athlete in 2022 after competing in the Asian Championship Bodybuilding in the Maldives, at which he placed fourth in the Bantam Weight 65kg category. The father of three is now under the Malaysian Bodybuilding Federation, led by

The district has now produced another bodybuilding champion, Amin Rasuad Sidek, who secured fourth place in the 70kg category at the 57th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship 2025 in Thailand last month. Amin Rasuad, 46, said his involvement in the sport began during his primary school years when he used to accompany his late father Sidek Yahya, who was a bodybuilding coach, to their family-owned gym in Tongkang Pechah. “I often followed him and watched him train