Gubahan Selerak, translated loosely from Malay, means a ‘composed or arranged clutter.’ A most apt description by the artist Mastura Abdul Rahman using a typical Malay house interior as a metaphor of traditional Malay life and value system. The rooms are simple with urns, floral wallpaper, the sejadah, carpets with arabesque designs and crafts of everyday life. Although the room cubicle system looks constricted, it has an open concept, and the waist-high banisters in rooms and verandahs allow for communication and view while providing privacy. She recalled: “In the series, I recalled my younger days with the traditional upbringing of the elders who watched over us and took care of us, advised and taught us (about what is proper and right). We spent time indoors and in the compound with our friends.” This is an extension of the more flat perspective of Mastura’s Interiorscape Series (1985-1999), a work of which won her the coveted Major Award in the Young Contemporary Artists (BMS) competition in 1985. She also won the Consolation Prize in a Johor competition in 1987. Mastura was much influenced by the National Congress (1971) and Akar-akar Pribumi seminar (1979). She studied for her Diploma in Art and Design, Majoring in Painting and Printmaking at the Mara Institute of Technology, Shah Alam, from 1982-1986. She received her BSc in Creative Media from the Multimedia University in Cyberjaya in 2009.