The war drums have sounded, and all seem girded up for war: the forces of good led by Rama against the evil demon, Rawana, after Rama’s wife, Sita, was rescued, in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Whereas a spear or a bow-and-arrow is used in the Indian mythical saga, the adapted Malay version with generous doses of Thai influence, is a long keris. A pugree (conical headgear) with a sharp totem worn by the warriors is a badge of honour and stature. The figures with large bracelets in their arms are wedged against a large pohon hayat or tree of life. Nik Zainal Abidin, who followed his dalang (puppeteer) father across Kelantan in wayang kulit performances when he was young, was arguably the first to adapt the wayang kulit myths and folklore into fine art. It’s interesting that fellow artist Patrick Ng Kah Onn (1932-1989), in his thesis for the Hammersmith College of Art & Design in London, had classified Nik Zainal Abidin in the “primitive mould” together with Australia’s Albert Namatjira and France’s La Dounier Rousseau. His repertoire also included tales from the Mahabharata and the Hikayat Panji. He worked as a set designer for RTM in the 1960s until his retirement in 1988. He is known for his design of the Kunci Ibu Kota, the cokmar (royal mace) and the royal throne for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1960. And who could forget his mosaic glass mural done in 1962 for the West Wing of Muzium Negara. He was a member of the Wednesday Art Group and showed promise when he won the 1st Prize in the Joy of Living exhibition in 1964. In 1970, he was selected for a German cultural tour and took part in the World Expo in Osaka, Japan.