Ulasan Penyertaan Finalis Pertandingan Bakat Muda Sezaman 2021 Zon Sarawak: Ko-kreasi dan Seni di Lokasi: Review of Sarawak Finalist Entry for Young Contemporaries Award 2021: Co-creation and Art on Site - Mohamad Faizuan Mat; Hasnul Jamal Saidon (Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse, 2023)
The 26th edition of the Young Contemporaries Awards 2021 (BMS2021) organised by the National Art Gallery, Malaysia for the first time introduced “Seni di Lokasi” (Art in Location) as a theme that allowed the artists freely to choose their own working and exhibition space. A total of 13 entries from Sarawak made it to the finals. Although, no main awards were won by participants from the Sarawak, but the concept and production methods of their works have the potential for the development of visual art activities, especially in Sarawak, and Malaysia in general. In critically evaluating the Sarawak participation artists from the concept and art-making view, it turns out that the understanding of art in location and method is quite different compared to other participants. The method used to produce artworks that directly involve the community is closely related to the chosen location. Therefore, this article further discusses Sarawak young artists’ pattern of thought through participation in BMS2021, especially related to concepts and methodologies of work. Pertandingan Bakat Muda Sezaman (BMS) edisi ke-26 pada tahun 2021 anjuran Balai Seni Negara julung kali diadakan dengan temanya “Seni di Lokasi” yang memberi kebebasan kepada peserta untuk memilih sendiri lokasi untuk menghasilkan dan mempamerkan karya mereka. Sejumlah 13 penyertaan dari Sarawak berjaya ke peringkat akhir. Walaupun tiada anugerah utama dirangkul oleh peserta dari zon Sarawak, konsep dan kaedah penghasilan karya-karya mereka mempunyai potensi dalam pembangunan aktiviti seni visual di Sarawak, khasnya dan di Malaysia secara umumnya. Bagi menilai penyertaan seniman dari zon Sarawak secara kritikal daripada perspektif penghasilan karya, ternyata pemahaman tentang lokasi dan kaedah agak berbeza berbanding peserta yang lain. Kaedah penghasilan karya seni yang melibatkan komuniti secara langsung sangat berhubung kait dengan lokasi yang dipilih. Justeru, penulisan ini mengulas dengan lebih terperinci tentang corak pemikiran seniman muda Sarawak dalam edisi BMS kali ini terutamanya berkaitan konsep dan metodologi pengkaryaan.