When Artists Commission Artists: An Asian Perspective
YEE I-LANN, Tepo Aniya Nombor Na (Mat With A Number), 2020, Bajau Sama Dilaut heritage pandanus weave with commercial chemical dye, 366 × 427 cm, weaving by Sanah Belasani, Kinnuhong Gundasali, Noraidah Jabarah (Kak Budi), Roziah Binti Jalalid, Darwisa Binti Omar, Adik Enidah, Dela Binti Annerati, Adik Asima, Dayang Binti Tularan, Tasya Binti Tularan, Adik Alisya, and Erna Binti Tekki. Photo by Flanegan Bainon. Courtesy the artist.
Conceptual art—in its questioning of the very nature of art itself—often tests the limits of conventional legal and ethical boundaries. Initially, commentators debated whether conceptual and non-representational works could even be classified as art at all. The conversation has since evolved to focus on the complex legal and ethical dilemmas that arise—particularly in relation to intellectual property rights—when artists reference or incorporate the work of others.
