Malaysia’s monarchy charts a new course amid political flux

When Malaysian artist Darwisy Mustafani received a commission to paint the country’s king and queen, he did not reach for an ordinary canvas.
Instead, the 25-year-old from the northeastern city of Kota Bharu transformed songket – the lustrous handwoven fabric once reserved for Malay courts and ceremonial dress – into a portrait of the sultan and his wife before a golden-domed palace.
The portrait, commissioned in 2024 by Malaysia’s police force as a gift for Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and Queen...