Anuar Rashid is one of the most brilliant but enigmatic artists in Malaysia. Here today, where? tomorrow — he is known for his disappearing acts, often making an entry and re-entry after a hiatus. Highly independent and hugely unconventional, he is best known for his mythical-fantasy Inderaputra of the Nusantara Series with the golden phoenix like an alter ego, which also doubles as a divine Merak Emas carrier. His Inderaputra Series was first unveiled in his solo at the Equatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur in 1982. Here, his mind-boggling prismatic play enjoys its full spectrum forming an architectonic veneer to the concealed narrative behind the faceted array of screens. Intricate designs reminiscent of carvings of antiquity can be gleaned from  the diamond-sheen exterior. When still in school in 1978, at the Mara Institute of Technology 1975-1979, Anuar Rashid was hailed presciently as the “brightest star yet” by Syed Ahmad Jamal (Datuk). But he “disappeared” in what was dubbed his Lost Years, between 1983-1986, when he travelled all over Europe (Switzerland, France, Italy, Romania, Russia and the former Yugoslavia and Macedonia). On his return, he dabbled with business but was badly burnt. After a hiatus of 20 years, he made a comeback in the Phatanum (Genesis) exhibition at Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang from April-May 2006. However, it was not until the epochal Mihraj exhibition at the National Art Gallery in 2008 that he reclaimed his stature as a pre-eminent artist. His two biggest achievements were the huge mural, Wind, Water And Fire, at Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market in 1986, since destroyed; and the 2nd Prize in the 1979 Salon Malaysia.