Widely known as Anum on the Malaysian art scene, Noor Mahnun Mohamed juggles the roles of painter, curator, writer and educationist. Born in 1964 in Kelantan, she graduated with a master’s in fine art from Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Braunschweig, Germany, in 1996.

After returning to Malaysia at the end of 1997, Noor Mahnun kicked off her versatile career in the arts with a job as graphic designer. In 1998, she staged her first solo exhibition in Malaysia and participated in group shows. In the following year, she took up a teaching post in several local institutions to lecture on art theory until 2022.

From 2000 to 2001, Noor Mahnun was an artist-in-residence at Rimbun Dahan in Kuang, Selangor. She concluded the programme with an exhibition of paintings produced on site and inspired by the location. From 2006 to 2012, she worked as an arts manager at Rimbun Dahan.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs then offered the artist a government scholarship to take up a printmaking course at Il Bisonte, Florence, from 2002 to 2003. Upon completing the course, Noor Mahnun returned to Kuala Lumpur and ventured into curatorial work at the Valentine Willie Fine Art gallery from 2003 to 2005. During her stint there, she organised 10 exhibitions by Malaysian and Southeast Asian contemporary artists and wrote for the shows.

Her solo exhibitions include Racun dan Penawar (2021) at Rumah Lukis, Kuala Lumpur; Disco Lombok Still Life by Noor Mahnun (2017) at The Edge Galerie, Kuala Lumpur; and more.