KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ―Finishing art school, Haslin Ismail began as the typical struggling artist, selling just a few of his mixed media fantasy pieces for a few hundred dollars each over the ensuing five years.

But in September, a buyer at one of a sudden spate of Malaysian art auctions spent 30,800 ringgit ($10,100) for a wall-sized Haslin painting full of outlandish images including a large human foot without skin.

“It’s still quite risky to become an artist ... but actually there is positive development. It has changed a lot,” the soft-spoken 28-year-old said.

Muslim-majority and affluent, Malaysia is known more for Islamic conservatism and a consumer culture embodied by its air-conditioned shopping malls than for the Bohemian pursuit of art.

But a nascent art boom is under way as the industry seeks to replicate the huge recent success in such markets as China and Malaysia’s neighbour Indonesia.

Art auctions were once unknown, but five major sales have been held in Malaysia this year, earning more than 13 million ringgit, with domestic art fetching ever-higher prices.

New galleries have sprouted with works depicting traditional village scenes, cautious commentary on modern society, or the wild imaginations of artists like Haslin.

“Prices have been rising and it has positively affected some of the younger artists,” said Ray Langenbach, an artist and art professor at Tunku Abdul Rahman University, who added that high prices in more established markets were stirring interest in Malaysia.