An AZ Guide to Malaysian
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An A–Z Guide to Malaysian Art is produced in conjunction with the publication project Narratives in Malaysian Art. The Narratives in Malaysian Art project AN is made possible through the generosity of our corporate supporters, sponsors, friends and other contributors. A – Z Editorial team GUIDE TO Adeline Ooi, Beverly Yong, Hasnul J. Saidon, Nur Hanim Khairuddin, Rachel Ng MALAYSIAN ART Other contributors Eva McGovern, Ng Jing Yi Thanks to Anurendra Jegadeva, Jamil Mat Isa CONTENTS Assistants Nick Chin, Dill Malik Design 2 Studio MMCMM a glossary of Printing malaysian art Pakatan Tusen Cetak Sdn Bhd 2 50 years of malaysian Published by RogueArt art in pictures i-7 Taman Tunku Apartments 38 Bukit Tunku calendar Kuala Lumpur 50480 Malaysia 43 Narrative In Malaysian Art Sponsorswww.rogueart.asia spaces PENDING LOGO LIST narrativesinmalaysianart.blogspot.com 48 resources 1 Malakoff CorporationKenneth Tan 2 Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund 53 services The information provided herein is accurate to the best of our Rosemary & Steve Wong knowledge. Neither the publishers nor contributors may be held liable for any errors and/or omissions however caused. All listings 56 opportunities Narrative In Malaysian Art Sponsors are correct at time of going to press but subject to change. © 2012 RogueArt, and image copyright holders. 59 PENDING LOGO LIST 30 Art Friends All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, study stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, except for purposes of research or private study, criticism 1 Malakoff Corporation and review, without prior written permission from the publisher. 62 people 2 Krishen Jit-ASTROWith supportFund from NarrativeThe Krishen In Jit-ASTRO Malaysian Fund Art Sponsors NarrativePENDING LOGO In MalaysianLIST Art Sponsors PENDING1 Malakoff LOGO Corporation LIST Narrative In Malaysian Art Sponsors12 KrishenMalakoff Jit-ASTRO Corporation Fund PENDING LOGO LIST 2 Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund 1 Malakoff Corporation 2 Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund Narrative In Malaysian Art Sponsors PENDING LOGO LIST Narrative In Malaysian1 Malakoff Art Sponsors Corporation PENDING LOGO LIST2 Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund 1 Malakoff Corporation Narrative In Malaysian2 KrishenArt Sponsors Jit-ASTRO Fund PENDING LOGO LIST 1 Malakoff Corporation 2 Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund a Nik Zainal Abidin, Wayang Kulit Kelantan, 1959 National Visual Arts Gallery Collection Patrick Ng Kah Oon, Semangat Tanah, Air dan Udara/Spirits of Earth, Water and Air, 1958 National Visual Arts Gallery Collection Alternative spaces Abstraction “Alternative” spaces are commonly associated with The return of students from art studies in the UK artist-run spaces locally. Pioneering artist-run and Europe during the late 1950s and 60s spurred spaces include Rumah Air Panas, Rumah YKP, a local modern abstract art movement. Tay Hooi Spacekraft and 1948. One of their goals is to pro- Keat and Syed Ahmad Jamal were early abstract vide venues for art that may not easily find a place practitioners, fusing international styles with lo- Akar-akar Peribumi in commercial galleries - experimental, temporary, cal forms and colours. Works from this era were Seminar Akar-akar Kesenian Peribumi dan conceptual, site-specific works, etc., but they often expressionistic, taking a conceptual and objective Perkembangan Kini, held at ITM Shah Alam in also organise residencies, workshops, talks, and turn in the early 70s. By the end of the 70s, art- 1979, aimed at reviving the spirit of Malay-Islamic screenings. Survival is a struggle, and many artist- ists became preoccupied with producing non- identity in visual art, and part of the government’s run spaces are located away from the city centre. representational works that reflected local identity, agenda to kick off an Islamisation process within There are also “neutral” venues such as MAP KL, integrating motifs and themes from Islam and the arts education. In his keynote address, Awang Had The Annexe Gallery and recently Urban Village, Malay world, as well as local craft techniques and Salleh stressed the need to create a local educa- based on a rental policy, and unconventional public materials, with eclectic and broad-ranging results. Cheong Soo Pieng, Tropical Life, 1959 tion philosophy capable of countering Western spaces have been used for site-specific art projects. Since the 90s, abstract art practices have been National Visual Arts Gallery Collection hegemony. Issues such as resolving the dichotomy Such “alternative” efforts are not so much about characterised by diverse individual approaches between the traditional and modern were raised. rebelling against the mainstream as offering artists and interests, involving materiality and process An exhibition highlighting Malay traditional art and audiences with options to present and experi- to more conceptual concerns. was held in conjunction with the seminar. ence different kinds of art. 2 3 Abdullah Ariff, Bumi Yang Bahagia – Lombong Bijih Timah Malaya, 1960 National Visual Arts Gallery Collection Artists’ associations Artist groups and associations were fundamental to the creation of early art scenes in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, organising classes, exhibi- tions and other activities, and in some cases also representing different approaches and principles of art-making. The first decades of the 20th century saw the formation of expatriate art groups like Tay Hooi Keat, Plantscape, 1959 the Penang Impressionists, and of associations National Visual Arts Gallery Collection of local-born painters and artists arriving from Mainland China. Alongside advancements in formal art education, the growth of the market and different models Anak Alam APS of artist initiatives, formal artist associations Hoessein Enas, Admonition, 1963 today play an important role in representing spe- Anak Alam was the brainchild of artist-poet Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia (APS) began as Majlis Collection of Tenaga Nasional Berhad/Photography: Puah Chin Kok cific communities (Johor Art Society, Penang Art Latiff Mohidin, officially founded on 1 May 1974, Kesenian Melayu in 1956, becoming Angkatan Society) or types of practice (Malaysian Water- with Mustapa Ibrahim, Ali Rahamad and Zulkifli Pelukis Semenanjung in 1957, and adopting its cur- colour Society). Dahalan among its early members. Its 1974 rent name in 1968. It was first chaired by Hoessein manifesto called for a respectful and harmonious Enas, and boasted a wide membership. Mazeli Mat multicultural co-existence, and celebrated nature Som took over its leadership in 1964 and in 1967, Auctions and the artist’s imagination as states of purity and it took the motto “art for society”. While Malaysian artists are generally under-repre- inner truth. More permanent members lived, sented at auction, they have appeared regularly in worked and played in its Taman Budaya studio In the Western-centric art environment post the Southeast Asian art auctions held in Singapore near Padang Merbok. Most active through the Independence, the main objective of the APS was (since 1997) and Hong Kong (since 2002) by in- 1970s and 80s, their works were experimental to champion a Malaysian identity as a basis for ternational houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and avant-garde with a surrealist bent, and often a national art. It espoused a style of naturalistic and regional houses like Larasati and Borobudur. provocative and critical of the establishment. Their portraiture in oil and pastel, celebrating Malay In 2010 Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers held the Open Theatre events helped sow the seeds of local identity, culture and values, although members’ first dedicated commercial (non-charity) auction performance art. approaches became more diverse from the 70s. of Malaysian art works in Kuala Lumpur. 4 5 c Collectives There are various models of artist collectives - groups of close-knit artists who come together, working with a shared aim, interest or ideology. Anak Alam in the 1970s to 80s adopted the idea of a commune, living and working together as an extended family. There are collectives that work Dzulkifli Buyong, Kapal Kertas/Paper Boats, 1965 collaboratively, or as individual artists coming National Visual Arts Gallery Collection together for particular projects, such as Matahati, Rumah Air Panas and Dikalajingga. Lost Gen- eration, Findars and SiCKL maintain spaces for making and exhibiting art, while Buka Koletif is Chuah Thean Teng, Fruit Season, 1968 nomadic by nature. In 2007, Matahati founded National Visual Arts Gallery Collection House of Matahati (HOM), an organisation and b space to help artists in need and nurture emerging talents. Competitions Art competitions have been an important platform Community projects for encouraging young artists. The National Art Over the past few years, artists and artist groups Gallery organised several competitions in its early have increasingly come together to find new ways years, notably the first Salon Malaysia (1968) and of using and presenting art in the public sphere, Man and His World (1973). Winners of the Young interacting and working with different kinds of Contemporaries Competition (since 1974) have Batik sites and communities. Notable projects have often gone on to become leading artists of their Chuah Thean Teng introduced batik as a fine art included Let Arts Move You (LAMU) involving generation. Malaysian artists have participated in medium during the 1950s, and it came to be used works and performances at KL Sentral Station and regional competitions such as the Phillip Morris in new and innovative ways by many artists. Batik on KTM Komuter trains (2007), Contemporary ASEAN Art Awards (1994-2004 – Malaysian art imagery from this period was largely romantic, Art in School (CAIS), an exhibition and workshop Kow Leong Kiang won the Grand Prize in 1998) celebrating the spirit of nationhood and the land, project at Stella Maris High School (2007), Bangun and Nokia Art Awards Asia Pacific (1999-2001). although more modernist approaches were taken – Abandon Project (set in abandoned buildings in Bank Negara, Maybank and MRCB have also held during the late 1960s. The 1980s saw artists like KL 2008), Bangun Penang! (at the Penang Clan public art competitions intermittently.