BEYOND FACTS & FIGURES: A Survey and Exploration of Art Market Dynamics in Malaysia Today

After a short break of two weeks, we organised the second roundtable for Volume 3 : Infrastructures. The roundtable on the Malaysian art market was co-organised with MAPKL (Malaysian Art Platform) in Publika during the MAP Arts Festival 2013.

The Beyond Facts & Figures roundtable aims to invite stakeholders to discuss their roles, practices, strategies and their impact on the art market, discuss and share knowledge and practices about the market; and to understand the mechanisms and infrastructure of the art market today, and how these have developed. Materials from the roundtable will be edited to form part of Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume 3: Infrastructures, while the full recordings and transcripts will be kept by MAP for their archive and further use.

We would like to thank the moderators, the panelists and the guests who has taken their Saturday afternoon off to join us in this roundtable.

PANELISTS: Gallerists Kenny Teng, G13 Bayu Utomo Radjikin, HOM Valentine Willie  (formerly Valentine Willie Fine Art) Collectors Lee Khai Ng Seksan Pakharuddin Sulaiman Artists Ahmad Zakii Anwar Jalaini Abu Hassan Phuan Thai Meng

The Art Media: Rachel Jena, freelance art writer Jason Tan, Editor, The B-Side Liew Kian Yeap, publisher and editor, Art    Malaysia magazine New Art Market Platforms Tuan Ramzi for 1MCAT Sim Pojinn for Art Expo Nani Kahar, MAPKL Datuk Vincent Sim, Henry Butcher Art      Auction

MODERATORS:
Prof Dr Krishna Gopal Rampal
Yoong Sin Min

Prof Dr Krishna Gopal Rampal having a friendly banter with the artist panelists - Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Jalaini Abu Hassan and Phuan Thai Meng.

 Ng Sek San makes a funny comment that got everyone in the room a little less serious.

 Rachel Jena making a comment on art writing in Malaysia.

 Ooi Kok Chuen giving a statement on the art market from a journalist's perspective.

 The first question from the guests to the panelists were made by Suryani Senja Alias.

Yoong Sin Min was moderating the second session as Dato Vincent Sim gives his comments.

TURUN PADANG: A Roundtable Discussion & Exhibition on the Practice of Malaysian Independent Art(ist) Initiatives

While we are editing and translating the essays for Volume 2 : Reactions - New Critical Strategies, we have been quietly organising roundtable discussions for Volume 3: Infrastructures. We have just had the first roundtable 'TURUN PADANG: A Roundtable Discussion & Exhibition on the Practice of Malaysian Independent Art(ist) Initiatives'. This roundtable was kindly hosted by Malaysian Art Archive & Research Support (MARS).

The roundtable aims to map the activities of independent artist-led initiatives who have been active on the Malaysian art scene, mounted as an exhibition and timeline chart and discuss the roles and practices of such initiatives, and how and why they have been formed over the years, at the same time offering an opportunity for the sharing of experiences, ideas and challenges among participants. Materials from the roundtable will be edited to form part of Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume 3: Infrastructures, while the full recordings and transcripts will be kept by MARS for their archive and further use.

We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time and effort to share their experiences and knowledge with us on that Saturday. 

PARTICIPANTS: Anak Alam BUKA Kolektif Cracko Art Group DAMi FINDARS Art Space Five Arts Centre Goh Lee Kwang HOM Jalan Kempas Rumah Air Panas Lost Generation Space Parking Project Rumah YKP Sasaran International Arts Festival

SiCKL Spacekraft The Best Art Show in the Univers T.I.G.A. 12 (not confirmed) GUESTS: Hasnul J. Saidon Nani Kahar Normah Nordin Ray Langenbach Tan Hui Koon Verena Freyschmidt

Kok Siew Wai (SiCKL) and Yeoh Lian Heng (Lost Generation Space) putting up displays of their respective collectives.

 Five Arts Centre's display. It was free for all to take!

Buka Jalan's display at MARS.

 Bayu Utomo Radjikin (HOM) and Harold Reagan Eswar aka Egn (Cracko Art Group) having small talk...

 Hasnul J Saidon and Encik Yusuf (Anak Alam) reminiscing the good old days at Anak Alam.

The attendance at MARS

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(BY)

We're pleased to report that Volume I is now on sale at the National Visual Arts Gallery's Art Book Fair and in its gallery shop, and is now available online through Areca Books, who named it Book of the Week last week. 

Much further afield, in Toronto, Canada, the book is featured as part of To Bring the World into The World, a project curated by Biljana Ciric, at InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre and Art Metropole, from 24 October to 17 November.

We're also over the moon at the positive press coverage the book has received in the papers, magazines, radio and tv- Berita Harian even gave it five-star rating!

The Launch

Saturday 7 July morning at the NVAG

T.K. Sabapathy

With the sponsors

The editorial team, with speakers Tengku Sabri Ibrahim on the left and Dr Sulaiman Esa on the right

Hanim and Beverly with writers Kelvin Chuah and Emelia Ong

With Puan Wairah Marzuki and Lena Bok

It was with a huge sigh of relief that we launched the first volumes of Narratives in Malaysian Art and Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia. We'd spent the evening before wringing hands and biting nails...

We were very heartened by and grateful for the wonderful crowd of writers, artists and supporters that turned up for the launch so bright and early on a Saturday. It was a morning of happy reunions, and inspiring remarks from speakers T.K. Sabapathy, Sulaiman Esa and Tengku Sabri Ibrahim. NVAG very kindly brought out some of the key art works featured in the book - Syed Ahmad Jamal's Umpan, Patrick Ng Kah Onn's Semangat Tanah, Air dan Udara/Spirits of Earth, Water and Air and Zulkifli Dahalan's Realiti Berasingan: Satu Hari di Bumi Larangan - it was great to see these old friends again too.

Thanks so much to the National Visual Arts Gallery and their team for being such gracious hosts, and to all those who came for the event.

We were amazed to be finally holding the physical books in our hands, and pretty thrilled at the beautiful job done by the designers Studio MMCMM. Thanks to Danny of Tusen printers for pulling through! At the bargain price of RM35, we sold almost 100 books at the launch.
 
Volume I: Imagining Identities and Jilid I: Menanggap Identiti are out now at most MPH stores as well as Kinokuniya in KLCC, and should be reaching further bookstores soon. In KL, you can also get copies at Segaris Art Centre at Publika, and Precious at Central Market. The English edition is for sale at China House in Penang and Bon Ton in Langkawi. We'll be bringing down stock to Singapore in the next fortnight. You can order both the English and BM editions online through contact@rogueish.asia.

(BY)

OUT TOMORROW

Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume I: Imagining Identities/Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia Jilid I: Menanggap Identiti is out tomorrow. In this episode of our YouTube series, we talk to some of the writers and other people who've worked so hard on this book.

NMA SPEAKS TO SOME OF OUR SPONSORS

We hope you enjoy hearing from our sponsors in Episode 2.  

We'd like to take this space to thank, for making the project possible:

Our Corporate Supporter:
Khazanah Heritage and Art Initiative

Our Sponsors:
National Visual Arts Gallery Malaysia
Bangsar Village (Eng Lian Enterprise))
Mr Kenneth Tan
Gudang Damansara
Rosemary and Steve Wong
Tenaga Nasional Berhad
Malakoff Corporation Berhad
Libra Invest Berhad
Helu-Trans (Singapore) Pte Ltd
30 Art Friends

Friends of the Project:
NN Gallery
Mr and Mrs Humphrey Carey
Mr Harry Naysmith
Galeri Chandan
And other private donors

We also wish to thank:
Mr Philip Hemnell
Mr Yee Tak Hong
Mr and Mrs Too Hing Yeap
and
Ms Khadijah Khalid
Ms Claire Barnes

With support from The Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund

Special thanks to:
T.K. Sabapathy
Perspective Strategies
Studio MMCMM
Teratak Nuromar
Suryani Senja Alias
Omar Halim Dahlan
Roslisham Ismail (aka Ise)

For contributing their time, knowledge and resources to the
development of Volume I, thanks to:
National Visual Arts Gallery
Galeri Petronas
Valentine Willie Fine Art
NN Gallery
Wei-ling Gallery
RA Fine Arts
Anurendra Jegadeva
Hasnul J. Saidon
Pakhruddin and Fatimah Sulaiman
Wong Hoy Cheong
Ahmad Mashadi
Khatijah Sanusi
zanita Anuar
Ismail Hashim
Jalaini Abu Hassan
Bayu Utomo Radjikin
Puan Sri Elizabeth Moggie
Yee I-Lann
Seng Yu Jin
Wang Zineng