Petronas gallery unveils rarely seen multicultural art collection

KUALA LUMPUR: Galeri Petronas delves into the rich and multifaceted heritage of Malaysia by showcasing rarely seen artworks in its latest exhibition titled Visual Dialects: Cultural Ties That Bind, depicting artistic expressions unique to Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Visitors to the exhibition will be treated to 98 paintings and photographs by 43 prominent Malaysian artists, meticulously selected from the Petronas Art Collection to highlight the unique cultural diversity that has enriched and unified the people.

Guest curator Sarah NH Vogeler, an art writer and editor based in Kuala Lumpur, said: “Visual Dialects: Cultural Ties That Bind aims to look at art from different viewpoints but yet bound by history, culture and traditions which are webbed together by subtlyorganised ties of expressions.”

Director of Galeri Petronas, Intan Ainirawati Razak, emphasised that the exhibition is in line with the national aspiration to build a vibrant and sustainable community.

“Petronas is delighted to play a significant role in contributing towards a culturally-enriched society through the promotion, development and preservation of the nation’s cultural heritage. We are proud to achieve that through the Visual Dialects exhibition and its accompanying publication,” she said.

To put forth a successful exhibition, Galeri Petronas collaborated with various subject matter experts such as the Department of Museums Malaysia, Malaysian Institute of Translation and Books (ITBM), Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation, Mah Meri Cultural Village and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) Lecturer of Heritage Research, Mohd Aswawi Isa. Among the highlights of the exhibition are artworks by Raphael Scott Ahbeng, Haron Mokhtar, Ahmad Zakii Anuar, Shiah Yih Yiing, Magdalene Tai and black and white photographic works by the late Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah of Terengganu.

Visual Dialects is currently open for public viewing at Galeri Petronas on Level 3, Suria KLCC until July 15, 2018. Admission is free.