Working together
THE KL Biennale is over. But that doesn’t mean the National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG) is slowing down on its exhibitions. In fact, the NVAG has kickstarted its 60th anniversary celebrations this year with a diverse line-up of events, including the recent launch of Thai artist Natee Utarit’s Optimism Is Ridiculous show, which runs till the end of May.
The exhibition, presented in collaboration with Richard Koh Fine Art in Kuala Lumpur, is the start of a handful of collaborations between private galleries and NVAG.
Core Design Gallery’s Aku: Dalam Mencari Rukun ..., which also just opened, is a solo exhibition by Malaysian contemporary artist Husin Hourmain. It runs till June 1. Husin’s exhibit is based on the six Rukun Iman or Pillars of Faith in Islam. Produced over a span of two years, the series of work is a highly and deeply personal interpretation and representation of the artist’s journey as a Malaysian Muslim. The artist creatively and artistically presents a mix of abstract mark-making, calligraphy and text, colour and minimalist iconography.
In July, the Caravaggio: Opera Omnia – The Impossible Exhibition opens at NVAG with a collection of 40 high-definition and true-to-scale digital reproductions of the original masterpieces produced by Italian baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). This touring exhibition features works done between 1593 to 1610, and brings together works scattered throughout the world (in seven countries and 14 different cities). It houses many of his most prominent masterpieces, such as Bacchus, Medusa, and the rarely seen Boy Bitten By A Lizard.
This exhibition, conceived by the Italian National TV (RaiCom) with the support of the Italian government, is not only devoted to showcasing the historically important contribution of an artist like Caravaggio, but also to introduce a new concept of exhibition, through digital reproductions of the outstanding artworks of the painter.
Group exhibition Teh Tarik With The Flag, curated by Wei-Ling Gallery and presented by NVAG, also opens in July. It features Malaysian artists like Anurendra Jegadeva, Cheng Yen Pheng, Chong Kim Chiew, Choy Chun Wei, Fauzan Omar, Hamidi Hadi, HH Lim, Ivan Lam, Yau Bee Ling, Sean Lean, Hayati Mokhtar and Rajinder Singh.
This upcoming show explores of the symbolic power of the flag, expanding on the rich and complex story of the Jalur Gemilang as a potent symbol and a marker of identity, unity, belief, and division. They employ different artistic strategies to create compositions that not only reference the flag, but also go further to disrupt its formal qualities and extend its symbolic meaning. The exhibition presents works that invite the public to think carefully, both symbolically and visually, about how flags foster a sense of belonging, how we utilise them to assert our identities and express our connectedness to the world around us. It is here that new connections between the people and their Jalur Gemilang can be forged.
More info: www.artgallery.gov.my.