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20 | FireFlyz
T
he
vibrant city of Kuala
Lumpur is known for
housing the best shopping
sprees, gastronomical
delights and of course
the iconic PETRONAS
Twin Towers. Many may
not notice the art scene that quietly
assimilates into the hustle and bustle of
the city, and some of you might ponder
if there’s actually an art scene to begin
with. Well, rest assured that there most
definitely is one and I had the pleasure
of being introduced to two established
contemporary art galleries.
Pelita Hati Gallery of Art
Arriving at the street of this gallery, I was
a little confounded. I was looking for a
lavish structure which screamed “art”,
cusing on sculptures and their annual
sculpture exhibit Ilyham has been quite
popular amongst local artists. “Local
artists don’t have the time or the facilities
to produce sculptures, so Ilyham serves
as ground for them to reveal sculptures
which otherwise they wouldn’t have the
opportunity to share with the public,”
said Raja Annuar. This project is one that
Pelita Hati has deeply invested in and has
expanded over the country. This year’s
Ilyhamwas displayed in the Penang State
Museum. Next year they hope to bring
Ilyham to the east coast of Peninsular
Malaysia.
On the future of contemporary art
in Malaysia, Raja Annuar is optimistic.
“The art scene in Malaysia is very young.
Despite this, the local government and
international galleries are eager to make
Malaysia’s presence known in a global
context and local artists aremost receptive
in this common goal. If this rings true,
then perhaps in the future laymen like
myself would have a better grasp on art,”
he said.
get
away
Arththi Sathananthar
makes a trip into the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur to revisit
some of her favourite art galleries.
Looking Beyond Art
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but what I found instead was an obscure
gallery, hidden amongst shop lots, with
a mechanic’s workshop right beside it.
Don’t be fooled by its exterior though …
I was definitely blown away by the avant-
garde interior upon entering the gallery.
But my perplexity at the surroundings
dissipated as I met the co-manager of
the gallery, Raja Annuar, who took some
time to give me an insight on Pelita Hati
Gallery of Art and the contemporary art
scene in Malaysia.
The Pelita Hati Gallery of Art was
opened in 1995 by Tengku Elina and
her partner, who decided to start their
own gallery after realising that the more
established galleries at that time were
not displaying art which they believed
deserved to be exhibited to the public.
They began by taking in unknown artists,
helping them by providing a platform
to showcase their work. Pelita Hati’s
roots were in highlighting experimental,
unknown pieces and to this day still pays
tribute to this genre of art.
Since 2000, Pelita Hati has been fo-
Pelita Hati Gallery of Art
1st Floor, No. 8 Jalan Abdullah,
Off Jalan Bangsar,
59000Kuala Lumpur
Gallerie Taksu Sdn Bhd
17, Jalan Pawang
54000Kuala Lumpur