Artriangle is a collective show that bring together artists from four different countries – Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. With the purpose of increasing the appreciation of art in this region through a more open network of exchange and to further inculcate closer working ties amongst our artists, it aspires to energise a 4-way art dialogue between these countries and inadvertently, adds more excitement to the art scene in South East Asia.
Artriangle is a fund-raising exhibition. All the benefit from the sales will be channeled to the MATAHATI Art Fund. The Art Fund will be used for the benefits of our local artists and the art scene. It will go towards assisting in the welfare of those artists in need, which includes incidences involving natural disasters, accidents or health issues. The Art Fund also used as a grant for artists to initiating art projects and art activities.
Opening Speech by Angela Hijjas
Ladies and gentlemen, friends.
I was flattered to be asked to open this fund raising exhibition organized by Artriangle, even though I was not quite sure what the fund raising objectives were when Bayu first approached me. But my exposure to his art group, Matahati has always been inspiring, so I was quite sure I was going to support any initiative that they might take, and I wasn’t disappointed.
I first got to know Matahati when Ahmad Shukri was one of our resident artists in 2002, and again last year we hosted another of the Matahati “boys”, Ahmad Fuad Osman. They have always been very keen to share their experience and opportunities with other artists, and they have organized visits for young Malaysian artists to Jogjakarta and Manila, and as well reciprocal visits for Indonesian and Filipino artists; they have shared their gallery and work spaces with visiting artists, and put a huge effort into introducing them to foreign places, taking them to galleries and to meet the collectors in each country.
This is quite contrary to the self absorbed image that we usually have of artists… as it is hugely difficult to combine a creative career with looking after other people, but “the boys” have managed to do that, and to sustain it over many years. I congratulate them all for that.
This exhibition is another example of their initiative to support artists and to take a proactive position rather than waiting for someone else to do something. A similar exhibition was held last year to raise money for the victims of the earthquake in central Java, but as Bayu told me, by the time it was organized and the money raised, the worst of the crisis had passed and an opportunity lost. So that is a part of what this show is about: to create a fund of RM20,000 that is available immediately to support artists’ communities that are affected by similar disasters, or for artists in each of the participating countries who are facing severe hardship.
I’m sure you will all agree that this is greatly needed… artists frequently lack the financial security that others strive for, and it is perhaps their sense of freedom from this constraint that allows them to be creative, but it often comes at a huge personal cost to themselves and their families.
This welfare fund will be used not just for natural disasters, but to help artists cover health care expenses and emergencies. It will be topped up with the money raised by this annual show as it is used. Last year it assisted two Malaysian and two Indonesian artists who were facing personal difficulties.
The second objective of today’s show is to create another fund for artists’ projects. Unfortunately in Malaysia, there are not many agencies that give money to make new work. A few years ago our Ministry allocated RM20 million for artists, but no one seems to know what happened to that… suffice it to say that there is a severe shortage of funding for art projects. The good news is that Artriangle has stepped into the gap. Last year, money from the previous exhibition was used to fund nine art projects, so at last there is somewhere for artists to get this kind of support, and I congratulate Artriangle for this great initiative.
The project funding is only for Malaysian artists, while the relief funding is for all member countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and now including Singapore. But Artriangle is also helping each of the participating countries to set up their own funding mechanisms to support artists’ projects in each country.
And that brings us to today’s show. As you can see, it has wide support from artists of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore. An important aspect of this charity show is that the artist whose work sells, does get 50% of the selling price. Too many charities ask artists to contribute their work for free… no one seems to think that this is a hard ask… the work is there sitting in the studio, why not give it away? Which businessman would think of his stock in this way? But enthusiastic charities are sometimes extremely naïve…
Just as financial reward is important, so too the work must be good; we expect the work to be fresh, something we haven’t seen before, and indeed this show is successful in that regard. The criteria for selection is that the work must be the best, and I’m sure you will find many impressive pieces here. Last year Artriangle raised $90,000 after the costs of the show were deducted, and with your support this year I’m sure it will be more.
When I came for a preview last week, I walked around, looking particularly for the artists whose work I know; there were no labels on at that stage and I couldn’t find Shukri… until I did another round and did indeed find him and his work is a completely new take on his practice to date. A show like this is an opportunity for artists to explore new ideas that might not fit into their current focus, but it could well be the direction for a later body of work, so each of the works here today could be seminal to an artists’ future development.
And at the end of 2008, Matahati goes to Jogja, taking more Malaysian artists with them, for a show hosted by Putu Sutawijaya’s new gallery. Another project this year for Artriangle is to take three artists each from Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, to Liverpool, to develop links between artists and to promote the region’s work in the UK. To get such international exposure is a great experience for the artists, but most could not do it alone, no matter how beneficial it might be to their practice.
It is these initiatives that will make a creative industry for Malaysia. I congratulate Matahati for developing and acting on so many of their good ideas.
I’m sure you will enjoy the show and encourage you to support artists, and support their ideas. We may not have the time or, more importantly, the talent to do what they do, but by being here today and buying their work, we can be an essential part of their projects. Thank you.