Nourish the soul at the 2011 Malaysia Contemporary Arts Festival

Written/Compiled and Reported by Chi Binghui

Visiting exhibitions and appreciating artworks can always inspire more ideas and spark greater creativity. Last year’s “1 Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival,” held for the first time, quickly became an international highlight, attracting 42,000 visitors. This July to September, Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism is once again hosting the grand “2011 1 Malaysia Contemporary Arts Festival,” aiming to introduce travelers from around the world to a different side of Malaysia through a series of exhibitions and events across the country.

This year’s Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism Festival is themed “Malaysia, Your New Art Tourism Destination.” It will showcase works by Malaysian contemporary artists through a series of nationwide exhibitions. This year, the festival has also partnered with major shopping malls, hotels, resorts, galleries, and convention centers to jointly display some of the artworks, allowing the entire nation to immerse itself in a rich artistic atmosphere.

Additionally, seven Malaysian states—Melaka, Penang, Kedah, Pahang, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak, as well as the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur—will each present exhibitions featuring different types of art, drawing on their unique historical and cultural environments. Participating master artists include abstract art master Yusuf Ghani, Eston Tan—who just opened a special landscape oil painting exhibition in Taiwan in June—rising star artist Gan Chin Lee, and prominent figures in the Malaysian contemporary art scene such as Choy Chun Wei, Yau Bee Ling, and Chin Kong Yee. Also taking part are internationally renowned Malaysian artists such as Stephen Menon, Ivan Lam, Hamidi Hadi, Clement Ooi, Nadiah Abdul Jalil, and Hasnul Jamal Saidon. Moreover, a massive 3-foot by 30-foot “super canvas mural,” collaboratively created by Malaysian contemporary artists, will be exhibited at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), leaving a beautiful mark on this year’s arts festival.