CIMB, Cendana, Yayasan Hasanah join hands to spur arts and culture scene's recovery

From left: CIMB Group chief sustainability officer Gurdip Singh Sidhu, CENDANA founding CEO Izan Satrina Mohd Sallehudin and Yayasan Hasanah managing director Datuk Shahira Ahmed Bazari.

KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (CIMB), the Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA) and Yayasan Hasanah are collaborating to spur the recovery of Malaysia’s arts, cultural and heritage ecosystem.

Under the public-private tripartite, or TripART, collaboration, they would spearhead three different initiatives in order to collectively uplift the arts and cultural scene, CIMB said in a statement today.

"The collaboration will see them cross-promoting their programmes with a joint calendar of activities from October to December 2021 to create a greater holistic impact,” it said.

The highlight of the three-month long collaboration will be a Hotel Art Fair from November 4-7, 2021, at Element Kuala Lumpur, where over 50 artists represented by nine galleries as well as selected beneficiaries and partners of CIMB Foundation, CENDANA and Yayasan Hasanah will be displaying their artwork in hotel rooms converted into a series of mini-galleries.

"The TripART collaboration was conceptualised in recognition of the need for both the public and private sectors to effectively collaborate in supporting artists, performers and craftsmen within the marketplace, therefore preserving their livelihoods and strengthening the economic viability of the local arts ecosystem.

"Their livelihoods depend on the vibrancy of the arts scene, tourism and events industry, which have been severely disrupted since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020," it added.

It said the collaboration also aimed at supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 10 and 11 on promoting inclusive and sustainable growth, reducing inequalities, and creating sustainable cities and communities, respectively.

As part of the TripART collaboration, CIMB is holding its second CIMB Artober initiative, introducing more curated digital content, art talks and exhibitions by 10 participating commercial art galleries over 13 weekends, featuring over 100 local artists with over 350 artworks.

Meanwhile, CENDANA will be organising its Art In The City campaign, presenting nine key programmes offering more than 100 activities including a creative economy forum, open arts classes, and traditional arts platform.

Yayasan Hasanah’s Arts for All Seasons launches its platform to honour and showcase Malaysia’s preserved and conserved arts, heritage, and culture through 31 public events that are made accessible to all - connecting our heritage to generations of tomorrow.

CIMB Group chief sustainability officer Gurdip Singh Sidhu said the CIMB Artober initiative was also aimed at supporting the resilience and livelihoods of local artists and art galleries.

"As part of CIMB Artober, we are also offering exclusive deals on staycations with our hotel partners and special offers for our CIMB credit card customers.

"We hope these will generate greater interest and support from the public for the local arts scene,” he said. - Bernama