Get creative: Ilham Gallery launches open call show, production grants to assist artists


The inaugural Ilham Art Show is scheduled for 2022. This filepic shows the 'Chia Yu Chian: Private Lives' exhibition at Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Faihan Ghani

Artists and art collectives based in Malaysia, can now submit their proposals for the inaugural Ilham Art Show.

The Ilham Art Show, which will run from February to July 2022, is a triennial exhibition platform initiated by Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur that offers artists an opportunity to experiment and be boldly creative.

“This is the first time we are organising an open call exhibition. The last 14 months of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns have been very challenging. As one of the few institutional galleries in Malaysia, we felt this is a good way to support contemporary artists in the country, particularly those working outside the conventions of the gallery system, ” says Rahel Joseph, director of Ilham Gallery.

Each selected artist will receive a production grant between RM2,000 and RM8,000 to be put towards the making of their proposed artwork.

Applications can be submitted in English or Bahasa Malaysia.

Both Malaysians and non-Malaysians can apply.

“The Ilham Art Show is a way of encouraging artists to experiment and make new work. It is also a way to discover new emerging talent. This is why we are encouraging both emerging and established artists to apply, ” adds Rahel.

The submitted proposal must be of an original work that has not been previously exhibited.

It can be in any medium, including painting, drawing, photography, installation, textile, sculpture, mixed media and new media.

“As the Ilham Art show is open to any medium, we are hoping to get a diverse range of mediums which will reflect what is happening in the contemporary scene in Malaysia, ” she says.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection panel comprising Rahel, Singapore-based curator Shabbir Hussain Mustafa and The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre (Vietnam) artistic director Zoe Butt.

Applications can be made here. The deadline for submission is July 2,11.59pm.

More info here.

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