Contemporary artist Ain Rahman’s installation Deep The Sea, Above Galaxy was a long time in the making. With the finishing touches placed earlier this month, the dark and mysterious cuboid installation now stands at Core Design Gallery in Petaling Jaya, an imposing assembly of fabric and sculpture that looks as stoic as it is fluid.
In this exhibition space, a fogging device provides the “mist” while the fabric billows in the gentle breeze. It invites you to dive into the inky sea, then soar above the clouds in the dark sky, as deep and as high as you can go.
This multi-sensorial installation is definitely also much more than that.
For the Kelantan-based Ain, the opportunity to put up an exhibit in these pandemic times is an achievement in itself.
She explains that the idea was to create an immersive environment by utilising the space as part of the work. Working on this piece during the lockdown was challenging, to say the least.
She needed a gallery space, and Ain is one of the fortunate artists this year to realise a project considering the amount of art exhibitions postponed and several art programmes disrupted by pandemic closures.
The past months have seen Ain overcoming various difficulties, from material sourcing to putting together the installation on site.
“I was inspired by the struggle, hardships and challenges of the situation that everyone including me was going through. We were all in the deep sea trying to swim up to take a breath of air, a reflection of how we are suffocating and need to break free from the shackles in order to move towards the light of hope.
“I worked on this installation with a heavy heart, as the self-isolation really got to me and I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that Covid-19 cases were on the rise. Yet I was determined to push on. I like to think this is captured in the stretchable fabric in this piece, which is also used in women’s stockings. It shows how we can be fragile, yet resilient. When tested, we too can be stretched mentally or physically, yet emerge strong and brave on the other side,” says Ain.
The process of creating Deep The Sea, Above Galaxy was streamed in a series of videos on Core Design Gallery’s Instagram, essentially merging visual art and performance art, at a time where virtual and remote engagement has become the new norm.
While having the process documented in this way is a new experience for Ain, she reflects on how she was pleasantly surprised at the response from the public.
“Usually, viewers are only focused on the finished artwork or product, and rarely are given the chance to experience the process-making. What surprised me with these videos was that people were curious and wanted to engage,” she notes.
Now that the gallery is open to the public, Deep The Sea, Above Galaxy can be viewed in person.
Out of the box
Art galleries have closed and reopened several times throughout the pandemic, with the recent MCO being a particularly tough period for galleries across the nation.
At Core Design Gallery, the New Formal solo exhibition by Nor Tijan Firdaus early this year ran for only five days before another lockdown was imposed.
“It was frustrating because we were really excited to share the show with more people. But this is the reality of the situation that we had to face and embrace,” says gallery director Scarlette Lee.
But perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel.
As businesses resume operations and people start venturing out, with masks on and social distancing a mark of today’s living, things are starting to pick up on the art front too.
“Once we were allowed to operate, both the art industry people and the general public started making appointments with us. They wanted to drop by to view Ain’s installation. This approach is good and manageable for us, as it means a constant, slow trickle of visitors in small groups,” she says.
Lee adds that Deep The Sea, Above Galaxy, conceptualised and set up during the pandemic and lockdown, forced them to think out of the box and engage with the public through live streaming to show the making of the installation art.
It certainly added another dimension to the art appreciation, as it gave the public an insight into the art-making process.
But she maintains that viewing the work in person is necessary for the full immersive experience.
“This whole pandemic situation generally has shifted Malaysians to the online platform, be it retail or even the arts industry. While I think digital presentations provide better awareness on the movement of our local arts, the physical viewing is what truly does justice to an artwork especially if it is a sculpture, assemblage or installation.
“Art is meant to immerse the viewers emotionally through a physical presence,” she says.
Many shows that were planned for this year had to be postponed due to the pandemic restrictions. But Core Design Gallery is looking forward to busy months ahead.
There will be a solo exhibition by Husin Hourmain on contemporary Islamic calligraphy, a solo exhibition by Hirzaq Harris, a group exhibition titled Soya Cincau Extreme that features black and white mixed media works, and other projects with collaborating regional galleries.
“We are trying to catch up for lost time, so we plan, try to think creatively, think out of the box and hope for the best,” says Lee.
Room for reinvention
Core Design Gallery is not alone in having to close exhibitions prematurely to the public.
In fact, Segaris Art Centre in Kuala Lumpur had a sold-out show this year that never got to open its doors to the public.
All the artworks in Kide Baharudin’s Sa-Hari-Hari, initially scheduled for a July opening, were snapped up online by eager buyers and collectors.
“This young artist has avid followers and fans who are always waiting for his new pieces. His themes are very relatable to most people, as they are mostly a throwback to the old days and feature familiar sights like the kampung and kopitiam,” says gallery director Nizam Rahmat.
He shares that running an art gallery during the pandemic has been fraught with challenges, but the most frustrating aspect is not being able to display works in the gallery and invite the public to view them.
“The ultimate goal for these artists is to have a physical exhibition once their artworks are out of the studio. But during this time, they can’t put their works up on the walls and art lovers miss out on viewing art in person,” he says.
Nizam also adds that with the situation looking as bleak as it is, they expected that interest in buying art would wane.
But instead, the opposite happened.
“We noticed several new and young art collectors surfacing during this time. And here we thought that art would be the last thing on people’s minds during this time!” he enthuses.
In April this year, Segaris Art Center had just enough time to present veteran artist Jalaini Abu Hassan’s well-received Landskap Daerah Samar on-site exhibition, while its first hanging show post lockdown features newcomer artist FaFa’s Panorama exhibition, which has also been warmly welcomed by new collectors.
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Segaris Art Center, the gallery will have a showcase commemorating the past decade at Whitebox, Publika in KL early next month.
It will feature more than 50 works by Malaysian contemporary artists.
In November, an outdoor public sculpture exhibition titled Connectivity by Ramlan Abdullah, will be held at The Square in Publika. To wrap up the year, a solo show by Daud Rahim will be held from November to December at the gallery.
Segaris Art Center is a participating gallery of CIMB Artober 2021.
Liza Ho, the founder of The Back Room KL, is also looking ahead to, at least, five on-site exhibitions before the year ends.
The mood is to move forward with careful planning.
The past year, says Ho, has been a series of showcasing exhibits that have not had much chance to be viewed by the wider public. Virtual exhibits have been a lifeline for The Back Room KL.
“It has been all about resilience and the struggle to figure things out in the last few months. We really had to be versatile and find new ways to keep going, especially with galleries shut nationwide,” says Ho.
As for hands-on experience, Ho practically had to shoot on-site videos herself for some of Back Room KL’s virtual shows.
“We’re not a big gallery, but we’re willing to experiment and engage with the broader online audience. But I admit that online exhibitions are still a challenge. It’s not for all collectors. It will take more time.
“Right now, we will continue to have on-site and virtual options available for exhibitions. That said, art collecting in Malaysia is moving in new directions, and we have to re-imagine the gallery experience, to get people excited about art again... either when they come to the gallery, or click online to view a show,” says Ho.
Since May, the Back Room KL has managed five online exhibitions, with established names such as Liew Kwai Fai and Hasanul Isyraf Idris (a collaborative show with Richard Koh Fine Art) sharing the virtual spotlight with newcomer artists in two group shows. The gallery’s reopening exhibit featuring Noor Mahnun Mohamed is a hybrid show, with an online presence and gallery walk-in option.
Rolling with the punches
G13 Gallery in Petaling Jaya was one of the busiest in the Klang Valley. With a mixture of solo and group exhibitions, the gallery puts out, on average, 10 exhibitions, six Project Room showcases and six foreign exhibitions/art markets annually.
With guarded enthusiasm, Kenny Teng, the gallery’s director and co-founder, is relieved that he can make the most of the remaining three months of the year with on-site exhibitions permitted again.
“Online shows certainly cannot replace one’s experience of seeing an exhibition physically, but this is the best alternative in the current situation. We will continue this exhibition format even if the situation returns to normal,” says Teng, who put out four online shows during the lockdown period.
Now that galleries are allowed to reopen for fully vaccinated visitors, G13 Gallery welcomes visitors, albeit by appointment only. Teng says there will be strict SOP put in place including limiting the number of visitors to 10 at any given time for a maximum of one hour only.
“There will be no big exhibition openings for now. We all miss the pre-pandemic days of art scene socialising but with the new normal, we have to scale things down. The art is still there, we just have to manage things differently, and more importantly, keep everybody safe when they visit the gallery,” he says.
G13 Gallery’s next exhibition titled Suzlee Ibrahim: Selected Series 2005-2017, will be on from Oct 1-23.
There will also be a group show in November, featuring senior modernist artists Jolly Koh, Sharifah Fatimah, Tajuddin Ismail, Fauzan Omar and Awang Damit, while senior artist Jolly Koh will have a preview of his Jolly@80 exhibition in December.
But Teng admits that putting together on-site exhibitions is difficult in this pandemic era.
“Currently, exhibition planning needs to take into account the Covid-19 situation factors as well as the SOP. But we are committed nonetheless to creating a safe environment for our visitors,” says Teng.
Also, K5 Gallery, an extension of G13 Gallery, was opened last March at Aurora Bukit Jalil. This new gallery focuses on young artists. Apart from one exhibition in April, the gallery has been closed ever since.
As for gallerist-artist relationships, Teng also feels it’s important to keep the artists motivated.
“We share the plans that are made and the direction for future programmes with them. We did not stop having exhibitions to encourage the artists to gain more exposure. All parties need to adapt, be innovative and accept the situation we are facing,” he mentions.
Despite an arguably blank year in terms of exhibitions, Fergana Art founder Jaafar Ismail is taking things in his stride.
“One cannot be frustrated in a pandemic. One has to address the situation with rationality and assess everything based on facts and good evidence.
“Perhaps the most important reflection arising from this pandemic is a re-evaluation of the practice and business of art - from creating, showing, marketing, selling, locating and positioning in the overall scheme of the global creative ecosystem,” offers Jaafar.
“All these assessments of course will be even sharper when posited within the local and national economic productivity pie of the country. In a way, it’s a valuable time-out that may well offer pivotal changes for the better,” he adds.
Fergana Art has had no exhibitions since last October.
A new multimedia group show called Pemulihan: Pembaharuan is slated to open on Nov 15, with multiple art spaces in Publika to be utilised. The show, featuring photojournalists, artists, writers and filmmakers, will continue with the pandemic-related themes introduced by the Bridging The Distance: Making Us Stronger exhibition held last June.
It will be Fergana’s only exhibition this year. Pemulihan: Pembaharuan had already been postponed twice thus far.
‘It’s a show that is clearly a victim of circumstances,” says Jaafar.
Additionally, Jaafar feels that artists and cultural workers are one of the worst hit by the pandemic.
“The creative workers suffer in the absence of a national social safety net and worse have to resort to the ‘grant economy’.
“Grants aren’t a new phenomenon. But given that Malaysia and its corporations haven’t quite considered creative workers as one of the pillars of the national economy, the thin and corporate CSR driven “grantocracy economy” is exacerbated into pitiful feebleness.
“In short, artists and the supply side of the creative economy are staring at abject, if not certain, poverty,” concludes Jaafar.
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