In a KL hotel, a pop-up art fair turns rooms into 'mini galleries'

Art collectors visit G13's pop-up art exhibition at the CIMB Artober Hotel Art Fair 2021 at Element by Westin in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: G13 Gallery

Kenny Teng, G13 Gallery director, is more accustomed to planning exhibitions with artworks hung on the walls, but there is no issue of exhibiting paintings on hotel room beds and propping them up in tight corners of a (hotel) suite if the main aim is to introduce art to a new audience.

As one of the participating galleries at the CIMB Artober Hotel Art Fair 2021 at the Element by Westin Kuala Lumpur, G13 Gallery is on tour duty in the capital, showcasing 27 contemporary artists in two hotel rooms.

The hotel art fair, supported by the Cultural Economy Development Agency (Cendana), is being held in guest suites converted into mini galleries. It is a public-private ‘TripART’ collaboration between CIMB Group, Cendana and Yayasan Hasanah.

Nine Malaysian art galleries alongside beneficiaries and partners of CIMB Foundation, Cendana and Yayasan Hasanah, are displaying artworks and handicrafts at this pop-up hotel event, which is open to the public until Nov 7.

“We curated a special collection for this Artober Hotel Art Fair. The works are mostly small and mid-scale in size, just the right fit for a hotel room space,” says Teng, who reveals that visitors have been curious about art trends and seeking out new talent.

Art collectors visit Segaris Art Center's 'Sebilik' exhibit at the Artober Hotel Art Fair 2021 in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Segaris Art Center

“In this recovery period for the art industry, it helps to have new ways to market art, and to create an awareness that art can be accessible. We received a good flow of visitors to the (hotel) rooms, new buyers spent time viewing the art and asked interesting questions about the artists,” he adds.

Teng is hoping for a positive spillover effect from this hotel art fair, especially with local galleries adapting and operating with a broader mindset now to attract new collectors.

“In fact, such a programme is in line with the concept of Whole of Nation, where the government and the private sector, as well as NGOs, work together to prosper the development of the country’s creative industry.

“Now, with the reopening of the economy and social sectors, I hope the Malaysian community will revisit the exhibitions at art galleries, while supporting the development of local contemporary art,“ said Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who launched CIMB Artober Hotel Art Fair 2021 recently.

Nizam Rahmat, the gallery director of Kuala Lumpur-based Segaris Art Center, is looking at this hotel art fair platform mostly as a launch pad for young and emerging artists.

Segaris Art Center has opted for a pop-up exhibit titled Sebilik, with affordable art (starting at RM1,000) featuring small paintings, sculptures and prints, while limited edition artist-related merchandise are also available.

"These kind of pop-up exhibitions are beneficial to a new generation of artists, curators, and collectors. It is about (art community) connections, which were severely disrupted by the pandemic for nearly two years. " says Nizam.

"If there is a market outside the gallery space, we can’t ignore it. So this hotel pop-up has a role to useful play.

A view of A+ Works of Art gallery's 'No Vacany' exhibit at the Artober Hotel Art Fair 2021 in Kuala Lumpur. - A+ Works of Art

"As a gallery - in this post-pandemic big picture - we have commercial considerations to stay afloat. But we must also work harder to remind the masses about the importance of art. In Malaysia, art suffered a lot during the pandemic.

"With each visitor or young art enthusiast walking into our (exhibition) room, we can look forward to reconnect and get them to start discovering artists... we must all do our part to ensure that art is not sidelined again. It is a shared mission for everybody to keep Malaysian art going,” he adds.

The other participating galleries at the CIMB Artober Hotel Art Fair 2021 include A+ Works of Art, Art WeMe Contemporary Gallery, ARTAS Galeri, Core Design Gallery, CULT Gallery, Suma Orientalis and Taksu.

CIMB Artober Hotel Art Fair 2021 also saw the introduction of Cendana’s craft initiative Studio C which aims to curate a selection of high-quality craft products that reflect Malaysian artistic heritage, commitment to social responsibility and focus on a more sustainable future.

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