After nearly 2 years of renovation, National Art Gallery to reopen in May

'Walking Through A Songline', a pop-up digital experience based on part of the National Museum of Australia’s internationally-acclaimed exhibition 'Songlines: Tracking The Seven Sisters' is one of the exhibition highlights in the National Art Gallery's reopening programme in KL. Photo: National Museum of Australia

The National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur is scheduled to open its doors to the public in May, after being closed for major roof repair and renovation since August 2020.

This was announced at the launch of the National Art Gallery Programme Calendar 2022 at the gallery today (Feb 15), which was officiated by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

The Buy Art Malaysia programme, which kicked off in 2021, was also officially launched at this event. The initiative, which aims to rejuvenate the local art industry, saw the distribution of vouchers in October and November last year, for collectors and art enthusiasts to purchase art.

This programme continues this year.

Among the exhibitions that will mark the reopening of the National Art Gallery is NUSA, which will feature close to 400 selected artworks from the National Collection.

From left, National Art Gallery director general Amerrudin Ahmad, minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Nancy Shukri and chairman of the National Visual Art Development Board Datuk Tom Abang Saufi at the launch of National Art Gallery's 2022 programme on Feb 15. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah

NUSA will explore the notion of motherland, or homeland, in relationship with diversity in the context of Malaysia and the region.

The Singles exhibition will showcase some of today's leading Malaysian contemporary artists, including names such as Saiful Razman, Red Hong Yi, Shafiq Nordin and Latiff Maulan. The group show is set to give visitors a chance to catch up with the prevalent, upcoming trends in the contemporary art scene here.

A digital art spectacle is also on the cards. Through a collaboration with the National Museum of Australia and Mosster Studio, the Walking Through A Songline exhibition, will make a tour stop at the National Art Gallery. This is a digital experience that pays tribute to Aboriginal Australians and explores how an entire continent has been mapped for, and by, its people over millennia. This interactive exhibition is also based on part of the National Museum of Australia’s internationally-acclaimed exhibition Songlines: Tracking The Seven Sisters.

“Due to the pandemic and movement control orders, the 2021 programme was a hybrid of on-site and online events. To mark the reopening of the gallery in May, these impactful exhibitions will be designed for an on-site experience as well as online engagement to offer access to those who are abroad or cannot visit the gallery,” says Datuk Tom Abang Saufi, chairman of the National Visual Arts Development Board.

At the Art Hospital, visitors will be able to observe the conservation work being carried out by the gallery’s Collection and Conservation unit. Photo: Balai Seni Negara

The National Art Gallery’s Art Hospital - its National Art Repository and Conservation Centre - will also be starting operations this year, providing facilities for collection storage and offering consultation services to the public.

Visitors will be able to observe the conservation work being carried out by the gallery’s Collection and Conservation unit.

If you need a space for art research, then the National Art Resource Centre is where you need to visit soon. The public will have access to art books, exhibition catalogues, (national) collection artists files and archival material. This resource hub will also feature more than 10,000 art publications and related material.

Other highlights for the year include the seventh edition of the Young Art Entrepreneurs (YAE!) programme which offers entrepreneurship courses and an artist studio residency to Malaysian artists between ages of 18 to 35; the second edition of the Malaysia Art Ecosystem Festival (MAEF); and community art programme, Art To Heart, that aims to connect art practitioners with the public at large through events such as bazaars and competitions.

The National Art Gallery is set to reopen in May, with a series of exciting exhibitions, public programmes and the introduction of the Art Hospital facility. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan

If you are travelling this year, check out the public art displays at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Penang International Airport, Kuching International Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

“KUL Art Airport showcases art by local artists at these airports, the main gateways to Malaysia. This collaboration between the National Art Gallery with Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad embraces the spirit of the National Art Gallery’s ‘Seni Di Lokasi’ (Art On Site) concept as adopted in its Bakat Muda Sezaman (Young Contemporaries) Award 2021,” says Datuk Tom.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s edition of the BMS saw participants present art on-site, in various locations around the country. The winning entries will be announced soon.