'I'm a one-woman team! Managing three Instagram pages - for my art, the GMBB studio, and curating - has been tough, especially promoting the new curation page. With a team, tasks could be shared, but for now, I’m just a girl driven to support the art community with the contacts and resources to make it happen,' says Lin. Photo: The Star/Shaari Chemat
Tucked away in the GMBB creative mall in Kuala Lumpur, Daniellelinart on Level 1 is often the first store to catch visitors’ attention.
Visitors will likely also spot its tenant, 24-year-old Danielle Lin, either deeply immersed in layering her signature “pastel gore” artworks, or busy on her laptop, preparing materials for her curatorial projects.
Her current project, The Palette Project, a group show which runs through Feb 23, will be held on the same floor. This marks her 10th curatorial showcase, an impressive milestone early in her career.
Aiming to highlight a different perspective on artistic expression, the exhibition will feature palettes, tools, materials, and sketches – offering a rare glimpse into creative process and the sentimental value these objects hold an artist.
Lin poses in front of her store at the GMBB creative mall in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/ Shaari Chemat
“For artists, our palettes and tools are like sidekicks, accompanying us from practice to finished artwork. Over time, these tools develop character, and visitors to my store often comment that my palette itself looks like an artwork,” says Lin, originally from Ipoh, Perak in a recent interview.
While audiences typically see only the final artwork in galleries, this exhibition flips the narrative, encouraging the public to appreciate the artistic lens through which creators view the world and the dedication behind their craft.
“Even if we lost artworks from someone like Leonardo da Vinci, his palette and tools would still serve as historical evidence, providing insight into his artistic process,” she adds.
Finding the right balance
The Palette Project is showcasing 55 artists from diverse backgrounds and career stages, including students from the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA) and Dasein Academy of Art, familiar names like Mat Ali Mat Som, Latif Maulan, Ajim Juxta, Meikei Ho and Liu Cheng Hua, as well as designers and toy makers such as Michael Chuah and Aarifin Amin.
Self-taught artists like Rekha Menon, Doreen Chew, and Jinx are also being featured.
‘As a curator, I advocate for artists, and being one myself helps – I share their struggles. It’s a big task, but I love it and wish more people did the same,’ says Lin. Ptoto: The Star/M. Irsyad
“The curation process was fascinating because I got to see how different artists manage their tools and how this reflects their artwork and personality. Some were meticulous and structured, while others were more relaxed and disorganised – sparking a broader conversation about the artistic process,” says Lin.
The opening reception for The Palette Project will be held on Feb 16 at 3pm. It will also feature an open forum where visitors can engage with a panel of art industry figures, including independent curator/art lecturer Tan Sei Hon, and artists such as Ajim Juxta and Amir Amin.
“As artists, we often support each other by visiting galleries, but we’re usually working in silos. This exhibition provides an opportunity for artists and visitors to discuss the industry and navigate careers in art,” says Lin.
A new role
Lin is no stranger to the curatorial side of the art industry. After graduating from MIA in 2021, she began organising exhibitions among her peers, spending much of her time cataloguing artworks and arranging gallery spaces to best highlight each piece.
Over the years, she has curated solo exhibitions for artists like Alicia Lee and Tan Guat Ling, as well as group showcases such as Sunflowers After Dark, which featured single-parent artists. More recently, she played a role in Telur Pecah 4.0, the annual GMBB art festival, curating an entire section with a surrealist theme.
Lin’s mannequin 'I Am Just A Girl', exhibited at Telur Pecah 3.0, went viral for its resemblance to her and was dubbed ‘Violently Feminine’. Photo: Danielle Lin
Her transition from an artist to a curator was not something she initially planned. However, as she became more involved in organising art events, she realised the immense satisfaction of bringing different artists together and creating meaningful dialogues through exhibitions.
It was through these showcases that she received an offer to open her studio in GMBB.
“GMBB saw my potential and offered me a six-month trial to make this space my own. During this period, I was given the opportunity to practice my art, host event activations, conduct art classes and workshops. Eventually, they offered me a contract as a permanent tenant,” says Lin, who has now been at GMBB for over three years.
“They support me, they understand what I’m trying to bring to the table. Just by virtue of me sitting here painting, many opportunities just walk in (to the store),” she says.
Pastel terror
On canvas, Lin’s artwork reveals a completely different side of her personality. Featuring recurring themes of dismembered body parts and a pink teddy bear (named Pinky) in surreal landscapes, her store is filled with creations that blend cuteness and grotesqueness – think Alice In Wonderland meets The Silence Of The Lambs. She incorporates dream-like elements – dolls, teddy bears, and occasional self-portraits – to depict exaggerated versions of real-life situations. Her work is heavily influenced by surrealist artists Salvador Dali and Mark Ryden.
“As a child, I was often left alone at home while my parents worked, so I immersed myself in books (Enid Blyton was a favourite writer). It wasn’t exactly a fantasy world, but rather a child’s colourful imagination – filled with abstract locations and anthropomorphised objects,” she shares.
A closer look at Lin’s 'The Burial', a painting that poignantly imagines a funeral not for a person, but for a child’s lost imagination. Photo: Danielle Lin
Her artistic approach also reflects the confusion and enthusiasm of a young adult navigating newfound responsibilities and unsettling truths.
“Now, as an adult facing real-world problems, those childhood fantasies have blended with reality. I’m not even a fan of horror or gore – my artworks are simply reflections of what I observe. I am Danielle in my own ‘Wonder-land’,” she says with a laugh.
Lin has showcased her artworks in numerous group exhibitions both locally and internationally. Last year, she held a solo exhibition at Core Design SJCC in Selangor titled Age Of (Un)Innocence.
Her journey in establishing a stable base within GMBB’s supportive art community, while taking the initiative to curate and develop exhibitions, presents an alternative pathway for the new generation of artists. Rather than following traditional routes like art residencies, Lin’s perseverance in building a collaborative relationship has proven mutually beneficial.
“Many of my peers are working at galleries, shadowing a curator, and producing their own works at the same time. We often advise each other whenever we are preparing for an exhibition and I hope there is more of this type of collaborative exchange in the local art scene,” she concludes.
