The founder of Wei-Ling Gallery reflects on 20 years of artistic endeavours

Lim says she looks for artists who are unwavering in their outlook and who are unafraid to challenge themselves and to push against the grain. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star

Twenty years ago Lim Wei-Ling set out to create a platform that would allow artists to share their “voice” and present themselves to the world. It must have been perceived as an unusual move for her to make as at the time, Lim had little exposure to running a gallery.

“It has been a challenge for me,” she says. “Apart from having visited a few exhibitions, and collecting a few pieces, I really didn’t know much about the art industry,” she says. “It was a steep learning curve, and a lot of the decisions were made based on my own intuition and doing what I thought was right.”

But she is also one who embraces the idea of taking the road less travelled. And it was that spirit which eventually led to the Townhouse Gallery being established in 2002.

The stars must have been aligned for her as at that time Lim had just left her career as a stockbroker when she started exploring some painting of her own. It was more about self-reflection, she says, than about exhibiting the work. But that led to her taking up a townhouse in Bangsar that would serve as a studio cum exhibition space. It was from there that the gallery evolved, eventually assuming a life of its own.

She often describes the early years as her just simply “putting one foot in front of the other and walking the path”. But she eventually found her footing, and took a firm stance as to what she wanted her gallery to be. And that was to take the contemporary Malaysian art scene international, among others.

That she certainly has. Wei-Ling Gallery has been at the forefront in introducing and presenting Malaysian artists to international markets and audiences through mounting international exhibitions and showing work at numerous art fairs across the globe since 2005. These include China, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, the United States and Hong Kong, among others. In 2019, Lim was appointed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to spearhead the way in presenting the first ever Malaysian pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia which featured the works of Anurendra Jegadeva, Ivan Lam, H.H. Lim and Zulkifli Yusoff, supported by Creador Foundation, BRDB and Seeing Eye Films.

Reflecting upon the last 20 years, Lim says that the gallery has now taken on a significant role that goes beyond just being a commercial gallery. Today, she believes that the gallery has assumed a quasi-institutional role In being a bridge to presenting the practices of international artists to Malaysian audiences.

This was achieved through the showing of seminal works by critically acclaimed international artists like Ahmet Öğüt, Anida Yoeu Ali, Heather Dewey-Hapborg, Roger Ballen, Arin Runjang, Melati Suryodarmo, Dadang Christanto and Tintin Wulia, amongst others, at the gallery’s spaces in Kuala Lumpur.

“The last ten years has been crucial in developing these relationships and it has been a humbling experience working with such important names in the art world,” she says, “understanding where they are coming from, and seeing how committed they are to the messages they want to get across through their work.”

Lim Wei-Ling celebrates the 20th anniversary of her eponymous gallery.

What she observed from these artists is that it is always – first and foremost – about their work, “no two ways about it.”

“It is inherent to their being,” she explains. “What was surprising (to me) is that there were no big egos or divas. I learnt that greatness comes from the work that you do and being secure in who you are. There is nothing to prove beyond that. It has been a most gratifying and eye-opening experience working with them.”

These experiences have also shaped the way Lim manages the gallery. In the early years, if she came across an artist whose work she liked, she would invite them to exhibit. It was all very casual, she recalls.

Now that the gallery has taken on a larger role, the process has become a lot more discerning.

“Before I work with someone today, there has to be a clear understanding of where the person is coming from,” she says. “There are processes involved in the selection of the artists we represent, especially the new artists.”

The gallery, she says, comes from the standpoint that it is about the artist. That should be the starting point of an exhibition. That the artist should be clear about where they are in the context of the art world today.

“What their message is, and how relevant it is against the backdrop of the world they are living,” she explains. By addressing this, the artist also explores the role of the artist today.

Today, for the gallery to work with an artist, there has to be a certain synergy between both parties. When that is established, it is a given that the gallery will be committed to the artist.

“I have complete conviction in the artists whom I work with,” she states. “I believe in them. We work with people who are sincere, possess integrity and are committed to their practice. I look for artists who are unwavering in their outlook and who are unafraid to challenge themselves and to push against the grain.”

It was while she was an art student in Australia that Lim became familiar with the idea of artists who create work for the sake of it, those who derive satisfaction from the making of work and who keep at it till satisfied. It was also then she discovered the process of exploration that an artist undergoes when making an artwork.

When the artists encounters a stumbling block, she reflects, they have to resolve it on their own. No-one is able to provide those answers for the artists. “They are literally in a black hole-struggling to find some light to their questions. It is a tough journey.”

Over time she has come to the realisation that real artists are “chosen”, and there is a path that is selected for them and nothing will stop them.

“It is a calling,” she stressed, “It is those artists that the gallery works with and represents.”

The commitment with which she runs the gallery is reflected by the fact that her gallery – which began as Townhouse Gallery – now carries her name.“There is a legitimacy in using my name,” she explains. “It shows that I am prepared to put my name to work shown here.”

As the gallery now hits a milestone, Lim is preparing for an eventful year that will feature a major exhibition mid-year, one that will mirror the transition of the gallery, as well as upcoming blockbuster shows by Ivan Lam, Anurendra Jegadeva and acclaimed Indonesian artist Titarubi. But as the gallery also moves out of its burgeoning years and heads into “adulthood”, there are also important questions to contemplate, in terms of the role of the gallery over the next 20 years.

Already, there are various initiatives in place that are aimed at realising the other objectives of the gallery: to encourage passion in the arts, building a community and to spark awareness through art. In 2021, the gallery launched the “Wei-Ling Gallery Podcast” which explores different art questions and gets into the minds of artists. The gallery also has a dedicated YouTube channel which features mini documentaries about the journeys of the artists they represent, entitled The Malaysian Art Series. They also conduct regular interviews with artists whom they work with to provide a deeper insight for those who are interested in learning more.

This year they have created a new art platform called, “IGNITE by WLG” which provokes a re-evaluation of the idea that art collecting is for the elite. In a concentrated effort to make art collecting more accessible to a wider audience, and to open up the opportunity to introduce contemporary Malaysian art to younger or new collectors, all works of art in this section are priced RM10,000 and below. This space will offer curated artworks by serious Malaysian artists who are making statements through their art, and are progressive in their approach towards their art practice.

An important programme also being run by the gallery is the “WLG Incubator” which identifies the next generation of Malaysian artists, providing them the opportunity to be mentored by an established artist. Tang Tze Lye, whose work It’s Been a While, and I’m Finally Here..., which is currently showing at the gallery, was part of the initiative. He was mentored by Ivan Lam in 2020.

“It has been no easy feat,” she describes, looking back on the past 20 years. But she believes that her experience in stockbroking prepared her for the mammoth task of running her own gallery. If she delved into it soon after completing her degree in jewellery design, the path would have been very different.

There have been challenges, she admits, but at the same time the process has been an inspiring and fulfilling one. For Lim, her drive comes from pushing the boundaries of the gallery.

“The minute anything becomes easy, you have to start thinking of where you are going with it,” she says. “It is about pushing yourself, evolving, growing and getting better,” she says.