Metro

Monday October 19, 2009

Promoting local art talents

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PENANG artists should band together and work towards a common goal to ensure that local talents stand a chance of gaining recognition beyond the state and country, Penang Art Society president Ch’ng Huck Theng said.

He said local artists were as talented as their foreign counterparts, and as such, there should be greater emphasis on showcasing their talent to the world.

'Old Age' by Lim Dang Chii.

“If we don’t work together as one, the art scene won’t progress.

“We should be united and promote our art together as this will give us a better chance of getting recognition,” he said at the opening ceremony of the recent Penang Art Society 56th anniversary exhibition at the state art gallery in Dewan Sri Pinang.

"A Strong Hold" by Sylvain Yong.

The exhibition, which ran from Oct 3 to Oct 15, featured 75 artists whose works encompassed everything from oil paintings to watercolours, photographs and sculptures.

CIMB Investment Bank’s equity capital markets director Bingley Sim, a passionate art collector who was a guest-of-honour at the opening ceremony, said Penang artists had come up with many wonderful works but added that collectors in other places such as Kuala Lumpur were not really aware of their talent yet.

Penang-born Sim, currently based in Kuala Lumpur, also shared fond memories of getting involved in the art scene.

Buying his first piece in 2004 as an investment, he has over time gained a deeper, newfound appreciation for art.

“There is so much pleasure looking at paintings that I can literally stare at them for hours. It was then that I realised I had become an art collector,” he said.

Also present during the ceremony were National Art Gallery director general Mohd Najib Dawa, Penang Art Society past president Datuk Koh Wee Khian and State Museum and Art Gallery curator Haryani Mohamed.

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