Art
6 Things You Didn’t Know About Balai Seni
Here are some un-Googleable facts about Balai Seni, shared by Balai Seni themselves.
"Did you even know that we have a National Visual Arts Gallery?" Phillip Wong, a member for the National Visual Arts Development Board was both being inquisitive, and highlighting just how little exposure ‘Balai Seni Negara’ (National Art Gallery) has had over the years. This is in comparison to other arts and culture landmarks, “A lot of people know where Istana Budaya is but most people do not know that ‘Balai Seni’ is situated just next to it.”
Phillip has been working with Balai Seni since 2008. He has about 25 years worth of experience in the local art industry (“I’ve wanted to be an artist ever since I was 6.”). As an artist, he participated in his first show when he was 26 at the private gallery in Isetan, Lot 10 and hasn’t looked back since. Along the way he has dabbled in stage acting, producing drama series’ and has even had a stint in fashion. Then in 2008, he was invited to be on the National Visual Arts Development Board where he served from 2008 to 2012. He was asked to return to the Board this year to preside over the PR and Marketing functions for Balai Seni. On top of his duties with Balai Seni, he also runs his own private gallery, Artseni, and is an active artist himself (“My subject is the human mind”).
Phillip is also one of the curators for the Red Bull #EhWauBulan project. The project is looking to bring together local artists to commemorate the 59th year of Malaysia’s independence with a two week long exhibition in August this year.
He has over 25 years of experience in the scene
© Phillip Wong
Given his relative experience working with Balai Seni, we sat down and asked him to share with us six less known facts about Balai Seni.
1. Balai Seni is actually doing a pretty awesome thing
The preservation and promotion of art forms may not always take center stage in country planning but it is no less important in tracing and documenting a country’s gradual progression from its roots. Balai Seni’s mission is to gather, conserve, preserve, display and promote local art work. At the same time, it aims to foster greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of art and artists at all levels of society. Its mission is governed by the gazetted National Visual Arts Development Board Act 2011 (Act 724).
2. It owns about 3,600 pieces of art
They were collected over a span of about 60 years. The main thrust of the collection is to have a historical representation of an artist’s work. Balance is key though. They usually avoid purchasing too many pieces from a single artist and they are constantly looking for pieces to complete collections.
3. The most expensive art piece bought costs about RM150,000
Granted it was a large installation piece. Money’s not easily flung around though. All recommended acquisitions have to be approved by the Board. Kind of like a ‘shopping’ council. They consider the quality of the piece, as well as its potential value appreciation before giving the green light. Balai Seni also works with partners to stay in touch with contemporary art trends in the market.
4. You, yes you, can display your work at Balai Seni today
There is a creative space in the lobby of its admin building that is an open gallery for all aspiring artists. All you have to do is go over to Balai Seni, fill up a form, and they will inform you if you’ve been selected for an exhibition. Your work has to be decent, of course. Exhibitions in that space change every two weeks so do take advantage of that if you’re tired of dealing with difficult private gallery owners.
Most are not aware of the existence of Balai Seni
© Balai Seni
5. They have a ‘cool’ store room
Like literally. The storage room that houses Balai Seni’s collections is outfitted with a ventilation and an air conditioning system that regulates the temperature of the room to around 25°C and 55% relative humidity, ensuring that these pieces will be preserved optimally over a long period of time.
6. They’ve housed Rauschenberg’s work before
Keen observers of pop art and its history would be familiar with Robert Rauschenberg’s work. Some would credit his early work for giving inspiration to the pop artists of the 50s. A series he painted for the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) Malaysia was displayed in Balai Seni in 1990.
For more information on Balai Seni, visit www.artgallery.gov.my
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