One of my paintings is featured in the article below in NST Malaysia today.
The caption: Rajinder Singh’s ‘Rain’, (acrylic on canvas) at the Iskandar Malaysia Contemporary Art Show 2009.
Farouk's art
By Anis Ibrahim
2009/04/07
CONTEMPORARY art is often misunderstood. It's seen as pretentious, intentionally controversial, even self-indulgent.
Contemporary art pieces, after all, are never just watercolours of pretty flowers or idyllic scenes of village life.
And if the meaning behind a piece of art isn't instantly obvious, some will give up trying to comprehend it and head towards the nearest "friendly" painting in the gallery.
As a result, Malaysian contemporary art is undervalued and unappreciated, says art collector Farouk Khan.
"Appreciating a classical painting is much easier than understanding contemporary installation art," he says. "You need to think a bit harder to appreciate contemporary art."
But therein lies the value of contemporary art, he adds.
"Contemporary art is more intellectual. It's current, it's 'now' and relevant to what is around us."
Farouk and his wife, Aliya, own 800 Malaysian contemporary art pieces, among the country's largest private art collections.
They own works by established artists such as Jalaini Abu Hassan and Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, and Farouk is always on the lookout for emerging artists and encourages others to do the same.
Young artists whose works he started collecting in 1996, he says, have developed into some of the country's best contemporary artists.
Identifying a good artist involves looking at profiles and not simply picking out famous artists.
"I look at where they've exhibited and whether they've been at art residencies," Farouk says.
"That's a good guide to see how far someone's gone and how far he will go."
Farouk is involved in the Iskandar Malaysia Contemporary Art Show 2009 (IMCAS).
Currently running in Johor Baru until June 14, the show features 1,000 works by more than 100 contemporary artists. Some 150 pieces belong to the Aliya and Farouk Khan collection.
Farouk concedes that not everyone can afford to own art, so his tip is to buy art while it's young.
"Buy good quality art by artists in their prime in their 20s to 30s, when it's cheaper. Don't wait until they reach their 60s. By that time, their art will cost tens of thousands of ringgit."
He says the strongest case for contemporary art is that it represents the cultural development of the country.
"Years down the line, art produced this year will be a record of Malaysia's history, its politics and culture. That's what I see when I look at pieces I bought 10 years ago."
Prospective art collectors would be happy to learn that the price of art never drops. Art, especially contemporary art, always appreciates in value. According to Farouk, the prices of contemporary art have risen higher than for classical art for the simple reason that it is more relevant to the times.
"People can relate to contemporary art better. There is no concept of 'the right time to buy'. The right time is whenever the art is available."
Unlike in foreign art markets, Malaysian art prices have not been affected by the recession.
Art works in China and Europe, for instance, have become more affordable in the wake of the economic slump.
"Our base is so low that our art prices have not been and will not be affected. That's another reason to buy art as and when it's available."
The cultural significance of contemporary art should be reason enough for the country's public institutions to expand their art collections.
Farouk says that while private collectors dominate the art scene at present -- "They don't mind parting with their money to buy art" -- he is happy to note that the National Art Gallery has increased its budget for acquisitions.
"I'm very glad that the new director-general, Dr Mohamed Najib Ahmad Dawa, has raised the gallery's annual budget for contemporary art to RM1 million.
"Ever since he took over, there's been a strong movement towards buying more contemporary art, which is very good.
"The gallery should keep its collections up-to-date, so this is a move in the right direction."
The irony is that Malaysian contemporary art has sold for much more overseas.
In May last year, an artwork by Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann, which sold for RM12,000 locally, fetched RM117,000 at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong.
Similarly, a piece by Jalaini Abu Hassan sold for RM196,000 at another Christie's auction.
As his eyes sweep over the creations on display at IMCAS, Farouk says: "Look at this. Anyone can see that Malaysian contemporary art is a world-class product.
"What a shame it would be if we can't see that ourselves."
