CORE contemporary art

‘The After Noughties’ is a group show featuring those young and mid-career Malaysian contemporary artists whose dynamic art practices are setting the direction of our art movement. Through a mix of palettes, mediums and subject matter, the artworks on display at ‘The After Noughties’ are a mirror for the vibrant diversity of Malaysia’s lived experiences today. Yet to really know where we are going, we need to know where we came from. This is the query addressed by ‘The Foundation’, where artworks by the first generation of Malaysian contemporary artists are shown. Viewed in tandem, conversations arise between the works on display at these two showings that shape current understandings of local contemporary art history, a field that continues to develop.

Clear parallels exist between the 2 showings at `Art-Tastik’.  There is a quality of production and technical skill across all works, from the younger to more senior artists. Additionally audiences will note a strength in philosophical thinking. These are demonstrated in a diverse display of skills, from a mix of mediums such as painting, ceramic, Perspex and print, to topics such as global socio-politics, local myths or art historical concerns. This diversity in visuals and conversations is a mirror for the complex nature of Malaysia herself; made of several conversations, identities and simultaneous concerns with the local and global.

By presenting `Art-Tastik’ in two distinct spaces in the Subang area, `Art-Tastik’ highlights the expansion of Kuala Lumpur not only as Malaysia’s capital city, but a dynamic hub fitting of a Global Alpha City. As a city that is fast becoming a key node in global networks, Kuala Lumpur’s value extends far past socio-economic terms, to the intellectual, cultural and innovative, paralleling other Global Alpha Cities. Here in Kuala Lumpur a distinct cultural identity has long been palpable not only in terms of heritage, but via the strong contemporary art ecology. As this grows several cultural nucleuses have formed around artist collectives, galleries or street art activities, indicating several creative spaces link together to suggest a broader cultural identity in Kuala Lumpur. In Subang, which is a key suburb, this identity has been amplified not only through art but a thriving dining, design and retail landscape. Through the two exhibition stagings `Art-Tastik’ draws attention to the blossoming of new spaces throughout Kuala Lumpur, showing us all how this is city where we can truly live and thrive.