Study, play, work (Breakthorugh curatorial)

Study, play, work.


“Space” and “time” are two important factors in this exhibition. Breakthrough 2010 experiments with the notion of “space” and “time” as media that could be manipulated to enhance an art exhibition’s influence onto the public, the presentation of artworks and how disjointed and disparate exhibition venues could be linked via video technology and the internet (time, sound and visual). “Space” or rather locations and exhibition venues are chosen for specific aims such as to broaden the marketing and reception of the show and to ease accessibility to the artworks. “Time” is defined in this project as events and activities and are planned to enhance the engagement of the public with the artworks and the artists.


Breakthrough is an exhibition that spans three venues across town. Venues are chosen for specific reasons such as their accessibility to visitors, characteristics of the interior spaces, pedestrian’s volume and the main usage of the structures. The selected spaces are the ground floor and lobby of KL PAC, the Dasein Academy’s gallery and The Gallery @ Starhill, which is a commercial gallery located in the heart of Bukit Bintang. Moreover, due to the average-age of the exhibiting artists being below 25 years old and are recent graduates, each venue thematically represents the different aspects of a young artist’s life and creative development. The different parts are learning (study), experimenting (play) and producing works (work).

Activities such as art talks and screening of video works are conducted at the different venues as this exhibition is as an attempt to dissipate art and artists into the city, though this Utopian vision ironically uses basic marketing strategies in order to achieve that aim. The show will rely heavily on the internet for marketing and linkages such as banners, blogs and social networking sites and the disparate exhibition venues are connected through data transfer and streaming-video. This type of connectivity is not new in linking exhibitions as this has been done in Design Shows in the West as a way to connect interactions between different exhibition spaces and to increase the perceptual and interactive possibilities. Viewers in one location are able to view works and communicate using sound or visuals with spectators in the other spaces which could be in another hall or city. Less effort is required to communicate and view more artworks. Creating linkages between spaces will in return create a smooth flow of information between spaces, artworks and viewers.


The works in the show include traditional oil paintings, drawings, and sculptures and also more novel media such as photography, video works and installations. The eclectic choice of works illustrates the diverse practice of young up-coming artists working in Kuala Lumpur. Specific works are chosen for specific venues and the choices were made by the artists and the organizing team.

Dasein Gallery which is a public space in the Dasein Academy of Art is situated in the residential area of Wangsa Maju, in the outskirt of the city. Due to gallery being situated in an important academic institution, the space has been segregated to display works that illustrates the methodology of the artists’ thinking process, experimental small scale works, working drawings and some video works. These sketches and studies will serve as sources of reference for the young art students in the hosting academy. Talks conducted by the participating artists will also be held here to increase the interactive value of the exhibition with the public. This exhibition space will be informally titled “study”.


KL Pac which is mainly a center for the staging performances will house installation art and video works. Spatial and time-based works that may require the audience’s participation are chosen for this site deliberately for the works to harmoniously blend with the structure’s built function as the theater-goers will have a chance to view and interact with the works while taking breaks from music shows or plays. The site which is situated in the lobby of the building will be filled with banners displaying information of the exhibition such as the “happenings” in the other spaces and serves as a vital linkage to the other two venues. This venue is also chosen to exemplify the diverse practice of contemporary Malaysian artists. Many young artists display interest in incorporating time, narration and the use of digital imagery into their works and this venue’s aim is to highlight that curiosity and experimentation. This space is unofficially called “play” to connote a lighthearted and experimental tone of the works displayed.


The final space is a commercial gallery situated in the heart of Bukit Bintang. It is a prestigious space in an up-scale mall. This site was chosen to hint at the commercial nature of the art practice where these young artists will finally venture into as their career matures. A generic “white space”, the gallery’s main function is to trade artworks with cash thus the gallery is set to display more traditional artworks such as paintings, sculptures with the incorporation of a number of installations and video works to thematically tie the exhibition. This venue will allow the young artists’ works to be viewed by art collectors and patrons as-well-as pedestrians that frequent the busy shopping area. Moreover, the space will introduce the young artists to the professional-side of the art-market. This space, which is unceremoniously labeled as “work” will serve as a summary of the exhibition and where presentations by the artists will be held and the opening reception.

Breakthrough 2010, located in a performing arts center, creative academic institution and a commercial gallery metaphorically illustrates a complex working practice of a contemporary young artist and hints at the importance of strategic spaces and well-planned events as tools to propel their careers forward. The creative individual is required to balance playtime, work and study which are activities are hinted by the chosen venues. The use of technology as a method of informing large bodies of spectators and strategic placements of artworks and advertisements will serve as attempt at educating the public in Kuala Lumpur on the progress of the contemporary art scene.

Technology merely serves as a linkage between the spaces and in reality, technology, mainly the internet and digital photography are already serving as important linkages between a young artist’s daily activities, linking information and ideas of his research (study) to his experiments (play) and his final products (work).


-Haffendi Anuar