FOR the next couple of weeks, Fahrenheit88 mall in the heart of KL – just off Bukit Bintang – will be the home of ARTisFAIR, the biggest hybrid art exhibition in the country, that aims to challenge perceptions about art while serving as a showcase for art pieces from Malaysia and Indonesia.
ARTisFAIR, which dominates the interior of the four-storey shopping centre, as well as two vast yet different gallery spaces, will house more than 2,000 pieces of artwork (mostly paintings, using a variety of methods and materials) made by over 500 artists.
Its stated goal is to connect emerging and established artists with collectors, in addition to sparking an appreciation in art among the general public.
"This immersive art event was born out of a desire to champion creativity and make art accessible to a wider, appreciative audience," says Andrew Yap, co-creator of ARTisFAIR and founder of BookXcess, among other things.
"By transforming this massive mall space into the largest art exhibition in the region, we're inviting people of all walks of life to view the brilliance of contemporary art, while giving them the chance to actually own a piece."
With the pandemic seemingly stabilised at a certain level, more and more interior spaces meant for crowd-friendly events will open up, and ARTisFAIR is one of the first art exhibits to take advantage of this ‘new normal.’
The wide-open spaces of the galleries hope to diffuse the notion that art and art appreciation is only reserved for a certain class, while the artworks displayed prominently throughout the mall are unavoidable and are sure to stimulate the curiosity of passersby.
“Never in my wildest dreams,” said Datuk Seri Bernard Chandran, co-creator of ARTisFAIR and fashion impresario, on branching out from high fashion to contemporary art.
“In our ‘new world’ per se, the dimension of contemporary art needs to be presented outside the gallery, in a more dynamic and lively way for people to interact with it, understand its relevance, and ultimately think that it’s cool.”
Chandran personally took on the job of curating the artwork.
“I took on everything as an art form by using the original crates and boxes to frame the art and mounting them on industrial broken walls, with plywood and hoarding.
“It’s raw, cool and beautiful.”
.jpg)
In fact, in many areas of the gallery space, the artwork is sometimes arranged according to themes or motifs, such as eyes, birds, or explicit content. There are also green, red and blue display areas dominated by artworks dependent on those colours.
The duo was joined by Nicholas Siau of Papu (Pop Art Pop-Up), who has been active in the experimental art scene for a few years.
“I wanted people to buy art because they wanted it, not for any other reason, only because they liked it,” said Nicholas.
For those who are able and interested in taking the extra step, many of the art pieces on display are accompanied by QR codes that when scanned brings them to a webpage where they can perhaps purchase said artwork. The website www.artisfairkl.com is designed specifically for this purpose.
Affiliated with major books retailer BookXcess, the top floor gallery has space for a bookstore filled with art books for shoppers to peruse. The aesthetic is in keeping with the rest of the space and is artful in its way. More interestingly, there are plenty of RM1 art prints just waiting to be framed up.
ARTisFAIR will run from November 11 to 28 at Fahrenheit88, admittance to the mall is obviously free and so is entry to the art galleries. It’s not a long period, so if anyone is interested in getting lost in some art – plenty of which are breathtaking – then there’s no better time than ASAP. – The Vibes, November 11, 2021
