Malaysia’s creative community mall GMBB and founding curator Phillip Wong returns today with its second edition of contemporary art show Telur Pecah to celebrate diversity in arts with 128 diverse artists. Its official launch today was graced and officiated by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri.
Started in 2021 as an exhibition to share the works of Malaysian artists during the pandemic, Telur Pecah is back – bigger and better! The success of its first edition has become the catalyst for Telur Pecah 2.022 to become a platform not only to bridge the general Malaysian public with the arts, but also an opportunity and platform to bring Malaysian artworks together. Running from 12 October to 13 November 2022, Telur Pecah 2.022 will feature more than 300 artworks of 128 amateur and established independent Malaysian artists, curated into 10 categories. The art exhibition is made possible through the support of various organizations such as Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA), University Teknologi MARA, Aswara Malaysia, UCSI University, Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia, Persatuan Seni Rupa Malaysia (PeRUPA), WOW 1.0 from Kota Kinabalu, HAUS from Kuching as well as GMBB tenants GERIMIS and OLFAC3 Perfumes who will be scenting certain sections of the exhibition.
Acknowledging the importance of arts and culture in encouraging inclusion and celebrating diversity, GMBB believes in doing #MoreTogether for, and with, the Malaysian creative arts community. Lim Ying Xian, Curator of GMBB shared, “One of the goals that GMBB hopes to achieve – and what we feel sets us apart – is for people to see that art is in everything around them. The art in our stories, our history, our words, from street art to fine art, even to the art behind the clothes we wear, art is in everything around us. We hope that by doing things like this, we will be able to create more demand for local artisanal and cultural products whilst providing a platform for more artists, artisans and creatives to showcase their talent and diversity to the public.”
Lim continued, “Telur Pecah is one such initiative in doing #MoreTogether with the community of artists in Malaysia. It is one of GMBB’s main forays into the fine arts field, leveraging on the versatility and accessibility of the spaces that the mall has. As the founding organizer of Telur Pecah back in 2021, GMBB returns this year with a better understanding on the needs and challenges faced by organising a contemporary art show.”
2022 sees GMBB growing their art show by more than doubling the line-up of artists. This year, Telur Pecah 2.022 will feature a whole group of senior artists, some exciting new media artists, many installations and solo exhibitions featuring a wide variety of mediums from smoke to natural installations (roots and vines), AR art, and more. “We also have artists participating all the way from Sabah and Sarawak as well as a category featuring Orang Asli artists. The vision is to bring everyone together and to do #MoreTogether with the broader creative arts community,” added Lim.
Telur Pecah 2.022 is curated by Phillip Wong, a former member of the National Visual Development Board and an active advocate of youth art movements for over three decades. The contemporary art exhibition is built around the concept of being independent, in-the-moment, inspired and authentically Malaysian. In this post-pandemic era, Phillip felt the need to create a platform where Malaysians can come together for a meaningful time of supporting Malaysian art and artists. “It is my vision to establish Telur Pecah as a platform where all artists in Malaysia regardless of their backgrounds will have an opportunity to showcase their artworks,” said Phillip. Eschewing conventions in sticking to his journey, Phillip hopes that Telur Pecah’s titular reference – breaking the egg yolk while frying an egg – will help #meanMore in breaking the artistic conventions that have curtailed the general Malaysian public’s appreciation of the arts.
Telur Pecah 2.022 features 10 general categories based on the profile of artists. This categorization is a deliberate choice by Phillip to let the artworks speak for themselves, resulting in a colourful and surprising experience that would #meanMore. With creative names such as MUSE, INSIDE OUT, GENERATION, GIFTED and FUTURE, the categories of Telur Pecah 2.022 reflects the inclusivity that underlines the unique diversity of artists in Malaysia. GIFTED features the talents of special needs children regardless of disability or condition while INDIGENOUS presents pieces by Orang Asli artists whose indigenous roots is a key component and characteristic of their art. Meanwhile, INSIDE OUT offers a rare opportunity for graffiti artists to paint the inside of a building instead of outside, promoting inclusion even with formerly controversial genres like graffiti.
Telur Pecah 2.022 will be held at Kesana-Kesini, a GMBB shared space located on its 3A floor and is open to the public from 12 October to 13 November 2022 from 11am to 8pm. Admission is free and public are welcome to purchase any of the showcased artworks.
Aside from providing temporary and permanent homes for many independent artists and creative businesses, GMBB also comes up with its own events, calendar, and content in a sustainable manner while supporting the creative and cultural community to do the same. Some upcoming activities that will be happening at GMBB includes a community-driven Halloween celebration and a series of workshops centred around the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.
For more information about GMBB and Telur Pecah 2.022 or our latest happenings, please follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gmbbkl/ or Instagram at www.instagram.com/gmbb.kl