ESSAY 1 : Mary Tang

THE CHALLENGE OF ARTISTS, GALLERIES AND ART COLLECTORS IN MALAYSIA NOWADAYS

Generally,we knew that artist sare the people who producing amazing artworks for people to enjoy art. Galleries play the roles of promoting artist sand selling artworks to art collectors.  The artworks that promoted from galleries toart collectors  can be an investment or appreciated of the effort and emotional of the artists. But, does Malaysia art market still practice this system? How effective of this system? It is just Malaysia still practice this system? How about other country? I am curious.

After I graduated for mart school year 2011, I get myself involved in Malaysia art scene until today.  I was worked as an artist assistant and galleries assistant for years in this lovely country. I found out that what I mentioned above is an ideal system. Trough my experienced, art market in Malaysia nowadays are more complex and more challenge that we can’t imaging.  I can say that a lot of Malaysian artist still don’t have awarenes soft herapid change of the current local art markets.

Nowadays, a lot of art auction houses buildin Malaysia, such asThe Edge Auction House, Henry
Butcher Art Auction and Master piece Auction House. Those auction houses had told an important role in Malaysia art market. These auction houses collected a lot of pannier local artists
such as Yeoh Mun Shen, Latiff Mohidin, Chuah Thean Theng artworks for the auctions. A lot of
art collectors (included foreigners art collectors) willing to spending billions of Ringgit to own the pannier artists art works for the auction houses.  Most the intention of the collectors buying artworks from auction houses is an investment and still some of the collector buy those artworks are for their own pride.

When auction houses take the biggest pieces of cake in Malaysia art market, local art galleries and emerging artists will face some crisis.  Nowadays, lot of galleries has lost their charm as the meddleman to promote artist and selling artworks. This sad situation happened it is because a lot of art collector has changed the way of art consuming. A lot of the collectors found the artworks from auction houses are cheaper and the artists in the auction houses are more famous.  Moreover, most of the art collectors in this country just will collect modern artworks. A lot of collectors are appreciated the effort of the young and emerging artists contemporary artworks, but they will not purchase the artworks. What are the major facts the make local art collectors not to purchase contemporary artworks? Economic status? Education? Whatelse? I  am curious to know.

The rapid grown of the auction houses also broke a lot of young artists dream and surviving kits . lot of artists (including young and emerging senior artists) try to sell their artwork trough online and not
go to the art galleries. Social Networks is the new media to look for new art collectors. The charm of social networks is no country border and more people will knew about this artist. But,social networks still have the risk of pragmatic.

As a conclusion, we are living in a near of rapid change.  A lot of Malaysian artists still doesn’t have the awareness of rapid change of art market that can effect  the future of Malaysian art  scene.

MaryTang
2014