A ONE-OF-ITS-KIND art exhibition in Malaysia, called “Of Spaces in Between,” has been creating a buzz at the Hin Bus Depot in George Town, Penang, and the Zhan Art Space in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
The exhibition, featuring the artworks of 24 artists, is happening simultaneously at two different locations.
Curator Ivan Gabriel said the 24 artists, including two pairs of couples, created two different but complementary artworks each based on the theme of ‘duality’. Both their physical artworks are not displayed at the same venue, but rather one at each respective venue. Thus, 22 artworks are now being displayed at the Hin Bus Depot and another 22 at Zhan Art Space, making a total of 44 artworks.
“With the aid of augmented reality (AR) technology, viewers will get to explore and discover the artworks in an immersive way without having to travel to both locations.
“To do that, one needs to download an app, called PERK Reality, on a smartphone or a tablet. This would allow the viewers to scan the patterned tile beside each physical artwork in one gallery to view the augmented artwork from the other gallery through the digital device.
“The exhibition is to maximise the current technology available, taking a step further in enhancing the experience of a traditional art exhibition.
“This is a show exploring the notions of duality. For me, duality in this contemporary society is neither just these opposing forces – good and bad, light and dark, order and chaos, life and death, as there are many nuances in between them. In fact, duality is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from the masks we put on to the conflicting emotions we experience, and even to the contrasting opinions that shape our worldview.
“And the participating artists are mindful of these facts,” Ivan said.
Citing an example of duality, he showed the artworks of Sharon Kow, an established coloured pencil artist. Her two pieces, titled “Atemporality and Sempiternity”, are coloured pencil works of tree roots to reflect that living things will die, and disintegrate but will also regenerate.
“She uses colour pencils, which are oftentimes perceived as a fun thing for children. But she takes it to greater heights with what she can do with the medium.
“Her works gravitate towards realism or hyper-realism sometimes. Atemporality, the work on display, means life, be it nature or human’s, existing without relation to time or boundaries, whereas, Sempiternity, its AR counterpart explores the existence within time itself but infinitely into the future,” Ivan explained.
The most affordable artwork in the exhibition is the tiniest and the cutest, costing RM300 each, from toy artist Kangblabla. He titled his creations, Posi. for positive, and Nega. for negative, and both were already snapped up by a visitor in Penang on the opening day.
Perhaps the most special exhibit, an old steering wheel of a Mercedes car, comes from well-known Penang artist bibichun.
If you place your hands on the steering wheel and press it hard, it lets out a loud honk. Over in Petaling Jaya, bibichun uses a steering wheel of a Mini Cooper as his physical creation.
“Oftentimes, we cannot touch the artists’ artworks, but bibichun allows you to touch his, as it is the only interactive artwork in the show. His work talks about something very powerful once you scan the AR.
‘’The others are interactive only through the app, but you are not meant to touch them’’.
“The AR scanning reveals a text which reads ‘’Everybody wants to be heard but nobody wants to listen’’, shows the fundamental value of being a human, empathy, yet it is also the least experienced in this contemporary world.
“Equating this exhibit to a car caught in a traffic jam, you honk at someone else because you are so busy, and you want to get somewhere. But then you have put yourself first. It’s all about me. You don’t know what else goes on with the other person. Maybe someone else has a bigger issue than you. Maybe you are late for your work but someone else has an emergency. How we treat others is different from how we want other people to treat us.
“Apart from the thin line between empathy and selfishness, peeling off a layer deeper one would realise the work also talks about the value of time. What makes one’s time much more valuable than the others?
“That is why everybody wants to be heard but nobody wants to listen. You all want it to be about you. That is why the work becomes very powerful because the AR provides the context essential for you to understand the world better.”
bibichun’s artwork in Penang, is titled, “Will You Hear Me Now?”
Ivan said he hit upon the idea of this exhibition, using technology, when Penang-based artist Aboud Fares created PERK Reality at the end of 2021 and approached him for collaboration.
Aboud, who is also involved with the ARmenian Park project in February this year, is one of the participants in the “Of Space in Between” exhibition. His artworks are untitled iron masks.
What pleases Ivan about this exhibition is that it has attracted both young and old art collectors and visitors since it opened on April 8 in Penang and on April 15 in Petaling Jaya.
He said he does not rule out the possibility of hosting one such art exhibition simultaneously in Malaysia and Europe using similar AR technology because he has a friend in Sweden who owns a gallery.
“Because of what Aboud has done with PERK Reality, the possibilities are completely endless. That said, I have, however, to be mindful of the logistics to get the physical artwork to Sweden.
“What I am incredibly appreciative of is the support that the Penang Art District has given to us. It is because of their support that we can have this exhibition being showcased in this manner,” said Ivan, who has curated about 30 shows during a six-year career.
Penang Art District director Kenny Ng shared that this collaboration between Hin Bus Depot and ZHAN Art Space is admirable and a strategic move to connect both Penang and Klang Valley art institutions together.
“Not only does it promote and showcase the diversity and quality of contemporary art produced across Malaysia, but it also fosters a greater appreciation of art appreciation among the public encouraging dialogue and ideas among artists, curators, and audiences. Most important of all is that we want to assist the artists through this exhibition,” Ng said.
ZHAN Art Space founder and curator Desmond Tong said in this age of digitalisation and artificial intelligence, they are excited to include technology as part of an immersive art exhibition alongside Hin Bus Depot.
“Of Spaces in Between is a visual feast that celebrates diversity, multiplicity, and complexity in the human experience. We hope that viewers are inspired by the curated works, and be awed by the possibilities of modernity,” Tong said.
The exhibition at the Hin Bus Depot in Penang runs until April 30 (from noon to 7pm on weekdays and 11am to 7pm on weekends) while the show at ZHAN Art Space runs until May 15 (from 10am to 5pm daily except on Mondays).
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat and courtesy of Ivan Gabriel