We informed artist, their friends, and also for those interested to participate through e-mails, face book and also through our main website.So far there are hundreds of submissions online and still more to come. However this figure does not include the artists that we already know and have personally told us that they want to participate. We give the title to our exhibition-Pelita Hati-Open Show 2010.
As this exhibition is an open show there is no limitation to the theme, size of the artwork and medium used. We do not want to limit the creativity of participants. However, we do assess and screen all submissions and we may have to limit it to around 40 to 50 artworks for the final participation-exhibition.
For the final selection there will be 5 people involved and among them is Tengku Elina who is our gallery curator and also from our senior artists. Many factors are taken into consideration. This includes creative use of media, composition, originality and quality of artwork. What we hope that this event will indirectly reflect the current trends in Malaysian art although this is not included specifically as a selection criterion.
Pelita Hati has always been a trendsetter in the Malaysian art scene-whether people realize it or not. Ever since we started the gallery in 1995, we focused on promoting young and emerging artists and are continuously looking out for new talents and artworks using new media. We have been rather daring in doing this and have even showcased experimental and installation art, which is not what other commercial gallery is keen in doing. As one can see what Pelita Hati has done this rather well and works of young and emerging artists has caught the interest of many. The outcome is that today many galleries are doing what we started – that is showcasing young and emerging artists.
Art galleries do to a certain extent dictate and create a new wave in the art scene. Galleries promote works and the works that are more aggressively promoted will of course get more exposure. Works that galleries promote are viewed as works that have achieved a certain standard and can set a trend in its popularity. These in turn influence the type of artworks produced by other artists. What we hope to see is a more diverse representation of artworks by the galleries. Each gallery should have their own identity and carry artworks that go in line with this identity. Only then will the different types of artworks be represented.
We feel that Malaysian art is heading towards contemporary art and hope that local artists do not lose the Malaysian identity. Malaysia has such a rich blend or cultures and I strongly feel that our artists should make the most of this. Audiences want to see works that they can relate to, work that is interesting, composition that is original. Some collectors of course want to see work that appeal to them, others, works that have investment potential.
Pelita Hati-Open Show 2010 is not just for emerging artists. The show also allows artist to experiment with new media. Of course in an exhibition like this we hope we will discover new talents. Should there be an artist with exceptional or outstanding work the exhibition can definitely be a platform to launch his/her career. For a young artist this is important. A good review about his /her work can suddenly make the artist popular and the artworks greatly sought after.