New Contemporary Art Festival In Malaysia
Malaysia – Reported by Elite Traveler, the Private Jet Lifestyle Magazine
The Minister of Tourism Malaysia, YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen recently announced another exciting and innovative tourism product, the “1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism 2010” (MCAT 2010) Festival, which aims at targeting more high-yield tourists to visit Malaysia.
MCAT 2010 is as an effort to spur the development of the local contemporary art scene. It is Malaysia’s first contemporary art event and will be held annually from July to September. It will showcase the most explosive, dynamic and provocative art produced by internationally-acclaimed Malaysian-born artists through a series of exhibitions as well as seminars nationwide.
MCAT 2010 aims to establish Malaysia as a reputable destination for art aficionados. It will also help encourage art gallery owners to launch new pieces by young artists that will set the trend for the future.
Speaking at a media conference, YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng said the Ministry believes that MCAT 2010 will educate, excite and inspire both local and foreign visitors particularly on the beauty and variety of contemporary art.
“We are indeed very glad to introduce MCAT – Malaysia’s first Contemporary Art Tourism Festival. With rising interest and demand for contemporary creative works, I hope that this event will serve as a meeting point for art enthusiasts, gallery owners, artists as well as new generation of collectors from all over the world in forging business alliance, acquiring new contemporary art works, sharing ideas and exchanging information – all under one roof.”
Among the key highlights are the vibrant works by some of the best internationally-acclaimed Malaysian artists, such as Abdul Multhalib Musa, who is regarded as one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary sculptors, abstract expressionist Yusoff Ghani, and visual artist/writer A. Jegadeva; Dhavinder Gill.
According to Dato’ Sri Dr Ng, the new initiative will contribute RM115 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and create two-million jobs by 2015.
The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia is also highlighting the Festival via its “Tourism Art Trail,” a directory that contains a listing of contemporary art galleries, seminars and talks on Malaysia’s contemporary art scene, information on places where tourists can visit, as well as events that they can participate or attend.
www.tourism.gov.my/corporate/mediacentre