The Alpha Utara Gallery owner Mr. Sui Hoe wrote me an email saying that due to the replacement of new staff at the Gallery there will be no shows at the gallery til later date and all those shows already slated for exhibition will be canceled. Whoopee! So much for a lucky break when you needed it. Now it leaves me with the Solo Show at the Penang State which will be opened on the 19th. The show will be Entitled Penang Heart and Soul and hopefully to be officiated by the Director of the National Art Gallery, Dr.Prof. Najib Dawa. Ihave been lloking forward to this show till the last few weeks wheren I could not find any help in setting up my works in terms of framing and mounting. I have asked Mr. Lee Khai of the Alpha Utara gallery to be the curator and he has agreed to do it however he also asked me to approach Joe Sidek as he might be the better person to do it. Talked to Joe this morning after dropping off my daughter at the Little Penang Street Market where she works at the information booth. Joe as usual was too busy setting up his stall for me to have any chance of communicating about my intention with him. Without some financial help in terms of framing and setting up of the works I am at a loss. The show might go on but the quality of putting up the works effectively will be compromised.
Lee and Joe are the two people at the moment that i am counting on in lending me a helping hand to set up this show and Lee is more or less committed to it but Joe has yet to give an answer. Is this part of the 'Test' for me as an artist? What more can happen before i am allowed a free passage to hold a perfect sho without too much stumbling block standing in my way? I have tried but I guesse i have not tried hard enough or perhaps I am looking for simpler solutions to my problems. I like both these gentlemen and appreciate very much for what they have tried to do for me in motivating myself towards not giving up being creative and even excell despite my shortcomings. I hate to think that they might take it that i am taking them for granted if I do not go on with the show on account of not being able to meet the simple demands of hanging the works without asking for their help when I need it.
I am on the verge of cancelling this show too for there are times when I have felt it too much for too little, as it cost me too much time and money and the returns is questionable. I cannot give up now that it is about to happen my chance to finally have a show at the State Art Gallery.
Today met an artist while I was doing a sketch at a coffee shop having my breakfast at Taman Saadon in Bukit Gelugor. His name is Hasnee A.Rahman and he is a 'Sports Artist' like the American Painter Neiman Marcus. Hasnee seems like a well established artis and has a gallery in Taman Melawati in KL. After taking him to the USM Gallery Tuanku Fauziah for a visit we learned that he had known my twin brother who had also bought a painting from him at one time. I enjoy talking to him about the state of Art and Artists in Malaysia today and was not surprised to learn that Malaysia is not a friendly environment for artists to make a living at especially Malay Artists who have no strong connections or are patronized by art collectors.
After our visit together I went back to the Gallery at USM and thought out what I make of this state of my day to day living. What am i not doing right, what can I do to further make things happen so that i can produce my works without too much hassle? I find that the only thing can do is to keep on doing what I am doing and do it alot better just because. The car is paid up and so is the rent and my children are at home or working at Little Penang and all I have is time on my hand to do what I am suppose to do. Finish the long sketch and get it to the State gallery and let the Staff there figure it out how to hand a one hundred feet long sketch. The rest is easy to handle, so be it.
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