Khazanah Nasional Bhd has officially launched a virtual art gallery to showcase its collection housed at Slate @ The Row in Kuala Lumpur City from August 25 to September 4.

Entitled Time Together: Exploring Art Through Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s Collection, the inaugural virtual art exhibition features 57 artworks by 29 senior, established and young Malaysian artists, including Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, Datuk Ibrahim Hussein, Khalil Ibrahim, Latiff Mohidin, Dato’ Sharifah Fatimah, Yusof Ghani, Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Jalaini Abu Hassan, Anurendra Jegadeva, Kow Leong Kiang, Yee I-Lann, Fauzul Yusri, Liew Kung Yu, Haffendi Anuar and more.

According to Khazanah Managing Director Datuk Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir, the launch of this art gallery is aligned with the company’s Advancing Malaysia strategy to build capacity and spur vibrant communities for the benefit of all Malaysians.

The exhibition captures the stories of Malaysia through the journey of time, from the meaningful representations of the selected artworks to the life journeys of the artists themselves. These Malaysian narratives are exemplified in such artworks by Latiff Mohidin (1960); M Zain Idris (1970); Ahmad Khalid Yusof (1980); Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng (1991); and Kok Yew Puah (1993), to name but a few.

These are some of the collections that are displayed at their gallery.

Penjual Nasi Dagang, 2006 by Ismail Mat Hussin
Image / Khazanah Nasional

Pago Pago, 1968 by Latiff Mohidin
Image / Khazanah Nasional

Untitled, 2001 by Datuk Ibrahim Hussein
Image / Khazanah Nasional

Badak, 2013 by Ahmad Zakii Anwar
Image / Khazanah Nasional

The journey began as some of these senior artists were granted scholarships to receive tertiary education abroad in the 1950s, and upon their return they applied their knowledge as educators in the newly independent Malaya.

A number of these artists were advocates for the advancement of Malaysian art; some of whom had either established or participated in art associations, became integral figures in art institutions and galleries, and became ambassadors and promoters of Malaysian art on the global stage.

Galeri Khazanah will also include the pieces of eight young and emerging artists from the Khazanah Arts Residency between 2017 and 2022.

The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, officiated the launch of the virtual gallery.

In his speech, Sultan Nazrin explained how art connects our past, present and future through historical context, so learning about our history helps us to understand more about our background.

The physical gallery is Slate @ The Row, 52, Jalan Doraisamy, Chow Kit 50300 Kuala Lumpur and opens daily from 10.00am – 6.00pm.

More information about the virtual exhibition can be found at Khazanah Nasional’s website.