ILHAM Art Show 2022

A triennial exhibition platform initiated to give artists in Malaysia the opportunity to experiment and make new work. When the inception of the ILHAM Art Show was announced, Malaysia was under its second lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With museums and galleries closed for extended periods, it felt more important than ever to introduce a programme that would support contemporary artists and stimulate public discussion and critical debate in Malaysia. Over 360 applications were received from a diverse group of artists. The applications were reviewed by a selection panel comprising Rahel Joseph, ILHAM Gallery Director, Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, Senior Curator, National Gallery Singapore, and Zoe Butt, former Artistic Director, The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, Vietnam. Thirty-one artists were selected to be part of the inaugural ILHAM Art Show 2022 — the list was inter-generational, with both emerging and established artists and collectives. The selected artists include Azizan Paiman, Azzaha Ibrahim, Blankmalaysia, CC Kua, Chang Yoong Chia, Cheng Yen Pheng, Chong Yan Chuah, Dhavinder Singh, Dipali Gupta, Eddie Wong, Engku Iman, Haffendi Anuar, Haris Abadi, Hasanul Isyraf Idris, Hoo Fan Chon, Ivan Lam, Izat Arif, Kamal Sabran, Kim, Kumpulan Ukir Kite’ Kelab Kebudayaan Mah Meri, Leon Leong, Mimi Aslinda, Minstrel Kuik, Pangrok Sulap, Samsudin Wahab, Sharon Chin, Tan Kian Ming, Tan Zi Hao, Tetriana Ahmed Fauzi, Tin and Theyvapaalan S Jayaratnam, and Yeoh Choo Kuan. Each artist was awarded an art production grant to be put towards the making of their proposed work. The grant aimed to support the making of new work, particularly work that was experimental, to enable artists to envision the kinds of works that they may not have had the opportunity to pursue in the past.