[FIRESIDE CHAT] Art Without Borders: The AFK Collection Brings Malaysian Stories to Abu Dhabi
What does Malaysia really look like through the eyes of its artists?
Founders and curators of The AFK Collection, Farouk and Aliya Khan, along with their daughter Zena Khan, take us behind the scenes of their groundbreaking exhibition, "To Know Malaysia is To Love Malaysia," currently showing at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.
From exploring Malaysia’s cultural shifts to spotlighting forgotten histories and political movements, this exhibition is redefining how Malaysian contemporary art is seen on the world stage.
In this exclusive interview, the curators break down the themes, the installation process, and the ripple effects this international platform could have on Malaysia’s creative future.
#SinarDaily #FiresideChat #AFKCollection #ToKnowMalaysiaIsToLoveMalaysia #MalaysianArt #ContemporaryArt #ArtWithoutBorders #AbuDhabiExhibition #ZenaKhan #FaroukKhan #AliyaKhan #SoutheastAsianArt #CulturalFoundationAbuDhabi #MalaysiaToTheWorld #ArtCurators
What does Malaysia really look like through the eyes of its artists?
Founders and curators of The AFK Collection, Farouk and Aliya Khan, along with their daughter Zena Khan, take us behind the scenes of their groundbreaking exhibition, "To Know Malaysia is To Love Malaysia," currently showing at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.
From exploring Malaysia’s cultural shifts to spotlighting forgotten histories and political movements, this exhibition is redefining how Malaysian contemporary art is seen on the world stage.
In this exclusive interview, the curators break down the themes, the installation process, and the ripple effects this international platform could have on Malaysia’s creative future.
#SinarDaily #FiresideChat #AFKCollection #ToKnowMalaysiaIsToLoveMalaysia #MalaysianArt #ContemporaryArt #ArtWithoutBorders #AbuDhabiExhibition #ZenaKhan #FaroukKhan #AliyaKhan #SoutheastAsianArt #CulturalFoundationAbuDhabi #MalaysiaToTheWorld #ArtCurators
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I'm Ali and this is my husband Farooq Khan and we decided to move to Malaysia in the mid-90s
00:12around 1994 and move to Bangsar area and to get to know the area it was new to us we were driving
00:22around and we started noticing art galleries and I had a great interest in art which Farooq didn't
00:28but we moved from Singapore and we just started going into the galleries and the art really was
00:36very interesting and exciting the visual resonated with us there were different kind of works we saw
00:42and very interestingly we saw a lot of mixed media work and Farooq who was Singaporean not really
00:51interested in art of course he loves music and everything music is his big passion but started
00:56to follow me to the art shows and galleries and it kind of kind of I think the visual of the Malaysian
01:04contemporary art really sparked something in him and that's how we started so my name is Zana Khan
01:09and as you mentioned I'm curator of the AFK collection which is very much a family endeavor
01:16because I'm also the daughter of collectors Ali and Farooq Khan and I think curating the collection
01:21is such a privilege and hopefully a natural step because I grew up watching my parents assemble the collection
01:29going on studio visits with them listening to stories about the artists watching this whole process
01:37firsthand which I like to think has given me a really intimate knowledge which I've further explored
01:43through my academic work I have a degree in curating contemporary art from the Royal College of Art in London
01:48and over 10-12 years of writing and curating experience here in Malaysia I've done projects in Pakistan in the Middle East in London
01:58and yeah so that's what I do but my main focus is curating and writing about Malaysian contemporary art
02:06and exploring the explosion of art in the global south
02:10The AFK collection is a development of a collection unlike many other collections because we took the effort to understand the narrative of the Malaysian contemporary movement
02:24we took the effort to understand the timeline of the Malaysian art movement and we actually drew up some sort of a map on how the Malaysian art system was
02:36contemporary system was developing because there was very little written information or knowledge about it at that time
02:43and we spoke we did a lot of research we did a lot of engagement with underground curators of that time who were more involved with the thing
02:52so the collection started in fact along the lines of a narrative of the Malaysian contemporary movement
03:00so it was it wasn't so much as me and Alia trying to buy works that we like
03:05but trying having understood who were the important Malaysian artists
03:10what were the within the respective genres that existed at that time within the timeline of the entire movement
03:18we then set about buying artworks to fill up within the narrative
03:24so it started on the basis of building up a collection based on the narrative of what was important and relevant within the Malaysian art movement
03:34so there was a structure to the build up of the collection
03:37so today you actually have this repository of the first generation Malaysian artists
03:43who were engaged in developing conceptual art in engaging mixed media in engaging painting in sculpture installations
03:54whatever the different genres that existed so we collected across the board
04:00now what that ensured then it ensured we did not become what I term gallery collectors
04:08most people collect along the lines of a gallery that they are familiar with
04:13along the line of a group of friends that they are familiar with and they restrict themselves to that
04:19in our case because we were following a broader narrative
04:23it ensured that we would collect across the board
04:26we would go to any gallery we would go to every gallery
04:29the artists who were fit within the narrative where they were showing
04:33we would then make a point to go to that gallery whether we knew them whether we were comfortable with them or otherwise
04:39so the collection that today exists as a representation of the broader range of the Malaysian contemporary movement itself
04:47which I think is very very right
04:49it came about fruition through discussions at various level
04:53and also within the very strong development of art and culture within the UAE
05:02the UAE today is the process of building huge museums
05:07large number of museums and not just in the UAE in Qatar and Saudi Arabia as well
05:12and interestingly in the case of the UAE they are showing interest in the development of the global south
05:18I think with the development of the Guggenheim within the UAE itself
05:23which is a huge museum
05:25they have decided that engaging and relating to the global south
05:31is a good direction for Abu Dhabi to highlight the cultures of all this area
05:37and to use it to develop their tourism industry as well
05:42and not many museums in the world highlight the global south
05:45you know we always focus on the western development of art
05:49or now more recently within China, Japan and Korea
05:55and to some extent to India
05:57so they take it on a new direction
05:59and they've heard about the Ali Al Farukhan collection
06:03and the AFK Malaysian Contemporary Collection
06:06is the first project within the global south project
06:13so it was done at the cultural foundation of Abu Dhabi
06:19a very loved cultural centre within Abu Dhabi itself
06:23and I think that the whole thing has worked out very well
06:29in fact I think the show has exceeded expectations from everybody
06:34we've had rave reviews of Malaysian art and Malaysian artists
06:39from the Society of Abu Dhabi
06:43and you must understand that Abu Dhabi also caters to international curators
06:47in view of the number of museums and cultural events that they have
06:52so it's been an interesting introduction of Malaysian contemporary art to the wider world
06:58it's been a well-kept secret and all of a sudden it's burst out into the scene
07:04I would say that the reviews and comments to date has been well beyond our expectations
07:10we are surprised at how successful this show has become
07:13it's actually the first major exhibition of Malaysian contemporary art at an international museum
07:19so thinking about that was really important
07:22because I always feel like it's good to start with the foundation
07:25and the very first question I would have
07:27I would have about an art movement that I was being introduced to is
07:30what's it about?
07:32so when you're looking at Malaysian contemporary art
07:35what's it about?
07:36how did it start?
07:37what was the origins of the movement?
07:39and a really really exciting thing about Malaysian art
07:43which other people have said back to me is
07:46it is this visual articulation of this really dynamic moment
07:51as society changed in the post-independence period
07:54which is actually in fact due to political policy, social policy, educational policy, economic policy
08:02shifts which lead to shifts in demographic
08:05you know the urbanization of once rural communities
08:08changes in the way we use technology
08:11changes to the landscape of the world around us
08:13my dad loves to tell me these stories about being in the 70s
08:16and driving up to Singapore to Penang with his brother
08:19and stopping to eat durian on the way
08:21and it's like back roads
08:23and now it's like all highways
08:25I can't imagine having to do that drive
08:27I don't think you could either
08:28you know?
08:29so I wanted to give people that feeling of how they could understand and encapsulate
08:36so we decided to do it with a look at the history of Malaysian contemporary art
08:41and have a parallel narrative which was the emergence of the contemporary Malaysian society
08:47so through this exhibition you're actually reading two histories
08:51the art history, the social history
08:54and a third story emerges which is the value of collection building and patronage for emerging art movements
09:01it was really wonderful
09:04I loved, it's a big team of women I worked with
09:07who are all charming, passionate, knowledgeable, great leaders
09:12they have so much ability
09:14they can do the most difficult task and make it just
09:18it's like cream they do it so effortlessly
09:20so I learnt a lot
09:22we have I would like to say such a great camaraderie between us
09:26I think because of our shared love for art and culture
09:30and knowing about the world around us through that
09:33so we've developed these really strong bonds I think
09:37and it's been amazing
09:38and of course to learn how museums do things
09:41how foundations do things you know
09:43to try and pick up as much as possible from them
09:46has been really important
09:48so it's been a great learning curve and a really fun experience
09:51installation process
09:53well we worked with an exhibition designer from the Cultural Foundation
09:58and I have to say she was extremely talented designer, Maha
10:04and she's an Emirati exhibition designer
10:08so we worked with her through Zoom
10:11and she had all the
10:13so we sent her me and Zana
10:15because we were working on all of that
10:17so we sent her the sizes of the works, the images
10:22and then she designed the space
10:23because the space is actually a very big empty hall
10:27with very high ceiling
10:29and they have two rooms at the back
10:31so the two rooms can be used
10:33it has three walls
10:34but inside the hall has to be redesigned
10:37every time they do an exhibition
10:39so we had to then go through the process of
10:41how do we open the exhibition
10:44what is the experience
10:45and in that the curators come into that
10:48but just visually
10:50I like to in the beginning
10:52just to have an overview of the visual
10:54because I am able to see
10:57what a general public would be interested in seeing
11:00so we worked on that with them
11:03and I have to say
11:05the curators
11:06and the Cultural Foundation curators
11:08and the designers
11:10extremely talented
11:12and worked very fast
11:14and did a fantastic job
11:16and then Zana went
11:19Zana went to Abu Dhabi
11:23immediately after Hari Raya Pwasa
11:26and the exhibition installation took one week
11:29and I am sure you will speak further to her on that
11:31but when we arrived
11:33they had
11:34everybody
11:35at the Cultural Foundation
11:36had already done a fantastic job
11:38they had given
11:39Zana and all of them
11:41the curators
11:42the exhibition designers
11:43and you have to credit the success of the show
11:45to the ability of the staff and administration
11:49of the Cultural Foundation
11:51and the DCT
11:53I think the idea was then to show
11:56the development of the movement from its early phase
12:00through the current what exists
12:03so there are various stages of development
12:06so we highlighted the fact
12:08that people like Fozan Omar and Yusuf Ghani
12:11were the very early forerunners
12:13of the movement
12:15and from then it moved along to
12:17the likes of Zulkifli Yusuf
12:20then subsequently it moved around
12:22what we call the very dominant power
12:25within the contemporary movement
12:27was the Mata Hati boys
12:29of Ahmad Fuad
12:30Masno Ramli
12:32Ahmad Shukri
12:33and Amir Shoaib
12:34who were present at this thing
12:36and from then on we decided also
12:38to show that there's a continuity
12:40within the art movement
12:41Shushi Suleiman
12:42Shushi Suleiman after the Mata Hati
12:44yes
12:45then we decided to show a bit of continuity
12:48within the art movement
12:49that the development of the second generation
12:51appears to be fairly impressive as well
12:54and we included some of the younger artists
12:57like Ani Ketaini Madian
12:59and Ali Nurazmal
13:01so the curating of the thing
13:04was through the process of the timeline
13:07of the development of the Malaysian contemporary society
13:11and we took works representative
13:13of the changes within the civil society of Malaysia
13:18works that reflected those various periods
13:21and what was happening with it
13:23so when you look at it
13:24you have a timeline understanding
13:26of the historical development
13:28at a certain point in time
13:30and I was happy to note
13:32that the audience had got that
13:35that they could see from that
13:37how we had developed from point A
13:39to point B to point C
13:41and they thought it was very interesting
13:43to have a collection
13:44that in fact could reflect
13:46that kind of a timeline as well
13:49so we were guided very much by the narrative
13:53that we wanted to present
13:55and then when you're looking at that narrative
13:57and this is also something that happens in collection building
14:00you have to study
14:02what I try not to do is to shoehorn works
14:04into an existing thought process
14:07so we started with we want to represent
14:09the history of Malaysian contemporary art
14:11and we hope it will open up a reading
14:13of the contemporary
14:15emergence of the contemporary society
14:16so how did the movement begin
14:19that was a question we had to ask ourselves
14:21and that very immediately led me
14:23through existing research I have done
14:25to Forzan Omar
14:27who I would say is the father of Malaysian contemporary art
14:30with his first work layer series
14:32and then of course Yusuf Ghani
14:34who's very well known for the Sritari series
14:36he made in the 80s
14:38and then from there we tracked down
14:40who were the iconic artists
14:42of the first generation
14:44and then you have to ask yourself questions
14:46to check why you're saying that
14:48you know like what was the influence they had
14:50on the movement
14:52you know
14:54how many kind of branches of knowledge
14:58and expertise did they engage in
15:00like a lot of them have also been professors
15:03at art universities you know
15:05Forzan Omar has been
15:07has had so many important artists
15:09apprentice for him
15:10these artists have shown
15:12at really important
15:13Zulkifli Yusuf
15:14is very well represented
15:16he's shown in many major exhibitions
15:18around the world
15:19Venice Biennale twice
15:21often shows in Singapore
15:23is very well researched
15:24so we picked up those artists
15:26who had a lot of influence
15:27and then we went through
15:28and found the iconic works
15:30that mark
15:31so looking at the show as a whole
15:33it becomes like a scaffolding
15:35of Malaysian contemporary art history
15:37which the rest of the history
15:38can slot it into
15:39well I really hope that they love the exhibition
15:42I hope that they feel
15:44I hope that they feel really really moved by it
15:47I hope they feel moved to learn something new
15:50I hope that they feel excited to make connections
15:52between what they're seeing on the museum walls
15:55and their own experiences
15:57or other things that they've seen
15:59I hope it opens up new branches of thinking
16:01and one thing that I'm really hopeful for
16:05is that it inspires people to come to Malaysia
16:07to see our beautiful country
16:09to research more about this really dynamic art movement that we have
16:13well what I see is I see this as a opening of a door
16:18opening of a window of opportunity
16:20it's a question now whether can the
16:24can the Ministry of Tourism
16:27can the institutions, the museums
16:30develop this further
16:34because I think the opportunity exists
16:36I think the acceptance of Malaysian art
16:39on a global scale exists as well
16:42now you then need the infrastructure within your environment
16:46you need very good curators
16:48who will know how to talk about Malaysian art
16:51you will need your museums to have exhibitions
16:54where you then engage with international curators
16:57in international institutions
16:59to invite them over to have a look at what it is that you have
17:03you will need representatives within your art fraternity
17:07to go around to the international fairs
17:09to talk about Malaysian art
17:11so how it will go
17:13the potential of this entire thing
17:15right now it's private sector led
17:17it's led by individuals like us who have this strong belief
17:20it's a role normally undertaken by institutions
17:24so there's a lot of sacrifice on our part
17:26doing what we do
17:27financially and otherwise
17:29but we enjoy it and we love it
17:30so we don't consider it a sacrifice
17:32but how big you want to make it
17:35you see like what Abu Dhabi has done
17:37they've built the Guggenheim
17:39which is six times the size of the National Gallery of Singapore
17:42they have built the Louvre
17:44they have redeveloped the cultural centre
17:47they've developed three other major museums there
17:49so it's the amount of resource that they've put in
17:52in their belief that cultural tourism
17:56is becoming a major global factor
18:00one of the best ways to develop yourself in the international environment
18:04is the development of soft power
18:06now whether in Malaysia people have this understanding
18:10do the politicians have this understanding
18:12do they have the knowledge of the importance of these things
18:15that will determine the real growth
18:19in the meantime I take the attitude that we won't wait for anybody
18:23we will just simply go ahead within our capacity
18:26to do whatever it is that needs to be done
18:30at the level that we can afford to
18:32and you know as long as everybody plays a part
18:34it's fine
18:35yes
18:36then through a process of time it will grow
18:38so whether it grows within five years
18:40or it grows in twenty years
18:41it's fine
18:42you just keep making it grow all the time
18:44I think just the desire to keep on trying to produce their best work
18:50because if you want to play in the international arena
18:53you really have to produce your best work
18:56and I think that the universities a lot of
18:59I think universities in Malaysia especially UITM Shalem
19:03has a major fine arts department
19:06plus other universities
19:08and they train the artists very well in the fundamentals
19:11so it's then up to the artists
19:13how much they practice their craft
19:16how much they learn
19:17how much they make an effort
19:19because to play
19:21they are able
19:22they are able
19:23I think the Malaysian artists are able
19:25have the ability to play on the international arena
19:28on the world stage
19:29on the world stage
19:30they just have to keep on doing it
19:32well it's going to be some
19:33it's going to be a major motivation
19:36for the younger generation
19:38because all of a sudden
19:40that passion of theirs
19:41which can provide a income for them
19:46provide a lifestyle for them
19:47on the local front
19:49now it's a realisation for them
19:51that they can also succeed on the international front
19:53now how wonderful is that
19:56that they can be shown in the Dubai art fair
19:59they can be shown in the various
20:02basil art fairs around the world
20:04so it is a great way to internationalise
20:07things within Malaysia
20:09and this young generation of artists
20:12should be very appreciative of the efforts put in
20:15by all the people before them
20:17you know
20:18that they can now walk into this thing
20:20you know
20:21and good luck to them
20:22and I'm happy for them
20:23you know
20:24I really hope that we have more
20:27you know I'm a writer and curator
20:29so this is maybe a very personal lens
20:33I think that we need more publishing
20:36I would hope that we have a really great kind of publishing sector
20:42that kind of really flourishes
20:43I think that we need more focus
20:46and attention to the history of the arts
20:50and that can be done in really fun and exciting ways as well
20:54I'd love to see
20:55you know
20:56I love how much Malaysians love to engage in art
20:58I think that's great
20:59and we have a lot of talks
21:00hopefully that will continue to grow
21:02and to just grow and expand
21:04and have more places we can look at art
21:05and more ways to read about art
21:07I think that that's what I hope happens
21:10and I'm seeing that happening
21:12and of course it would be great if we could do more amazing international shows
21:15all right
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