KUCHING: Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah says a strong creative industry requires an ecosystem of artists, curators, galleries, collectors, educators, businesses and supportive audiences.
The Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister said the growth of Sarawak’s creative industry depends on coordination among artists and collaboration between the government, private sector and educational institutions.
“It grows when governments, private enterprises, educational institutions, and artists work together,” he said during the opening of the ‘Headbox – Art And/Or Mask Exhibition’ at Westberly Galleria here, on Sunday (Sept 6).
Abdul Karim said exhibitions such as Headbox demonstrated the potential of bringing together artists from different backgrounds, including academia, art societies and the wider creative community.
The exhibition brings together 39 Sarawak-based artists and more than 60 artworks, with artists working from the same 26.5cm cube as their starting point.
He said the concept showed how a simple object could be transformed into different forms through individual creativity, ranging from painting, drawing and calligraphy to sculpture, objects, figurative works and abstraction.
“What makes Headbox particularly interesting is the simplicity of its starting point. Yet, when the same cube is placed in the hands of different artists, it becomes many different things,” he said.
Abdul Karim said the diversity of artistic expression reflected Sarawak’s own strength in its many communities, languages, traditions and stories, while creativity allowed artists to preserve their heritage while exploring new ideas.
He also stressed that art and the creative industry should not be confined to government agencies, with private-sector artists also deserving support.
“Art is not something which we should confine and only let those that come under the government agency to grow. Those from the private sector should also be assisted,” he said.
Abdul Karim said the ministry is prepared to assist artists who wished to stage exhibitions both in Kuching and beyond Sarawak, including in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Tokyo and other international destinations.
However, he said artists themselves needed to take the lead in organising such initiatives, including preparing and coordinating exhibitions.
“The ministry cannot be doing it for yourself. The artists will have to do all this preparation,” he said.
He expressed hope that exhibitions such as Headbox would eventually travel beyond Sarawak, allowing ideas created in Kuching to reach audiences in other cities and capitals around the world.
Abdul Karim said this would also help strengthen Sarawak’s identity as a creative destination, so visitors would return home speaking not only about its rainforests and cuisine but also its contemporary artists.
“The creative industry is not separate from tourism. Culture gives a destination its soul, and artists give that culture a contemporary voice,” he said.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to provide platforms for the arts, including plans to develop the former Kuching Municipal Council headquarters into an art gallery.
At the same time, he said the planned Performing Arts Centre, expected for completion next year would provide a dedicated venue for performing artists.
Abdul Karim also acknowledged Headbox curator Wong Hung Chan, whose background in architecture had led him into contemporary art and sculpture, saying his journey demonstrated that creativity did not always follow a straight path.
