Presenting four of Malaysia's top private collectors and their dynamic collection of Malaysian artwork, BAZAAR observes the transnational nature of contemporary art, as seen from the strokes that speak of cultural identities.
Scarlette Lee
Mereka Yang Dilumpuhkan, 2014, M Shafarin Ghano
As the founder and director of Core Design Gallery, Scarlette merges academic and art historical knowledge with insights gleaned from close interactions with artists, resulting in deeply personal collection. Often, it is the initial artwork that arises from a period of experimentation that seizes her attention, as these demonstrate a turn in concept, thought process, and growth in technique, as is the case with Self-Fish by Haafiz Shahimi. Haafiz is known for his personal brand of pyrography printmaking, which merges the traditions of batik printmaking with the laws of thermodynamics. Created in 2014, Self-Fish marks the beginning of Haafiz’s dedication to merging the artistic aspects of painting with the laws of physics, stemming from his fascination in duality: science/mythology, East/West, physics/philosophy. Witnessing this progression first-hand inspired Scarlette to acquire this turning point artwork. “Art is about creating knowledge. Seeing his progress of incorporating his initial concept into subsequent works made me realise that it’s his thinking out of the box that continually keeps me anticipating what is next,” she says.
