We're pleased to report that Volume I is now on sale at the National Visual Arts Gallery's Art Book Fair and in its gallery shop, and is now available online through Areca Books, who named it Book of the Week last week. 

Much further afield, in Toronto, Canada, the book is featured as part of To Bring the World into The World, a project curated by Biljana Ciric, at InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre and Art Metropole, from 24 October to 17 November.

We're also over the moon at the positive press coverage the book has received in the papers, magazines, radio and tv- Berita Harian even gave it five-star rating!

The Launch

Saturday 7 July morning at the NVAG

T.K. Sabapathy

With the sponsors

The editorial team, with speakers Tengku Sabri Ibrahim on the left and Dr Sulaiman Esa on the right

Hanim and Beverly with writers Kelvin Chuah and Emelia Ong

With Puan Wairah Marzuki and Lena Bok

It was with a huge sigh of relief that we launched the first volumes of Narratives in Malaysian Art and Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia. We'd spent the evening before wringing hands and biting nails...

We were very heartened by and grateful for the wonderful crowd of writers, artists and supporters that turned up for the launch so bright and early on a Saturday. It was a morning of happy reunions, and inspiring remarks from speakers T.K. Sabapathy, Sulaiman Esa and Tengku Sabri Ibrahim. NVAG very kindly brought out some of the key art works featured in the book - Syed Ahmad Jamal's Umpan, Patrick Ng Kah Onn's Semangat Tanah, Air dan Udara/Spirits of Earth, Water and Air and Zulkifli Dahalan's Realiti Berasingan: Satu Hari di Bumi Larangan - it was great to see these old friends again too.

Thanks so much to the National Visual Arts Gallery and their team for being such gracious hosts, and to all those who came for the event.

We were amazed to be finally holding the physical books in our hands, and pretty thrilled at the beautiful job done by the designers Studio MMCMM. Thanks to Danny of Tusen printers for pulling through! At the bargain price of RM35, we sold almost 100 books at the launch.
 
Volume I: Imagining Identities and Jilid I: Menanggap Identiti are out now at most MPH stores as well as Kinokuniya in KLCC, and should be reaching further bookstores soon. In KL, you can also get copies at Segaris Art Centre at Publika, and Precious at Central Market. The English edition is for sale at China House in Penang and Bon Ton in Langkawi. We'll be bringing down stock to Singapore in the next fortnight. You can order both the English and BM editions online through contact@rogueish.asia.

(BY)

OUT TOMORROW

Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume I: Imagining Identities/Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia Jilid I: Menanggap Identiti is out tomorrow. In this episode of our YouTube series, we talk to some of the writers and other people who've worked so hard on this book.

NMA SPEAKS TO SOME OF OUR SPONSORS

We hope you enjoy hearing from our sponsors in Episode 2.  

We'd like to take this space to thank, for making the project possible:

Our Corporate Supporter:
Khazanah Heritage and Art Initiative

Our Sponsors:
National Visual Arts Gallery Malaysia
Bangsar Village (Eng Lian Enterprise))
Mr Kenneth Tan
Gudang Damansara
Rosemary and Steve Wong
Tenaga Nasional Berhad
Malakoff Corporation Berhad
Libra Invest Berhad
Helu-Trans (Singapore) Pte Ltd
30 Art Friends

Friends of the Project:
NN Gallery
Mr and Mrs Humphrey Carey
Mr Harry Naysmith
Galeri Chandan
And other private donors

We also wish to thank:
Mr Philip Hemnell
Mr Yee Tak Hong
Mr and Mrs Too Hing Yeap
and
Ms Khadijah Khalid
Ms Claire Barnes

With support from The Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund

Special thanks to:
T.K. Sabapathy
Perspective Strategies
Studio MMCMM
Teratak Nuromar
Suryani Senja Alias
Omar Halim Dahlan
Roslisham Ismail (aka Ise)

For contributing their time, knowledge and resources to the
development of Volume I, thanks to:
National Visual Arts Gallery
Galeri Petronas
Valentine Willie Fine Art
NN Gallery
Wei-ling Gallery
RA Fine Arts
Anurendra Jegadeva
Hasnul J. Saidon
Pakhruddin and Fatimah Sulaiman
Wong Hoy Cheong
Ahmad Mashadi
Khatijah Sanusi
zanita Anuar
Ismail Hashim
Jalaini Abu Hassan
Bayu Utomo Radjikin
Puan Sri Elizabeth Moggie
Yee I-Lann
Seng Yu Jin
Wang Zineng

Launching Vol 1 on 7 July 2012!

 We are finally launching NMA Vol 1 at NVAG on 7 July 2012! Save the date!

Launching Soon!

We are very, very pleased to announce that Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume 1: Imagining Identities/Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia Jilid 1: Menanggap Identiti will be launching on 7 July at a special event hosted by the National Visual Arts Gallery. It's been a long and tremendous (start to the) journey, and we hope that readers will enjoy the outcome.

We can't reveal the full covers of the two versions of the first book, as that would spoil the surprise, but here are the details:

Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume I: Imagining Identities brings together a collection of essays which highlights the ways in which art has provided artists with the means of imagining themselves, and imagining our nation. The 19 essays in this publication comprise of five reprinted seminal texts from the 1970s to 90s and new commissioned essays by writers across different generations. They discuss art developments in relation to changing expressions and experiences in Malaysian social and cultural life from after the Second World War to contemporary times, while 140 illustrations create a parallel visual narrative. This unprecedented gathering of Malaysian art writing should prove a valuable reference for a wide audience, from specialists to general readers interested in Malaysian art and history.

Narratives in Malaysian Art,  Volume I: Imagining Identities (Eng. edition)

ISBN 978 967 10011 1 0

Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia,  Jilid 1: Menanggap Identiti (BM edition)

ISBN 978 967 10011 2 7

Edited by Nur Hanim Khairuddin & Beverly Yong, with T.K. Sabapathy; essays by Anurendra Jegadeva, Beverly Yong & Adeline Ooi,  Chai Chang Hwang, Emelia Ong, Izmer Ahmad, Kelvin Chua, Laura Fan, Ooi Kok Chuen, Rahimidin Zahari, Redza Piyadasa,  Safrizal Shahir, Siti Zainon Ismail, Sulaiman Esa, Syed Ahmad Jamal, TK Sabapathy,  Tengku Sabri Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Zakaria Ali, Zainol Shariff.

Published by RogueArt

Recommended Retail Price: RM 35

Soft cover, 394 pages (Eng.), 424 pages (BM), with 140 colour illustrations

Available at selected book stores.

You can pre-order copies today [here].

Thank you once again to the supporters, sponsors, and friends who have helped to make this project possible, as well as to the writers for their unstinting enthusiasm and patience, and to the institutions, artists, and all those who have assisted the project by providing and giving permission to use their images and texts.

We look forward to your feedback and reviews.

 

NMA Volume I is on the way! As we write, we are on the last round of proofing for Imagining Identities, and looking forward to an official launch in early July... More soon.

And a year has flown by since our last update. This does not mean that work on NMA has slowed in any way, just that the process has taken much, much longer than anticipated.

We are pleased to say that we are now in the text-proofing stages of NMA Volume I: Imagining Identities, finalising images and filling in the last gaps. Until we go to print, we won't name a launch date, but we're confident you'll see the volume in the shops this first quarter.

Meanwhile Volume II grows in scope and we have plans for a symposium for Volume III...