Ismail Ani Arope is drawn to multimedia works made using interesting items such as e-waste, repurposed materials, collage, fabric and treated canvas (Photo: Low Yen Yeing/The Edge)
Options: You are someone who always has his finger on the artistic pulse. What’s on the cards this October?
Ismail Ani Arope: The four-day art fair, CIMB Artober Art & Soul 2024, takes place at the end of the month. Four exciting programmes and activities have been lined up, including a fantastic showcase from a private collection. Around 200ft of wall space will be dedicated to an exhibition titled Masterpieces from the AFK Collection, spotlighting 30 seminal works from Malaysia’s first generation of contemporary artists. We will also have three Art Living by CIMB videos featuring established collectors like Pakhruddin Sulaiman and Dr Steve Wong; art talks moderated by Khairy Jamaluddin, one of today’s leading thought leaders; and performances by talented kids from the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra whom we have onboarded as part of our Kita Bagi Jadi movement, which aims to encourage Malaysians to chase their dreams and become more resilient.
How did your own love for art begin?
My appreciation of and love for art, antiques and decorative objects started from an early age, perhaps around five. My parents loved entertaining and my mother was very house-proud. We constantly had small home improvement projects ongoing, including the acquisition of rugs, objets d’art, chairs, mirrors and flatware … particularly when we travelled. I personally started collecting art over a decade ago as I decided I needed a new outlet, having accumulated enough furniture. Now, having run out of wall space, I am shifting my current style and pace of collecting, hopefully becoming more selective and discerning.
Do you remember the first significant work you bought?
An Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, which takes pride of place in my living room. But I have to say that almost every piece acquired is significant at that moment in time. The adrenaline rush, the dopamine hit … most acquisitions combine exuberance, a sense of luck and ownership, the celebration of a small personal victory and a sense of gratitude. Funnily enough, once it is delivered that frisson dissipates, after which another wave of feelings takes over. Some works ‘waited’ for me, others had to be purchased within a short time frame.
What has caught your eye of late?
I am usually drawn to multimedia works made using interesting items such as e-waste, repurposed materials, collage, fabric and treated canvas. So I get excited by artists like Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, Po Oi, Nor Tijan Firdaus and Haafiz Shahimi. However, since I am also very much into design, paintings on interiors by Justin Lim and the colour-popping works of Najib Ahmad Bamadhaj are also most attractive.
What are some of your favourite artsy destinations?
I need to be emotionally moved and invested in the culture, stories and history of a place in order to appreciate its art. So, naturally, I prefer regional spots within Southeast Asia like Jakarta, Solo and our very own capital. These cities have their own energy and semangat (spirit), elements I can relate to and all of which offer immersive experiences, from indigenous art and craft, and music of course, to food. Having said that, I really want to check out Bandung next.
How do you think KL compares to other cities and what else can be done to elevate things locally?
The Malaysian art scene is pretty active and thriving, in my opinion. Our art buyers and collectors are growing in number. We have our own strengths, appeal and great infrastructure, of course. We just need to increase passion and knowledge among the public. However, I sometimes wish we share the same enthusiasm for our own artists and art forms as we do for foreign or imported ones. Wouldn’t it be great to see queues forming at local art fairs or have more of our millionaires supporting homegrown art? We also need more avenues and platforms for knowledge-sharing. When we know more, we will invariably make better decisions and be enabled to talk about our art with confidence. The media, naturally, plays a huge role as the Malaysian art scene requires higher quality coverage, discourse and support from the upper echelons. After all, we already do have amazing exhibitions and hospitality assets, all of which make the city poised and ready to host world-class art fairs.
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What are you reading now?
Two books concurrently. The first is Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary. The second is Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire by Nandini Das. The latter is proving to be a difficult read but I will persevere!
What are you listening to right now?
Fly Away by Jean Claude Ades, and Without You and When Love Takes Over, both by David Guetta.
Describe your idea of the perfect weekend.
I love the idea of feasting at breakfast, preferably over a fancy spread at a nice hotel. After that, it would be nice to look at art — either at a gallery, museum or a collector friend’s home. A post-lunch nap and then dressing up for something glamorous once evening falls sound as good as it gets.
CIMB Artober Art & Soul 2024 takes place from Oct 24 to 27 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) KL.
This article first appeared on Oct 21, 2024 in The Edge Malaysia.
