FROM KUALA LUMPUR TO LOS ANGELES
News form the Press Conference at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, 6 May 2009 – MATAHATI – Malaysia’s most influential and dynamic group of artists have spread their wings to the United States where their exhibition entitled MATAHATI KE MATADUNIA will be showcased at the DCA Fine Art Gallery in Los Angeles, the United States from 9 May to 16 June this year.

Thereafter, the exhibition tour will cover Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and New York in a three-year exhibition tour. American art writer, critic and curator Peter Frank and founder of United States based DCA Fine Art Delia A. Cabral who was present at the press conference were optimistic about the viability of the exhibition which is organised by American based design house Atmesfer and Malaysian advertising firm AD.verse in partnership with Galeri Chandan, House of Matahati and DCA Fine Arts as well as also being supported by The National Art Gallery.
The director general of the National Art Gallery Dr. Mohamed Najib Ahmad Dawa and the patron of Galeri Chandan YBhg. Dato’ Seri Abdul Azim bin Mohd Zabidi who were both present at the press conference expressed encouragement for the project. 

“This is the first concerted effort that is fully organised, and well organised by Galeri Chandan, Adverse and DCA whereby the art work will be shown to the international market with the help of DCA Fine Art while the art works will be curated by Peter Frank,” shared Datuk Azim. 
Managing director of Galeri Chandan Nazli Aziz also expressed his excitement at the fact that MATAHATI, being a “home grown product of modern day Malaysia” have spread their wings in the art world – providing the perfect visual commentary of the nation’s post-independence era which will contribute significantly to the “creation of art history. 

Delia of DCA Fine Art believes that MATAHATI will be the “pioneers revealing Malaysian art to the world”. The beauty of the art works according to her lies with them being part of a series of conversation opening up between Malaysia and the West.“I saw MATAHATI opening up as in the American Eagle in Shukri’s work also featuring the native Malaysian tiger,” she added, sharing that the imageries resonate strongly even on American ground. “I believe MATAHATI is a unique voice but they are speaking out to what is happening globally…. In this sense, I think they are part of art history,” she said, adding that “all good artists respond to all that is going on around them”.

Commenting on the lingering concerns about world economies, she said that serious thought had already gone into the fact that “some economies have taken a steep slope down” but now, the serious collectors as opposed to speculative collectors will emerge and creating art history will very much be high on the agenda. This, she reasons in itself, heralds the perfect time to showcase MATAHATI to the world.  
“We are starting with a three year contract because our intention is to bring MATAHATI to the market starting with the United States and we want to have a big exhibition.  “We’re about much more than just putting paintings in the gallery… We believe we’re really raising awareness --- from LA to Dallas to san Francisco, Chicago and New York and later, going even further into parts of Europe,” shared Delia adding that three years was the time frame chosen as the intention is for MATAHATI to have creative space to grow as artists and painters. 

Peter Frank meanwhile commented on the profound strength of the art works.  “It is my job, my professional duty to be sure that the work being done by MATAHATI are world class work and in many ways particular to Malaysia and yet can relate to South East Asia and particularly with the world,” he said.  Likening Malaysia, or Kuala Lumpur in particular to a cultural giant that has awakened, Frank likened the local scene to that of LA some time back which also saw another giant which had awoken.   “KL stimulates me the way LA has --- and it harbours a burgeoning art scene. The art works will look perfect in LA, being both native and exotic, European and American and interestingly, we now have a president who is not only the face of America but of the world… So now is the right time for MATAHATI to come out in the eyes of the world,” he shared in further detail.

Director general of the National Art Gallery Dr. Mohamed Najib agreed.  “If you look at Malaysian art, you can see Malaysian culture and the potpourri of Malaysian art.“This type of art voices out the unity of all the races and I think this is the kind of art that reflects the identity of Malaysian art,” he commented, drawing a parallel with the “same kind of stripes we share with the American flag”. Frank pictures MATAHATI’s works as “speaking to one another and the work of other artists who are working in Malaysia”. “We are staring in Malaysia because partly we can, and partly we must. We must try and create interest and to open up Malaysia as the new art market by creating a door so that people can come in both ways”, he said. 

Delia added that besides exhibiting MATAHATI’s body of works in galleries in the United states, there will also be programmes organised there to benefit the artists and the community at large.  The Matahati group comprises long-time friends in Ahmad Fuad Osman, Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Hamir Soib@Mohamed and Masnoor Ramli Mahmud.