Wei-Ling Gallery’s annual 18@8 exhibitions have always been highly anticipated as they bring to the forefront a selection of the country’s most compelling and interesting artists all working within the perimeters of a theme or the exploration of an idea but more importantly allows them the freedom to experiment and encourages them to think out of the box.
The 18@8 series is now into its tenth edition after its inaugural debut in 2005 which featured 18 artists at no. 8 Jalan Scott (the Gallery’s address). In 2006 the second instalment of 18@8 KUL-KHI was presented at the Amin Gulgee Gallery in Karachi, Pakistan while 2007 saw the exhibition back on home soil. In the following two years the exhibition took on a new twist. 18@8-Vice and Virtue in 2008 saw nine selected artists creating two works each corresponding to one vice and one virtue. In 2009, 18@8 1Malaysia: Beyond the Canvas, the artists were asked to express themselves outside the confines of the canvas to document their ideas of what 1Malaysia stands for through a central ‘transportation’ theme. Absolut 18@8 saw the artists working on Absolut bottles which were then auctioned off in aid of the SPCA and the following year the gallery and artists worked with IDN to raise RM90000 for ACRES through the sale of 18 Robonut toys. In the most recent instalment of 18@8 Mirror, mirror on the wall, 12 custom designed Furla Candy bags were auctioned off at a nett total of RM70600 for the SPCA (Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals).
This year for 18@8 Heirlooms, the theme emanates from our current state of the world. Participating artists have been asked to create an artwork mirroring this, projecting a message of his/her hopes, fears, advice; an heirloom of sorts that will be passed down from one generation to another. We cannot be certain of what the future holds, but what we do know is that we are living through times which will become historically relevant in the long run, and we are merely players on the stage, as the story unfolds.
Perhaps this quote by Arundhati Roy sums it all up:
“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.”
Arundhati Roy, ‘The Cost of Living’
Participating artists this year include Chen Wei Meng, Chin Kong Yee, Chong Kim Chiew, Choy Chun Wei, Hamidi Hadi, Juhari Said, Minstrel Kuik, Rajinder Singh, Ruzzeki Harris, Sun Kang Jye, Wong Chee Meng, Yau Bee Ling.
