KOTA KINABALU: Local artists are hoping to bring creative arts to another level through collaboration with Sabah, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministry by implementing creative arts project in the state.
Wonders of Wilderness (WOW 1.0)- The Oceans project main artist Japson Wong said that the public art is the first and biggest 2D and 3D community and digital art installation in the country can be expanded from such a collaboration.
Located at the ruins site at the heart of town, he said the art does not only feature paintings but also the display of life-sized marine animals and the underwater environment, as well as digital element arts.
“(This exhibition) covers the history of the ruins and arts that were done there before, and the latest of WOW 1.0.
“WOW does not only involve paintings but also 3D sculptures and digital art all over the site, (which is different from previous) Pillars of Sabah that focused mainly on paintings on the walls and pillars.
“We are hoping to collaborate more on similar projects that combine creative art and Science education with the STI ministry and Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC), ”he said in a statement.
Wong added that the project also involves community art and educational outreach.
The lead artists Wong and Rosmaini Sunarjo, as well as supporting artists Penny Chong, Azlan Dulikab, Cannie Tan, Lim Sheng Haw, Oliver Kah, and Yahz had worked on the project since April last year.
Sabah Art Gallery director Sara Ahmad said looking back on how Covid-19 has challenged people’s lives, art should move forward with technology and innovation.
“At Sabah Art Gallery, we believe that great works of art should benefit the public. We will continue to support our local talents by inviting everyone to discover and experience art, creativity and shared humanity through the WOW Project.”
STI minister Datuk Yakub Khan will be launching the RM95,000 project on tomorrow (Jan 16). It will also be attended by SCENIC general manager Viviantie Sarjuni.
The exhibition will be on display for a year until Jan 15 next year.
Meanwhile, Viviantie said there are so many abandoned buildings that can be turned into a common place where science and arts activities can be organised for the public.
“We need to strengthen the public-private-community partnership to execute this.
“The non-governmental organisations (NGO) are ever ready to work with the authorities as they have the expertise which we in corporate and government might not have.
“Let’s bring in the ‘soul’ (programmes) to the building and maximise whatever resources we already have.”
Viviantie added as a state government agency that drives industry technology, innovation and creativity, SCENIC is hoping existing talents to be able to sustain themselves in the long run and be able to help and inspire others.
She said that it is SCENIC’s responsible for uncovering more grassroot talents in Sabah who can be nurtured to the next level and eventually help Sabah with its economic recovery.
Viviantie added that the centre is consistently communicating with stakeholders in the ecosystem especially the grassroot to ensure the challenges that they are facing can be addressed to the corporate and government.
“As spelled out in our Blueprint, apart from reskilling and upskilling our talents through various capacity building activities, we must have a roadmap for them to generate income.
“In SCENIC, we have programmes to train our talents on business acumen including seeking funding and investment opportunities.”
