Going West

Malaysia’s leading contemporary artist, Jalaini Abu Hassan returns to the US for his first solo exhibition after 10 years.

Jalaini Abu Hassan has come a long way since the time when his works were rejected by Malaysia’s National Art Gallery and his student’s works accepted instead.

Now loyal Malaysian collectors queue up to place bookings, the Singapore Art Museum knocks on his doors, and his works have been sold at Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

Is it time to get out of the comfort zone and spread his wings beyond South-East Asia? Jai says yes. After a long hiatus of not exhibiting in the US, Jai will be presenting a body of works entitled Bangsawan Kebangsaan at Tyler Rollins Fine Art in New York.

On whether an American audience would appreciate his brand of art and its cultural nuances, he says: “Buying art is like liking a song. If it connects to you heart, you automatically like it without needing to understand it, nor knowing why you like it. Collectors could relate it to their own experiences, or just simply like the colours.”

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