For our 2019 review, first off, Artemis Art takes this opportunity to wish one and all Happy New Year 2020, both a new year and a new decade. And just in case you were wondering, by bananas we’re not referring to Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian“ that became Art Basel Miami 2019’s hot talking point. Although, the installation piece did epitomize how… er, bananas… the high end art market has become. But that’s another story for another day.

What we are talking about is our year that just ended. 2019 was, in a nutshell, a momentous year for Artemis Art on several counts. Apart from continuing with our in-gallery programming, we also took part in a whole lot of art fairs this past year. To be exact, 11 art fairs around Asia. 

Our participation in these art fairs did stretch us somewhat, and we knew this would be the case going in. However, we went ahead as art fairs are a good way to extend our reach, something especially important to do for a relatively young gallery such as ourselves.

Our activities outside of Malaysia in 2019 were not limited to international art fairs. The year saw us involved with three exhibitions outside of Malaysia, one in Indonesia and two in Manila, Philippines.

For the second time, Artemis Art held a group exhibition of young artists from Indonesia and Malaysia, staged during the annual ArtJog period. Entitled Vice Versa 2.0, the premise was similar to the first iteration of the exhibition held in 2016, a coming together of young artists from two nations, each bringing their own perspectives and practices. The difference this time around is that there were more participating artists from Malaysia making it to Yogyakarta for the exhibition opening, thus allowing them to meet and interact with their Jogja-based counterparts, coming closer to realizing the aim of the Vice Versa exhibitions.  

The two other overseas exhibitions were collaborations with two partner galleries based in Manila, the first being a solo exhibition in collaboration with Vinyl On Vinyl gallery, which hosted Ajim Juxta’s solo exhibition Dystopians in June. To reciprocate, later in July Artemis Art hosted a solo exhibition by VOV artist Iyan De Jesus, Act I of These Violent Delights.

More recently, three artists represented by us were selected to participate in Modeka Creative Space‘s inaugural exhibition, Nothing Gold Can Stay, namely Caryn Koh, Dedy Sufriadi, and Ronald Apriyan. Our collaboration with Manila’s latest contemporary art gallery is the first in a planned long-term collaboration that will see Artemis Art further its presence in arguably Southeast Asia’s most vibrant art market. 

At the same time, Artemis Art did not neglect our in-gallery activities, staging eight exhibitions at our Publika space. These comprised a mix of solo and group exhibitions, including the one by Iyan De Jesus mentioned earlier. One of the group exhibitions, Collision Violence, had an extended run when it was selected by ChinaHouse in George Town, Penang, to be re-staged there after completing its run in KL.

And that, in a nutshell, was Artemis Art’s 2019, a year that was hectic but very rewarding, all things considered. We did say that we went a bit bananas last year, didn’t we? But that said, it was a year that saw us explore further the possibilities in the Manila market, paving the way for more interesting initiatives in 2020, as well as reinforcing our presence in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

So what does 2020 hold in store for us? Well, it’s early days yet, but suffice it to say for now that we will definitely not be taking part in as many international art fairs as we did last year. Instead, the focus will be on collaborations in selected markets, details of which we’re still working out. Also in the works is having a greater presence in Yogyakarta. In terms of art fairs, we will be focusing on the more important and strategic ones this year. In short, 2020 looks to be another eventful year for us, but in ways quite different from how 2019 panned out.

We will be providing more details soon, but kicking off our 2020 art fair programming will be our participation in the inaugural WHAAAAAT’S STUDIO OPENING, January 17 – 19 at The Place, in Taipei, Taiwan. Following that in February will be Artemis Art’s third appearance in Art Fair Philippines, taking place at The Link, Makati, February 21 – 23. Stay tuned for more details on both fairs as the dates get nearer. 

Lastly, one minor change and one addition to our website (as you may or may not have noticed) – our main menu is no longer displayed, but instead you may access a full-page menu by clicking on the three bars on the top right of the website. Also, we’ve added our page on LinkedIn to our Social Media list of sites where we’re online. 

Once again, a Happy New Year from all of us here at Artemis Art, and here’s looking forward to a fantastic year ahead for the art scene, not just in Malaysia but across Asia, and beyond…