KL Biennale 2017 Targets 250,000 Visitors

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- About 250,000 visitors are expected to attend the inaugural Kuala Lumpur Biennale 2017 (KL Biennale 2017) that runs from Nov 1 to March 31 next year. Themed ‘Be Loved’, the large-scale international contemporary art exhibition with 114 artworks from local and international artists on display, currently held at the National Art Gallery. Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said Biennale is a world class art event organised worldwide to celebrate art, while at the same time, raise the status of the country’s visual arts as a national cultural benchmark of a competitive nation. The event was held in Singapore last year and will be hosted by Thailand in 2018. Mohamed Nazri said the organisation of KL Biennale 2017 not only aims at mapping Malaysia as an art tourism hub but also opening up opportunities for local artistes to go international. “This arts industry has the potential to contribute to the national economy but more importantly, contribute to physical development in the form of softscape that illustrate the socio-cultural development of the people. ”Moreover, it is part of cultural tourism where we celebrate the cultural life of a city, as well as attract domestic and international visitors,” he said when launching KL Biennale 2017, here Wednesday. Also present were National Visual Arts Development Board chairman Farid Ridzuan, its director-general, Prof Dr Mohamed Najib Ahmad Dawa and KL Biennale 2017 chairman Johan Ishak. In another development, Mohamed Najib denied an artwork titled ‘Under Construction’ was confiscated by the authorities and was not on display at the National Art Gallery. “The artwork is a ‘process art’ and is on display on the second floor here (National Art Gallery). We accepted the artwork as it is. Hence, any inquiry may be referred to the police and the Home Ministry.” He was commenting on news report that the seven artists who withdrew from the exhibition Wednesday had alleged that their artworks were removed from the exhibition. -- BERNAMA