LABOUR OF LOVE

Running a gallery is hardly a straightforward task. Four of Malaysia’s top gallerists share their experiences of balancing artistic passion with commercial concerns.
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Valentine Willie

The good news is that Valentine Willie hasn’t ridden off into the sunset after bringing to an end nearly 20 years of pioneering work in advancing Malaysian and regional art. “I’ve actually only ‘retired’ from the commercial side of art,” he explains. Since shuttering his eponymous Valentine Willie Fine Art last year, the 60-year-old gallerist has hardly become the proverbial gentleman of leisure. He has kept busy and the first fruit of his ‘post-commercial’ work is set to open next month. “It’s a new art space called Ilham, which will concentrate on Malaysian and South-East Asian art. It is about 12,000 sq ft, spread out over the 3rd and 5th floors of Ilham Tower (on Jalan Binjai in Kuala Lumpur).” Willie explains. With the backing of Tun Daim Zainuddin, the former Finance Minister who was also his client, Willie will concentrate on putting up shows that are more educational than commercial. “I’d like to make a difference,” he says. Which, although he is too modest to admit, he certainly has.

Every story has a beginning and Willie’s started back when he was a student in London. “Heating was expensive and I discovered it was cheaper to keep warm in the museums,” he smiled. “It was also very peaceful and quiet, and the more time you spent there, the more you absorb your surroundings.” Unconventional as it sounded, it sparked an interest in art, one he pursued as a collector after he returned to Malaysia to practice law. “I was a lawyer for 18 years before I decided I needed a change,” says Willie, who grew up in Sandakan. His partners urged him to take a couple of years off rather than quit. He never went back.

Even as a lawyer, Willie had already curated art shows and starting his own gallery seemed like the natural step forward. Valentine Willie Fine Art opened in 1995 and quickly established a reputation for showcasing contemporary Malaysian and South-East Asian art. “We’d do about 12 shows a year – six that sell and the rest, edgy,” he says. “I was very lucky; I had a very good team who were very passionate about what they did. I’m also very proud that they have all remained in art even after we closed.” Slowly, he expanded, setting up outposts around the region, in Singapore, Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Manila. Calling Valentine Willie Fine Art an art powerhouse would not be altogether an exaggeration.

He bowed out of commercial art having experienced much and seen more. “I think one of the biggest changes is that, now, artists can finally make a living,” he says. “I’m not really concerned about why someone is buying art – whether for collecting or investment – but, at least, there is a growing audience and appetite for art.” He has, however, one basic rule about buying art: “Don’t lose sleep over it.” While he now looks forward to the opening of the new space at Ilham Tower, Willie has other irons in the fire, one of which is publishing more books on local art. “We don’t really have enough books and I’m hoping to rectify that.”

It’s been quite a journey for Willie and, while there have been many highs, there were some inevitable lows. “My biggest frustration? Not being able to buy everything I wanted!” At the rate he’s still going, there’s time enough to rectify that.

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