Syed Nabil Syed Nahar

Ask Syed Nabil Syed Nahar about the first exhibition he and his sister, Sharifah Nor Akmar, staged at NN Gallery in 1996 and he’d look a little embarrassed. “It was a totally new experience for us and we weren’t sure what to do. So, we visited some galleries, bought some paintings and used them for our first show!,” he laughs. It wasn’t a tactic they needed to repeat, however: NN Gallery soon became a magnet, attracting both artists and collectors, as well as art lovers of all hues.

The physical gallery in Tama Ampang Hilir, Kuala Lumpur, is now closed, of course, but for more than 15 years, NN Gallery organised, not only solo and group exhibitions by Malaysian and foreign artists, but also talks, book launches, fundraisers and even charity musical concerts. It was also a beautifully defined space, spread out over two floors, complete with a Zen-like rock garden, that has seen shows by many, if not most, of the country’s top artists, some of whom had their careers launched here. In the end, however, it became too exhausting. “Putting up an exhibition is quite demanding,” says Nabil. “All the planning, liaising with artists, organising the opening… by the time you’ve finished all that, it’s time to begin work on another show and the whole thing starts again. It got to the point that we couldn’t even begin to enjoy what we’ve done.”

The siblings decided it was time to scale things down. Although they have closed the space, they now concentrate on curating a smaller number of shows for some of the artists they had worked closely with in the past (including a retrospective of veteran artist Cheong Laitong at Whitebox@Publika in Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur, back in March). This has allowed them time to work on other projects – NN Gallery is, for example, part of the Nando’s Art Initiative, which this year drew more than 1,000 entries – as well as organise private sales. Nabil is also taking the opportunity to promote what he personally finds interesting, including works by the Japanese sculptor, Kohei Nawa. In the end, however, it’s all about the art they love.

“Growing up, I wanted to be a painter. I even went to art school in the UK but I discovered I just wasn’t good enough,” Nabil says. So, after returning to Malaysia, he roped in his sister and started NN Gallery instead. Over time, they learned the intricacies of the business. “You try and strike a balance between the commercial side and the artistic – building relationships with both artists and clients, finding good and interesting art, making sales. You’re the go-between between the artist and the buyer, and you need to do it such that everybody is happy,” Nabil says. “It’s quite a difficult business; you certainly need a passion for it, otherwise it’s just a job and it becomes too boring.”