Cover Patrick On, the founder of Qing Gallery
Patrick On, the founder of Qing Gallery
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On's Qing Gallery collaborates with great names to promote art to the community
“Someone once told me that walking into a space without art is like walking into a city without architecture,” shares Patrick On, the founder of and advisor for Qing Gallery, who is an art collector himself.
The contemporary artistic space located in Desa Parkcity, Kuala Lumpur, allows guests to indulge in and explore curated artworks, which are arranged according to shows or themes. One of the main reasons for the opening of the gallery, according to On, was to give residents as well as visitors to the locale a space to appreciate and enjoy art forms.
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“After two years of the pandemic and staying at home, I felt that there’s a lot of passion in art that have been pent up and couldn’t be shared. As a collector, when this space was made available, I decided to convert it into a gallery to express the joy of art, which comes about through sharing it with others. Desa Parkcity is a very vibrant community, it’s family-orientated and there’s a lot of beauty surrounding it, so we decided to inject art to further beautify the area,” says On.
At the time of our visit, we got to preview works from the Legendary Masters in collaboration with the AFK Collection that were on display. Meanwhile, we were told that Qing Gallery’s upcoming show this February would be showcasing the works of Hong Kong-born artist Karwai Chan, who was also raised locally and grew up in Ipoh, Perak.
“This will be the first time she’s coming out of her ultra-realistic portraits and showcase some surrealism in abstract portraits. The theme for this show is superheroes, which is personal to her, because when she was younger she was bullied in school, and always looked for heroes in her life; this will also mark her first-ever solo show. It’ll be an exciting display, and there will be a character to relate with no matter who you are,” On explains.
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Back in December 2021, the gallery opened with its inaugural exhibition titled Forever is Now which featured works from internationally renowned artist Jacky Tsai, who is also a resident artist at Qing Gallery. It was a successful show, which saw most of the art being sold out.
On shares that he has always been a fan of Jacky Tsai, and it was a fellow collector friend who introduced the two. Being in the right network helps, and soon, we will be seeing Qing Gallery collaborate with and represent more artists, including French painter and graffiti artist Cyril Kongo.
“There are a lot of artists that I’d really like to represent and showcase, from the likes of Roy Lichtenstein to Eston Tan (a Malaysian, now based in Taiwan) Fawwaz Sukri (another local talent), and Najib Bamadhaj. Most importantly, we don’t work with just any artist, we want artists who have direction and purpose, we can’t afford to represent anyone who will be just a flash in a pan,” he says.
Sharing how he deems an artwork to be good, On first specifies that art is mainly subjective. To him, a piece must appeal to its viewer, and have an emotional connection with the person. “I also look at how unique the artwork is, on top of the artist’s skills itself, such as the colour and depth of the work, including the medium it is represented in. But I also go as much as to find out more about the artist, to determine if the price point matches that artist’s career development,” he adds as he gives us some pointers.
For now, On looks to broaden the horizon for Qing Gallery, which will start with a physical revamp of the space, set to happen in March 2023. He is likely to incorporate not only paintings but also sculptures to be featured in the space, and is open to showcasing digital forms of art, which he thinks is the next step forward.
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If tall, dark and handsome is what you're looking for, Aaron Pereira ticks two out of three. This fine chocolate man (that is, a connoisseur of fine chocolate), enjoys the theatre, futsal, real-life conversations and of course, the English language. He believes that language should first be used to express, but the business of a sub-editor is to impress.
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