Penang Monthly
Penang as Launchpad for Fine Arts Graduates to Craft Art Careers?
By Nicole Chang | January 2024

The Pros

Penang’s rich and multicultural heritage is a constant source of inspiration.

Fine arts final year students, Oon Zheng Yeow (Penang-born, Equator College) and Teh Qi Hong (Kuala Lumpur-born, SOTA USM), both desire to kickstart their art careers in Penang upon graduation. Zheng Yeow aspires to showcase the uniqueness of Penang, including its people, culture and identities, while Qi Hong is captivated by the well-preserved, unique arts, culture and history Penang holds.

“This is particularly appealing to artists who focus on cultural-themed art,” Qi Hong says.

Upon graduation, Enson Teh Jun Yang, a fine arts alumnus from Equator, and his classmate Ong Wei Xuan from Alor Setar, co-founded Yi Ping Fang Art Studio in George Town, which provides short- and long-term art courses. When asked why he decided to build his business here, he says Penang’s living tempo is well aligned with the vision and values of their art centre.

 
Yi Ping Fang Art Studio at George Town.

Well-established art communities offer vibrant and welcoming platforms for artists and practitioners.

As emerging fine art practitioners, Zheng Yeow, Qi Hong and Yong Hui collectively attest to the vibrancy of the local art scene. The many active and supportive art communities within various art groups, societies and associations consistently provide valuable opportunities and platforms for sharing, networking and collaborative ventures in art. This network plays a pivotal role, particularly for practitioners and artists in the early stages of their career.

Yi Ping Fang Art Studio at Bukit Mertajam.

Tourism enhances exposure and visibility for artists.

Being a renowned cultural hub, Penang experiences a continuous influx of visitors from around the world throughout the year. This presents fine arts practitioners with opportunities to showcase their works to a global audience, potentially leading to increased sales and recognition. Yong Hui has observed artists successfully selling their works to international art collectors at galleries and creative markets. However, this market segment may be unreliable.

The Cons

Limited art market demand.

“Despite Penang’s vibrant art scene, the market demand for artwork collection is noticeably incomparable with KL. Artists in Penang struggle to find a consistent collection market for their creations,” says Yong Hui.

Dr. Sarena Abdullah (Dean of SOTA), Dr. Tetriana Binti Ahmed Fauzi (Fine Arts lecturer in SOTA) and Ricardo Chaves Tovar (Head of Fine Arts in Equator) collectively acknowledge the deficiency in Penang’s art collection market. Ricardo says: “Major activities such as reputable exhibitions and competitions are predominantly concentrated in KL; Penang is always secondary.”

Dr. Sarena emphasises the fragmented nature of Penang’s art ecosystem, “While we have strong pockets in the ecosystem, it remains fragmented. There is a need for more professional platforms, such as well-established commercial galleries and auction houses. This becomes more crucial as the current oferings risk saturation as the number of graduates increases. Furthermore, more often, it is the same groups of individuals who organise the activities and feature a recurrent lineup of artists. This makes it challenging for emerging talents, like graduates, to break in.”

Zheng Yeow and his painting, titled “friendships”. It won the Top 10 prize at the Young Watercolour Talents Award organised by Penang Water Colour Society (PWCS) this year.

Limited job opportunities for fine art graduates.

Limited opportunities in Penang have seen many of Ricardo’s graduate students ending up mostly in KL or Singapore. But Zheng Yeow bucks the trend, and plans to set up his own art studio in Penang, and teach art to support his business. Enson is currently exploring online platforms where his online art courses and his artwork can be accessed by an international audience.

For Qi Hong, an aspiring curator, Penang’s contemporary art scene feels confined. “The scopes or ranges that you can do or expand here are rather narrow, compared to KL,” she says; it “still lacks established contemporary art galleries”.

Qi Hong (top, fourth from right) and his fine arts classmates at SOTA, USM.

Yong Hui does see career alternatives as gallery/ studio assistants, museum staff, curators, art lecturers or lecturer’s assistants as well as engaging in commissioned art projects, conducting workshops or collaborating with local businesses. However, such jobs are not abundant in Penang.

Yong Hui won the Silver Award under the Emerging Artist Category at the 13th UOB Painting of the Year this year.

Though regarded as a “vibrant art scene”, Penang may not offer the same breadth of opportunities as larger cities like KL and Singapore. Be that as it may, it still offers unique strengths in terms of its unique art communities and groups. It may not provide the “perfect” career path for fine art graduates, but it is undeniable that there is an open door for those who are keen to explore innovative initiatives, who are willing to rough it out a little before finding fulfilling artistic journeys.