My debut exhibition — this statement sounds like a trainee who makes their debut as a K-pop idol. I wanted to use the word ‘debut’ because just like a K-pop idol, I have been training for years. After going through life experiences, I finally debuted in a small exhibition.
I found out about this Kecik-kecik group show from my friend. She informed me a few days before the submission and told me to try it out. She told me to find whatever work I have done so far and submit it. If it gets accepted, it is good. Otherwise, it is fine, and life goes on.
Why submit for this exhibition at this age? I have had imposter syndrome for the longest time. I do not possess the same fine art skills as those from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UITM) or One Academy. My technical art skills are not as refined as my university did not focus on the quality of drawing skills. I am open to other people’s art, but I always fall short in my own eyes.
Despite the credentials I have listed on LinkedIn and my About page, I prefer not to claim that I am an artist. I began as a web designer (not a programmer). After nine years, I decided to pursue a Masters in Visual Art. In my Masters, I focused on art history and visual culture. Many assumed art was purely a matter of execution, but I used my knowledge of art history to experiment with artworks. While art can work effectively with either theory or practice alone, combining both yields great clarity for me.
As for the submission, I wanted to submit Mice. I discussed it with my husband, and he told me to choose the batik piece as the public may accept it. To be honest, I was not too keen on the batik artwork, but I submitted it was slightly more polished than my other experimental artworks.
Challenges
There were some minor challenges along the way, and it was wild. The organisers announced on Wesak morning that the exhibition dates have been brought forward by a week. That caused a lot of last-minute panic for me because I was unsure if my work would be selected, and I didn’t have a frame for it. I quickly discussed this with my husband, and he suggested that since it’s the Wesak holiday, we drive up to IKEA Batu Kawan and buy the frame first. If my work is selected, at least I have a frame. If not, I still can keep it.
The next day, I received good news that my work had been selected. I could finally make last-minute fixes and refine my work.
Since they brought up the dates, the last day for submission was 25 May 2025. Sighs, another problem to settle. I planned a trip to the Klang Valley, and I would not be available around on those dates. I emailed Hin Bus and the Penang Arts District to ask if I could submit my work earlier, and thankfully, they were agreeable to it. Before my trip to the Klang Valley, I had to drive up to Penang again to hand over my work to them.
While everything seemed to be going well, I saw on Hin Bus’s Instagram Stories that they had hung my work incorrectly a day before the exhibition. Thankfully, I saw it before the exhibition started on IG stories and asked them to fix it.
The exhibition
I have to be uncomfortable with putting myself out there. I did a reflective IG reel to promote the exhibition. As this is my first exhibition, I decided not to invite people as it was a group show.
I was wondering if I should attend the exhibition’s opening ceremony, but I decided not to. I am not a solo exhibitor, which will require my presence. Moreover, I had a long week in Klang Valley with all the travelling. I am glad that I decided to take the ETS to Butterworth and then took a ferry over to the island. The views from taking the train and ferry are beautiful, and you should at least take it once for the experience.
I decided to wear my batik shirt for the exhibition for two reasons. First, I want to commemorate the moment with a batik piece. Second, I do not feel out of place wearing a batik shirt for events like this. If I wear a batik shirt in Ipoh, I stand out too much.
My artwork and I. Didn’t like the fact that it was hung below eye level though.
As for the other artworks, I appreciate the diversity they display. Some of the artworks were sold extremely quickly, and I didn’t have a chance to see them with my own eyes. I know the artworks are shown on the Arteesan site, as there was no place for description, but the UX for it is so bad. I wish it had a basic search button or instructions to navigate both physical and digital works.
Artworks in Kecik-kecik group show
My artwork is in this wall. The only thing outstanding is the bright pink.
Thoughts
I am glad to take the first step, and I am now more confident in calling myself an artist. It feels surreal to see my work on the wall. It would be nice if people bought my artwork, but at this point, putting myself out there is more important. Moving ahead, I will create more artwork and tell my stories through them.
