We are pleased to share with you 18@8 KUL-SIN, the 8th edition of an annual exhibition by Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, which will be held at ION Art, Singapore. This exhibition will show from the 12th to 19th December 2012.

Ever since its inauguration in 2005, 18@8 has become a definitive event in the Malaysian art scene. 18@8 has always incorporated an exciting slew of themes from year to year, with the sole intent of inspiring the artists to constantly push boundaries and create artworks which are both compelling and iconic. Doing so not only retains an exciting pace, but provides the artists with the creative opportunity to experiment with new themes and ideas.

The first edition of this exhibition was held at No. 8 Jalan Scott (the gallery’s flagship address), featuring 18 selected artists, thus the conception of ‘18@8’. In the year following (2006), 18@8 KUL-KHI saw Wei-Ling Gallery travel to Pakistan with their 18 featured artists buoyantly in tow to present at the Amin Gulgee Gallery in Karachi.

The 18@8 series returned to home soil in 2007. The next two years involved the introduction of a new twist. 18@8-Vice and Virtue in 2008 witnessed 9 selected artists create two works each corresponding to one vice and one virtue, and with 18@8 1Malaysia: Beyond the Canvas in 2009, artists were asked to express themselves outside the confines of the canvas to document their perceptions of what 1Malaysia truly represents through a central ‘transportation’ theme.

2010 took on yet another exciting concept with the teaming up between Wei-Ling Gallery and Absolut Vodka for Absolut 18@8. This edition of the series saw artists working on Absolut bottles, which were later auctioned off in the aid of the SPCA. The most recent installation in 2011 involved a collaboration between Wei-Ling Contemporary and both The Gardens Mall and Action City for 18@8 Save the Planet. With this, artists were asked to focus on pertinent issues which they personally believed needed to be addressed to achieve the preservation of our planet, but this time through the use of The Robonut, a new limited edition toy that was only to be launched the following year.

Finally, with this year’s installment, 18@8 KUL-SIN will be witnessing an enthralling overview of contemporary Malaysian art in the present day, which shall comprise of the biggest, most important names, as well as some of the more exciting emerging artists working today, namely Ivan Lam, Anurendra Jegadeva, Zulkifli Yusoff and Chin Kong Yee amongst them. In addition to this, we will also be featuring a selection of Singapore’s definitively cutting edge artists, with Jason Wee being amidst their company. This upcoming exhibition will mark the very first showing of an 18@8 installment in Singapore. We are therefore thrilled to have the opportunity yet again to present a substantial body of work by leading names in contemporary art to an external audience.

Having just recently welcomed their tenth year as an established art gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Wei-Ling Gallery takes pride in placing their focus on the most cutting-edge contemporary artists that Malaysia has to offer. The gallery’s program changes monthly and it has a large stockroom of works by their stable of artists on constant rotation. The gallery is dedicated to bringing contemporary art to an international audience and has taken major exhibitions of Malaysian art to China, India, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Singapore and Taipei.
The exhibition willl run from the 12th to 19th December 2012 at ION Art, Singapore and will then proceed to continue showing at Wei-Ling Contemporary from the 21st December to 8th January 2013.
We look forward to seeing you there!

ION Art gallery is located at Level 4, Ion Orchard, Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801.