By Rachel Jena

Forty local artists come together for a good cause at Galeri Chandan this month.

Galleries and artists are often at the front line when it comes to criticism over their commercial aims, so this month, Galeri Chandan attempts to lessen the flak and give back with a charitable art exhibition titled ‘I Miss Him So Much’  (www.imisshimsomuch.com). It sees the gallery team up with the Killerbatch, a group of ex-students from Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) Kulim, to raises funds to build a dormitory for the underprivileged students of SMK Tun Fuad Stephens in Kiulu, Tamparuli, Sabah.

The exhibition’s title isn’t an homage to a deceased artist, but to Donni John Duin, an 11-year-old boy that took his own life in March 2007 to ease his family’s financial burdens. They’re naming the dormitory in his memory and need RM270,000 to construct the building, so students travelling from remote areas of Kiulu no longer have to endure tiring long walks – one of the main causes for high school leaver rates in Sabah right after their PMR examinations.

Forty local artists took up their paintbrushes and set upon their canvases in the spirit of generosity. And the gallery is forfeiting its usual commission towards the cause and hopes to raise RM100,000 from sales of works. Proceeds of the exhibition’s accompanying catalogue will also go towards the building fund, so if you haven’t the bank balance to fork out for the works, this is one way you can help.

Participating artists are an assortment of both senior and younger artists, including the MATAHATI group, Awang Damit, Rafiee Ghani, Wong Seng Tong, Jasmine Kok, Raja Azhar Idris, Chuah Chong Yong, and current artist-in-residence at Rimbun Dahan, Samsudin Wahab. Ali Nurazmal, fresh off a solo exhibition earlier this year, will also be participating and he’s contributed a portrait of a young boy as a tribute to Donni Juin. Fauzin Mustafa updates the mixed media works that first brought him to attention in the late 80s by incorporating children’s drawings, an official school document, and a cut-out from a children’s activity book.

And look out also for Nizam Rahmat’s 20 puloh sen, a candy-coloured mixed media piece that plays on the subject of nostalgia using various symbols related to ice cream. Brand logos and adverts are juxtaposed with texts that spell out different flavours and even an ice-cream stick on the upper right-hand corner. I bet you too will reminisce over the days when you could buy an ice-cold treat for only 20 sen. But then, that’s just telling my age.

Will it be worth dropping by? Yes, because even though there’s no central theme governing the exhibition, with such a large group of artists involved, what the gallery does promise is a huge variety. Aficionados get to see what artists are working on right now, and if you haven’t much inkling of contemporary Malaysia art, this will be a good introduction to the different types of works (chiefly paintings in this case) being produced locally. It’ll definitely save you the task of making pit stops at every gallery in town (though this does make for a great day out) or scouring the web for all-illusive details.