Gallerist embarks on passion project

AFTER more than two decades of selling art, gallerist Valentine Willie, 61, has embarked on a passion project.

It still has to do with art - but not in the kind of wheeling and dealing that he did through his gallery, Valentine Willie Fine Art, which was set up in 1996 in Kuala Lumpur and also operated in Singapore from 2008 to 2013. This time, he's setting up public galleries and focusing on curating museum-worthy exhibitions in Malaysia. His first project - Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur - just opened its doors to the public in August. Next up is a RM30 million (S$10 million) art museum in Penang to open in 2018.

"Unlike Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia's problem is the lack of public art spaces. There're no decent spaces to put on good shows where appreciation is the common denominator," says Mr Willie of his new curating role.