Kl Art Scene On The Rise

AJIM JUXTA was trained as an architect a decade ago. But in his heart of hearts, he always wanted to be an artist. He says: "My father was a curator at the Muzium Darul Ridzuan in Perak. He wanted to be an artist too, but he put aside those dreams to get a salaried job and raise a family... I don't want to wait till I'm old to be able to paint full-time."

Last year, Mr Ajim, 34, showed his art at the Artemis Art booth in Taiwan's art fair Young Art Taipei and won the Young Art Award. That accolade fuelled his dreams further, as he and his friends strive to keep afloat their small artist-run gallery in Publika Shopping Gallery, a popular mall in Kuala Lumpur where several galleries operate. Mr Ajim's gallery, called Titik Merah, is one of several artist-driven alternative spaces in the country.

"Malaysia's industry is slowly getting better for us artists, with more and more people buying art. So we're optimistic that market conditions are improving," he says, echoing a popular sentiment that the art scene has been improving gradually despite 2016 being a weak year for the market due to economic and political uncertainties.