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SOPHIA VARI IN KUALA LUMPUR
6 Dec 2004 – 30 Jan 2005
The Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Malaysia, the National Art Gallery and Rumah Seni Nusantara Sdn Bhd are proud to present SOPHIA VARI IN KUALA LUMPUR.
The blockbuster exhibition was generously supported by CIMB PRIVATE BANKING (Main Sponsor); YAYASAN AL-BUKHARY and YTL POWER INTERNATIONAL BHD (Gold Sponsors); and BRUNSFIELD CORPORATION, YBHG DATIN NARIZA HASHIM PETRA and MULTI-PURPOSE HOLDINGS BHD (Sponsors).
Many parties have also contributed to the successful organisation of this exhibition as Official Partners: Malaysia Airlines; Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur; AXA-Art Insurance Corporation; and Helutrans Artmovers.
The tremendous contributions from the sponsors and partners highlight their awareness and interest in supporting pioneer activities that relate to art.
Patroned by HRH Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Ibni Sultan Muhibbuddin Shah, the exhibition will be on view in Gallery 1 from 1 Dec 2004 until 30 Jan 2005.
2004 marked the return of the Olympic movement to its ancestral home in Greece. In the same manner as the Mediterranean nation had successfully prepared for and organised the XXVth games in Athens, Malaysia and the National Art Gallery are now ready to play host to Sophia Vari, one of Greece's most prominent and successful international artists
Abstract and striking, Sophia Vari's contemporary paintings and sculptures have been shown across the globe since the 1960s.
In addition to being exhibited extensively, Sophia's works are now also in public venues and key international institutions the world over, ranging from the Greek National Gallery in Athens; the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal; the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, USA; to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, Venezuela.
Sophia's elegant but powerful bronzes reveal a deep and intuitive understanding of art history.
Indeed, Sophia's European background – Greek father, Hungarian mother, and an extensive education in Switzerland, London and Paris – underlines the extent to which Greece after decades of isolation has since become a fully integrated member of Europe and the international community.
Born in the shadows of the Second World War, military rule and enormous deprivation, Sophia's personal journey reflects her achievements as an artist as well as the passage of her people – tracking her nation's spectacular economic growth and increasing prosperity.
In 2000, the Greek Government – in recognition of Sophia's work and her international exposure – appointed Sophia an Ambassador for Peace. Further, as a tribute to her prominence as a Greek national artist, Sophia was honoured in this Olympic year with a solo exhibition at the Benaki Museum in Athens.
SOPHIA VARI IN KUALA LUMPUR marks an important milestone for the National Art Gallery as the institution now in its 45th year expands the ambit of its curatorial and aesthetic ambitions. As Malaysia assumes a more confident position in global affairs, the National Art Gallery will endeavour to match the nation's international reach by showcasing the best art from across the globe.
Instead of being just an exhibtition space, the National Art Gallery will become an initiator of world-class exhibitions, developing a strong curatorial culture in order that Kuala Lumpur becomes a major centre for the arts. The National Art Gallery will be casting its net far and wide in order to bring the best of world's art to Malaysians as the country becomes ever more global and sophisticated.
Sophie Vari's exemplary career and her cosmopolitan mien is a perfect launching pad for the National Art Gallery's aspirations. Kuala Lumpur is a global city – and an extraordinarily diverse cultural cross-roads – and the city's growing reputation should be matched by a national gallery that possesses an equivalent reach and ambition.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, available for sale, with photographs and descriptions of all the exhibits on display. It is edited by exhibition curator Valentine Willie, with texts by noted writer Karim Raslan.
For further information, please contact 03.40254990 / prelations@artgallery.gov.my or 03.22842348 / daniel@artsasia.com.my (Daniel Chong)
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