10 August 2018
A Heart for Stripes
Aspiring artists across Malaysia unite for the love of our tigers
In a joint collaboration with 12 artists from all over Malaysia, Maybank Foundation – the philanthropic arm of the Maybank Group, officially opened “The Art of The Tiger” Exhibition in Balai Seni Maybank today. The exhibition organised in conjunction with Global Tiger Day is aimed at raising awareness on the depleting number of tigers in the world by connecting the public via an artistic experience.
The artists included the likes of Amy Nazira, Anis Bin Che Mat, Azaikmal Ahmad Rashid, Cwnd Dien (Cawand), Dzul Afid Bin Zakaria, Fizrie Azhan, Monica Lee, Muhammad Izzuddin, Rajimin, Suzi Chua and Tan Howe Qin, came together to do their part in creating a better ecosystem for tigers.
These artists realised the alarming issue of extinction surrounding the tiger species today, and made a point to have their voices heard through thought provoking art pieces. These individually crafted artworks demonstrate the artists’ deep emotions resulting in stunning paint works and sketches depicting the biggest cat in the animal kingdom. Some pieces of art which are on display feature various medium such as water colour, oil, acrylic and mixed media.
“It is very encouraging to see likeminded people out there who share common goals to protect and conserve the tigers. Our collaboration with this pool of passionate artists demonstrates how the Arts and Culture pillar under the Maybank Foundation is continuously creating positive impact in the communities we operate in. Their works of art are a dedication and an important reminder to all of us to be responsible citizens of the world, and in this case, to protect the liveability of our tigers,” said Shahril Azuar Jimin, CEO of Maybank Foundation.
In addition to the creation of the beautiful artworks, the artists will be contributing 20% of the proceeds from the sale of the artworks to the WWF-Malaysia, which will be channelled towards tiger conservation efforts. According to reports by WWF-Malaysia, there were an estimated 100,000 tigers globally at the turn of the 20th century. However the population dropped tremendously to 3,200 by 2010, due to factors such as habitat loss and poaching. Therefore, 12 tiger range countries including Malaysia, India and Russia committed to a visionary goal of “TX2”, aimed at doubling the number of tigers globally by 2022.
In conjunction with Global Tiger Day 2018, Maybank also hosted a ‘MyTIGER Values’ Art Competition. This competition which aims to further inculcate the importance of protecting and conserving the tigers among the younger generation, saw Art and Design students from various reputable higher learning institutions in Malaysia showcasing their talent in three categories, namely photo imaging, illustration and sequential art. A total of RM17,000 in prizes was awarded to the winning entries that uniquely portrayed the story of the tigers around the world.
The exhibition also saw the screening of a documentary ‘On the Brink of Extinction’ which gives viewers an opportunity to understand the importance of protecting tigers, and educating the general public on tiger conservation efforts undertaken by relevant organisations. The six episode documentary series will be screened on weekdays from 10.00am - 5.00pm and on Saturday 11.00am – 4.00pm at Balai Seni Menara Maybank from now until 15 August 2018.
