Name: Richard KohHails from: Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaPresides over: Richard Koh Fine Art operating art gallery spaces in Kuala Lumpur and SingaporeGallery’s specialty: Emerging and established Southeast Asian artists.Artists shown: Nadiah Bamadhaj, Natee Utarit, Chang Yoong Chia, Wong Perng Fey, Mellisa Tan, Yeoh Choo Kuan, Haffendi Anuar, Kedsuda Loogthong, Saiful Razman Who was the first artist you chose to represent?The first artists we represented were Wong Perng Fey and Natee Utarit, they were friends, and they were very quickly followed by Nadiah Bamadhaj and Chang Yoong Chia. The artists were all not too happy with the galleries they were working with, and were looking for new representation.How did you develop your program?It took me a few years to get used to running a gallery, learning to do it properly and to understand what it was all about, and it was only in the last five to six years that we started developing a proper DNA for the gallery. We realized all the artist that we represented were what I would call the ‘underdogs’ in their respected art scenes. They were very focused and interesting artists and very serious in their practices, but in the more commercial art scene in Southeast Asia, they were more or less sidelined, and somehow the gallery started giving all these artists a platform. Now after 10 years, we are still doing that, showing artists that not many galleries wanted to work with for one reason or another, i.e., not commercial enough or difficult to work with the artist.Which criteria are important for you when deciding whether or not to represent an artist?For me I look at the personality and the character of the artist first; to me that’s very important. That’s as important as the works themselves. There are too many divas in this business and too-over-the-top characters, with super egos. The work must of course be of a certain quality and have a solid narrative of foundation. That said, I think it is important as an artist to have a personality, and as a young gallery, it’s more important to develop with the artist and guide them through their career than just merely showing and selling big artists.Do you still remember your first big triumph?Yes, it was when I managed to place some works from Southeast Asian artists into the Singapore Art Museum — Agus Suwage, Eko Nugroho, Dadang Christanto, and Phuah Thai Meng. Coming from Kuala Lumpur, it was not easy, and I was also not representing these artists. In fact many of the artists entered the museum’s collection for the first time.How has the art market changed since you entered the business in 2005?It has changed a lot, it is now more market driven as an asset than when I first started, where art was more of a passion for many collectors. Frankly, nobody really looks at art for the art anymore, it’s all about the brand and the upside, which to me defeats the main purpose of collecting art. But of course, with all these investment-driven formulas, it has created a market awareness, and has also attracted many people to collect art, and in many ways has also given an opportunity for the local art scene to be noticed.What does a good gallerist need to be able to do?I think a decent gallerist needs to really know what being a gallerist is all about, especially in Southeast Asia, it’s not just about the selling. I think it’s very important to develop with the artists, and also sometimes to help them with financing their production etc., and also to always be able to give advice and constructive comments; all this is lacking in the system here and most artists are left to their own devices and have no clue what is going on in the real art scene. Being a gallerist, in a way, is like having a family and looking after everyone along the way in whatever way possible. I even help them with their tax returns by recommending them to do proper accounting and filing their taxes. Of course the selling is important for the gallerist to survive but that is just part of it.What was the last piece of art that thoroughly impressed you and why?It would have to be the current altar works by Natee Utarit, as he never fails to surprise me with the way he works and the passion that he still has in his work, and most importantly, how knowledgeable he is with what is actually going on around, and how he is still constantly observing the world, and it shows in his works, his intelligence really shows in his worksWhich era in art history would you like to time travel to if you could?I think if I could go do time travel, I wouldn’t want to travel back in time, but more into the future!If you weren’t a gallerist, you’d probably be …a designer of some sort.Art is …technically a recording of history; you need not own it, but you do need to know it.
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