Returning to the Opening: Reflections on Pilih & Pamer by Amir Amin

Pilih dan Pamer exhibition poster.

I cannot remember when was the last time I attended an art opening.

But recently, after quite some time away from the scene, I found myself returning again through Pilih & Pamer, a group exhibition organized by Nadi Seni and spearheaded by Emma Shaari.

The exhibition brought together a number of collectors showcasing works from their personal collections alongside newly produced works by the same artists. Among the participating collectors were Bingley Sim & Ima Norbinsha, Cinta Ayuandrea & Najib Bamadhaj, Lim Edin Nom & Amara, Tan Loke Mun, Jimmy Chiam, Nik Arshad & Mariza Azen, Pakha Sulaiman, PK Ee, Krishna Gopal Rampal & Kamla Rampal, as well as U-Wei Hj Saari.

The exhibition also featured artists such as Haslin Ismail, Shafiq Nordin, Ahmad Fuad Osman, Izzuddin Basiron, Rafiee Ghani, Najib Ahmad Bamadhaj, Juhari Said, Fauzulyusri, Stephen Menon and Riaz Ahmad Jamil.

What made the exhibition particularly interesting was its curatorial premise. Each collector selected one artwork from their collection, and the artist was then invited to produce a new work to be exhibited beside the original piece. The result was not merely a showcase of artworks, but a showcase of time, growth and artistic evolution.

Pilih dan Pamer Activities Schedule.

 

Pilih dan Pamer Activities Schedule.

This is what I enjoyed the most about the exhibition.

When older and newer works are placed side by side, we are able to witness how an artist changes across years. Not only in terms of technique or medium, but also in terms of subject matter, confidence, concerns, and context.

One example that stood out to me was the works by Shafiq Nordin from the Cinta Ayuandrea and Najib Bamadhaj collection. The Violence Machine, created in the year 2012 offers an expansive visual and conceptual contrast to his recent work produced in 2026. While a fourteen-year gap may not sound too distant at first, the newer work feels like it belongs to a completely different phase of artistic thinking. The evolution becomes visible almost immediately when both works occupy the same space.

That is something we rarely get to experience.

Shafiq Nordin's A Small Love for a Heavy World (2026) and The Violence Machine (2012). 

Photo credit: Pakha Sulaiman

Most of the time, older works disappear into private collections, archives, or documentation online. We might encounter them through Instagram posts, scanned catalogues, or old exhibition photographs, but rarely in person. This is why I have always believed that collector exhibitions are important. Private collectors hold some of the best treasures within the Malaysian art scene.

Another work that deeply impressed me was Blue Chair in Dungun; a still life painting by Rafiee Ghani from 1994 under the collection of Jimmy Chiam. I was already familiar with the work because I had previously referred my student to that particular series for an IGCSE project. However, seeing the work physically was an entirely different experience.

Shafiq Nordin's A Small Love for a Heavy World (2026) and The Violence Machine (2012) next to Rafiee Ghani's Tinghir (2026) and Blue Chair in Dungun (1994).

Photo credit: Pakha Sulaiman

This is something younger artists and students especially need to experience more often.

Seeing artworks online and seeing artworks in real life are two completely different encounters. On screen, we only receive an image. In person, we encounter texture, scale, surface, layering, and presence. Certain works only truly reveal themselves physically.

Because of that, exhibitions like Pilih & Pamer become more than just exhibitions. In many ways, they function as alternative archives for Malaysian art history.

At the same time, the exhibition also reminded me of something I had not experienced in a while: the culture of the art opening itself.

During the opening reception.

Throughout the evening, almost every conversation began the same way.

“Eh, lama tak nampak.” “Mana hilang?” “It has been so long.”

A few years ago, attending openings was almost routine for me. Art openings were never solely about the artworks. They were gatherings. Spaces for people to reconnect, catch up, gossip, exchange ideas, and sometimes simply spend time together. In many ways, openings feel less like formal events and more like kenduri or perayaan within the art community.

People eat, drink, laugh, talk and move from one conversation to another.

Ironically, during openings, we rarely get to properly view the artworks themselves.

You stop every few minutes because someone calls your name. Another person pulls you into a conversation. Someone else asks about your recent projects. Before realizing it, two hours have passed and you have only seriously looked at a handful of works.

But there is nothing wrong with that.

That is simply the nature of openings.

Personally, I still prefer revisiting exhibitions on quieter days when the crowd has subsided. That is when I can truly spend time with the works themselves. Openings are for people. Quiet afternoons are for viewing.

Still, returning to the opening after such a long absence reminded me why these gatherings continue to matter. Beyond the artworks, openings remain one of the few spaces where the local art ecosystem physically comes together. Artists, collectors, curators, students, writers and friends occupy the same room, if only for a few hours.

And perhaps that is why exhibitions like Pilih & Pamer feel important.

Not only because they allow us to revisit artworks from the past, but because they also allow us to revisit the people, conversations and communities surrounding them.