KUALA TERENGGANU: Postcards usually go for a song – but one in particular is sounding like a ‘concert’ to the ears of an artist who created it, as it is being sold for RM800.
The fantastically-priced postcard is among the thousands on display and selling like hot cakes at the ‘Duyong Art Festival 2017’, running for one month at the Duyong Art Gallery near the Pulau Duyong jetty here.
The RM800 postcard – a coloured pencil-on-paper piece titled ‘Senja di Joeja Tak Lagi Sama Tanpa Mu #1’ is the creation of Indonesian artist, Nawank Crossline, from Yogyakarta.
Site Zahara, assistant to exhibitor Taib Ayre, said that Nawank’s postcard depicts an Indonesian village maiden, and is among the artist’s prized possessions.
She said there are other postcards by various artists from the Malay archipelago, including those from Malaysia, which are being displayed and sold for between RM10 and several hundred ringgit.
Terengganu Tourism Department director Tun Ahmad Faisal Tun Abdul Razak said that the festival, which is into its third year, was founded to promote art among the younger ‘anok Tranung’ (Terengganuan) generation.
“Festivals like these provide a platform for talented artists to share their (passion) and pursue it as a hobby or a rewarding profession,” he said at the soft launch of the festival, held in conjunction with ‘Visit Beautiful Terengganu Year 2017’.
“Works of art like photography, drawing, handicraft, videography, sculpture, music, dance and poems (are also featured here),” he added.
Tun Faisal said the gallery takes the initiative of promoting art among the young and old, especially as a means of conserving traditional and heritage forms in the state.
“We will engage experienced and professional artists to guide the younger set to pursue art seriously.
“This is to ensure that budding artists are not afraid to venture into the unknown as entrepreneurs.
“We want to groom the young to explore and be smart artists to preserve the dignity of art in its traditional and contemporary forms,” said Tun Faisal.
He added that the 60 booths at the festival, complete with street buskers, are expected to attract 20,000 visitors and generate revenue in excess of RM200,000 this year, as compared with RM65,000 last year.
At the soft launch, Tun Faisal received a giant postcard delivered by a postman on a pre-war bicycle, as a gimmick.