“I’m here already,” reads the WhatsApp text on my phone. I look up and see a woman clad in a colourful blouse and light brown shawl a few tables away from me at a cafe in Jalan Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
I wave at her and she quickly approaches my table, her smile wide.
The woman is Hazrita Mohd Hatta, the founder of Art Market Malaysia, which was created to raise the standard of art and provide local aspiring artists with a platform to present their work to the public.
As an aspiring artist, it’s important to build a portfolio first and Hazrita, who has a background in sales and marketing, essentially acts as the middle person.
Having worked in the field for about 20 years, she uses her skills to promote and sell artists’ works through events and the media.
“I started small with an event with Kraftangan Malaysia at the end of November 2015. Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), the response from artists, crafters and the public was encouraging,” begins Hazrita as she makes herself comfortable on her seat.
Since its inception in 2015, Art Market has been involved in many events, the main one being the Merdeka festival.
Sipping her iced white coffee, Hazrita continues: “The first Merdeka-themed event was in 2016. I was lucky enough to get a space at the National Visual Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and organised a five-day event. We received an even bigger crowd so I decided to make Merdeka event as Art Market’s main event.”
Since then, Art Market has been receiving invitations to organise their events at malls around the Klang Valley. Last year, the Merdeka event was held at 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya.
This year, Hazrita hopes to attract an even bigger crowd at Da Men Mall in Subang Jaya. Themed “Sayangi Malaysiaku”, the Anak Merdeka Exhibition festival will be held from Aug 29 to Sept 16.
“It’s special this year because we’re going to have it for Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day as well,” she shares, smiling.
Visitors can participate in the many interesting activities that have been lined up by Art Market such as a colouring contest for children, Merdeka quiz for university students, poetry recital night, storytelling competition for children, and traditional games such as congkak and batu seremban.
“Do you remember those games?” she asks, and I nod enthusiastically. “For the storytelling competition, there are two categories, Bahasa Melayu and English. For the Bahasa one, I want children to tell folk stories such as Tanggang. I grew up reading about all these Malaysian folklores so it will be cool to have that at the event.”
HOW IT BEGAN
“I started Art Market Malaysia after I had a stroke in 2015,” Hazrita divulges, her voice soft.
You had a stroke? I ask, taken aback by her confession.
Nodding, she recalls: “I remember that fateful night very well. It was 3am and I just got back from work. I admit I was a workaholic last time. I was about to fall asleep when I suddenly realised that I couldn’t move the right side of my body. My mouth went crooked and my blood pressure was 260! I was lucky to get to the hospital immediately.”
She shares that it took her six months to recover with intensive therapy and treatment.
Hazrita tells me that it was her sister, who lives in Canada, who had come across an Art Market there.
Art Market Canada was started to create a community and a resource for Canadian artists and patrons of the arts to support and communicate with each other.
“She suggested that I did the same here in Malaysia,” recalls the 45-year-old Johorean before adding: “I was sceptical at first because the art scene in Malaysia isn’t as big as other countries such as Europe.”
In those countries, continues Hazrita, art enjoys a longstanding heritage and is well-preserved and appreciated. Museums and galleries are always filled with visitors and tourists.
She expresses hope that our own country can one day be like that too and she firmly believes that something needs to be done to develop our art.
“Nowadays, pelukis baru susah cari makan (it’s difficult for new artists to earn an income). Even many of my family members have to forget their dreams to become full-time artists because they know it’s not profitable. So they only paint as a hobby and just sell whatever they can. I feel the need to help these artists and I know I have to do something to earn an income as well since I can’t work for an employer anymore,” confides Hazrita, adding that after the stroke, she’s no longer as strong and active as she used to be.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Besides helping the new artists, Hazrita is taking the whole thing a step further by giving back to society. Calling herself a social entrepreneur, she’s also helping to promote disabled artists. She came across some autistic artists when she collaborated with the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM).
“I’ve seen what these artists can do. They have God-given talent and their artworks are amazing. So I want to help promote them and at the same time, promote awareness on autism. The reason I want to help the disabled is because I know how costly their treatment and therapy can be. So I hope that I can ease their burden through Art Market,” shares Hazrita, adding that about five to 10 per cent of the profit from each event is channelled to NASOM.
Other smaller scale events that Art Market Malaysia has organised include exhibitions in collaboration with hotels and hospitals.
For the able-bodied artists, she asks them to become a member with Art Market Malaysia and charges them a membership fee of RM120 for two years.
“Members will have their artwork promoted through many vehicles such as events and also media. For the disabled, it’s free. I’ll promote and sell their artwork for free. Some of them don’t really know how to sell their artwork and that’s where I come in,” says Hazrita, pausing to take another sip of her drink.
So far, Art Market has about 50 members. Those who have already learnt the ropes and can stand on their own are not obliged to stay as members. They can leave anytime they want to make way for new ones, says Hazrita, adding: “But there are those who stay with us because they prefer our way of working.”
MOVING FORWARD
Art Market has a few employees, volunteers and interns working for them.
“Last time, I worked for people. After the stroke, I can’t do that anymore. Field work and operation, my husband will do. I’m usually in charge of paperwork and contacting people,” shares Hazrita.
Art Market Malaysia is going all out to assist local artists as much as possible, to help them realise their creative dreams and set them on the right career path. To make this happen, the organisation needs help and support.
Money or funds, admits Hazrita, is a challenge for a small organisation like Art Market. For most of the events, the money comes out of her own pocket.
“Sometimes, I’ll get the funds from vendors at my events and that’s all. I’m hoping to get more sponsors from those in the corporate sector. I want more people to support local artists.”
As for the artists themselves, Hazrita shares that she has suggested to them that they try exploring other avenues other than paintings for extra income.
Merchandise such as postcards, magnets and printed versions of their artwork are something they can consider as those are more affordable for some people.
“They need to understand that as beginners, they need to be smart. They can’t mark up the price of their artwork. Those merchandises can also help with their income,” she points out.
Moving forward, Hazrita aspires to have a one stop centre for Art Market. “But there are a lot of things I need to consider. I need to find a strategic location and enough funds to sustain before I can really set it up. Also, I plan to have a mobile gallery, like a bus. So we can drive around selling artworks,” she divulges.
As for the upcoming event, she’s hoping that it will be another success, with more people, especially families, joining in the merriment.
“I want Malaysians to come and show their patriotism. Show us how much you love Malaysia!” concludes Hazrita, her smile wide.
Anak Merdeka Festival
Where: Da Men Mall, 1, Persiaran Kewajipan, USJ 1, Subang Jaya, Selangor
When: Aug 29-Sept 16