The new Asian Heritage Museum will be housed in the iconic Carcosa Seri Negara in Kuala Lumpur
When KK Tan began working with an American fortune hunter back in 2004, he likely didn’t expect to emerge two years later with four containers’ worth of valuable Chinese artefacts entangled in wild tales of piracy and international politics. “Everything happened by fate or accident,” he joked.
The socio-political analyst began working with an American “pirate” to set up an Asian museum with the backing of the Malaysian government and several investors. When the deal fell through, the fortune hunter abruptly fled the country without paying Tan, and the Malaysian High Court order granted him ownership of the abandoned treasure.
When I visited Tan in a nondescript fluorescent-lit office in central Kuala Lumpur, I wasn’t expecting to stumble upon a literal pirate’s treasure trove. Amidst mountains of paper, folders and multiple copies of Crazy Rich Asians, over 2,000 priceless objects await their day in the sun. According to Tan the provenances of many of the pieces are pretty uncertain. Likely, some part of the American’s haul has some of its origins in the hands of the notorious 16th century pirate, Li-ma-hong, whose legacy included terrorising sailors in the South China Sea, and aspirations of his own Filipino kingdom.
この記事は ART REPUBLIK の Sep - Nov 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は ART REPUBLIK の Sep - Nov 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Mix Master
At The Intersection Of Optic Art, Abstract Art And Calligraphy, French Street Artist L’Atlas’ Universal Language Of Lines, Shapes And Letters Allows Him To Cross New Frontiers.
Blue Bayou
Chinese Artist Gao Xiaoyun’s Dream-Like Landscapes In Oil Give A Divergent Take On Traditional Chinese Ink Paintings.
Shadow And Light
Opera Gallery’s Exhibition ‘Shadow Of A Pine Tree’ Shows Some Of The Best Sculptural Works By Korean Contemporary Artists.
Bad And Boujee
Rain drop, drop top — yes, it is 2017 and we’re repping the Migos.
One And All
Look forward to great art and programmes at Singapore’s Spring edition of the Affordable Art Fair 2017.
Hanging In The Balance
The Contemplative Elegance Of Claire Morgan’s Installations Question The Sustainability Of The Fragile Relationship Between Man And The Environment.
Sneaker Peek
A brief look back at ‘Bazaar Art’, and what we can expect from the newly named ‘Art Jakarta’.
In Good Hands
Anne Samat’s sculptures woven from domestic materials bring attention to the art of weaving and the challenges of being a malaysian woman.
A Sense Of Purpose
ZOE BUTT AND THE FACTORY IN HO CHI MINH CITY.
Britain, Burberry and Moore
BurBerry looks to British artist henry Moore this season, and reveals the full range of the DK88 collection of luxury leather Bags.
