Turtle-shaped Art Gallery @ The Light Waterfront
Penang is gaining momentum to be the top destination of choice for arts and culture, and the upcoming art gallery project is set to propel the state even further.
The construction of the 88,000 sq ft Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery is targeted to begin in December this year and is expected to complete in three years.
IJM Land Berhad managing director Edward Chong said its subsidiary Jelutong Development Sdn Bhd, and Space Arts and Culture (M) Sdn Bhd would be collaborating to invest and build the art gallery, with a budgeted cost of about RM88 million.
“The Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery would be built on a 0.89 acre freehold site within The Light Waterfront development in Gelugor,” he said in his speech.
Commending Space Arts and Culture (M) Sdn Bhd executive chairman Prof Lin Xiang Xiong, Chong said the company was honoured and excited to be collaborating with Prof Lin, who is a world-renowned artist and an entrepreneur.
“Prof Lin was from the Guangdong province in China. He studied fine arts in Singapore Academy of Arts (from 1965 to 1968) and in Paris, France from 1971 to 1973.
“He has held art exhibitions globally in partnership with Unesco. In March last year, he managed the First Roundtable Forum ‘Art of Peace’ in Luxembourg Palace, where he debated Lech Walesa (former President of Poland and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient) on arts and politics.
“Prof Lin also delivered an opening speech and keynote address at the World Humanities Conference, hosted by Unesco in August last year,” Chong said.
Jelutong Development Sdn Bhd and Space Arts and Culture (M) Sdn Bhd took part in an official signing ceremony at The Top in Komtar today, to invest and develop the Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery.
Chong said the iconic design concept of the gallery was intended to simulate ‘a turtle coming up the shoreline of Penang’.
“According to the Chinese cultural belief, a turtle signifies longevity, kindness and prosperity.
“As such we believe that good tidings will continue to come and Penang and Malaysia will continue to prosper,” he said.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the art gallery would serve as a link to foster collaboration and to bring Unesco to Penang.
“I would like to commend IJM Land Berhad and Space Arts and Culture (M) Sdn Bhd for this collaboration which will help to transform Penang into an iconic destination.
“The involvement and presence of Unesco in Penang will promote more arts and culture activities and events.
“Penang will eventually be a prominent hub for arts and culture. This will create a new ‘segment’ of tourists, who will visit the state for this purpose,” Chow said.
Source: Buletin Mutiara
Wow ! Very unique ! Thank you Dr. Lin.
But don’t know Penang’s NGOs is happy with that ?
Penang does not need all those stupid eyesores ! Stop it !!!
Like Sydney opera house
HRH Sultan Nazrin sudah bertitah: Wake up and move forward or you’ll be extinct like the dinosaur…
I fully welcome and applaud this development in bringing Penang to the world stage and be the center of art and culture performances for South East Asia!!
that is damn ugly…
I think this type of criticism is totally uncalled for. Although it is ugly and shows the “lack of creativity” for an art gallery, but it is not gov money but private money afterall that is funding this building, so the public doesn’t have a say.
Having said that, if I were the state gov, I would have tried to influence them to build the art gallery downtown in the heritage enclave, instead of this residential area. Of course, it is understandable that IJM is trying to promote that area to con people to buy their properties there which is located totally out of the way, and always plagued by traffic jams during peak hours, but as a state gov, developments should be approved in an “integrated approach” to benefit the state in terms of tourism, rather than trying to “please” developers, which is good for the developer, but bad for the people. Bad move.
I think this type of criticism is totally uncalled for. Although it is ugly and shows the “lack of creativity” for an art gallery, but it is not gov money but private money afterall that is funding this building, so the public doesn’t have a say.
Having said that, if I were the state gov, I would have tried to influence them to build the art gallery downtown in the heritage enclave, instead of this residential area. Of course, it is understandable that IJM is trying to promote that area to con people to buy their properties there which is located totally out of the way, and always plagued by traffic jams during peak hours, but as a state gov, developments should be approved in an “integrated approach” to benefit the state in terms of tourism, rather than trying to “please” developers, which is good for the developer, but bad for the people. Bad move. This project is set to fail anyway, same as The Light.
This project is set to fail anyway, same as The Light.
Cool The light already success make money 500k after sold my unit, can I invest for this turtle and make money another 500k?
Broadway of Penang, why complain
I think this is something great happen in Penang. It definitely become a place to visit for tourists and an iconic symbol for Penang just like Sydney Opera House. A place you definitely want to visit and take a photo to prove that you been to Sydney. It will bring more tourists to Penang overall help the economy and the property in the Light area.
In term of bad investments is depend of when you enter the market for now is a slow market therefor real estate is not the ideal of simply invest. Is all depend on your holding power. You can always wait.
@Frank
Hahaha. Don’t make a fool of yourself by calling this iconic. IJM wanted the windmills in front of the light to be iconic when they built it, but it has turned out to be merely “KDK fans”. :))))
I agree with you when it comes to good/bad investments, timing plays a part, developer has nothing to do with it. Don’t buy IJM, they always price their properties way ahead of time, plus, location lousy also lah at the light.