Petronas Gallery (

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

: Galeri Petronas) is a contemporary art gallery established in 1993 by the

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n multinational company

Petronas Petroliam Nasional Berhad (National Petroleum Limited), commonly known as Petronas, is a Malaysian oil and gas company. Established in 1974 and wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with all oil and gas reso ...

to promote arts and culture.

History

Galeri Petronas was established in 1993 at the

Dayabumi Complex The Dayabumi Complex () is a major landmark in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It houses several commercial facilities and is one of the earliest skyscrapers in the city. History Previously, it was a site of Malayan Railway workshops and depots from t ...

, the former headquarters of

. Its establishment created a major new venue for the display of visual art in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

. Through the gallery, Petronas sponsored many art exhibitions showing works of both local and foreign artists. The gallery was relocated to its present prime location in the

Petronas Twin Towers The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers or KLCC Twin Towers, (Malay: ''Menara Berkembar Petronas'') are 88-storey supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, standing at . From 1998 to 2003, they were officially design ...

in 1998. The new circular gallery of 2000 sq meters is almost three times the size of the gallery in the Dayabumi Complex.

Objectives

Galeri Petronas manages and administers the Petronas sponsorship programme for the visual arts. As part of this programme, the corporation provides and maintains the gallery as a venue for Malaysian artists to display their artwork and to undertake activities for their further development. The gallery also hosts foreign exhibitions. The gallery offers a wide range of art appreciation and educational programmes, in addition to an active programme of exhibitions. Forums and seminars discussing various art issues are organised on a regular basis.

Design

Robert Gaukroger designed the Gallery located at level 3 of the

as part of a consortium with Pakatan Architects and Equus Design, when Robert was living in Malaysia. The design was a competition entry which was held by Petronas. Robert Gaukroger’s design philosophy for the gallery was a simple multifunctional space which was a safe container for the display of art, beautifully detailed, although not competing with the works on display. influences of

Carlo Scarpa Carlo Scarpa (2 June 1906 – 28 November 1978) was an Italian architect, influenced by the materials, landscape and the history of Venetian culture, and by Japan. Scarpa translated his interests in history, regionalism, invention, and the tec ...

are present in some of the detailing including the reception desk (a single piece of black granite) and a sculptural wall of glass and concrete in the reception area. In addition to a total art display space of 1135.92 m², the gallery is also equipped with two multimedia spaces each measuring 30.1 m², three dry workshops each measuring 46 m², and a lecture room measuring 40.97 m². These multi-purpose spaces are used for art demonstrations, forums, classes and lectures, performances and other art activities.

Woods Bagot Woods Bagot is a global architectural and consulting practice founded in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in the design and planning of buildings across a wide variety of sectors and disciplines. Former names of the practice include Woo ...

provided detail design and site regulation services for the premiere art gallery facilities. The 2 207.38 m² fitout incorporated mobile walling system and flexible lighting, retail shops, workshop studio and electronic library.

Literature

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External links

Galeri Petronas homepage
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