ARTS BEYOND DISTANCE SEASON 2

Mahen Bala

INXO Online Talk Series

Guest Speaker:

Mahen Bala

About him:

Mahen Bala is a photographer, filmmaker, and writer who has worked on documenting Malaysian history and identity for more than a decade. His primary interest is in investigating memory, social history, and how these factors make up individual and communal identity. In 2017, he represented Malaysia on an expedition to Antarctica which then resulted in ‘No Man’s Land’, at National Art Gallery. The exhibition explored the past, present and future of human activity on the frozen continent. In 2018, he published ‘Postcards from the South’, a documentation of memory, identity, and history of the Malaysian railways. He is currently on a fellowship with the Japan Foundation Asia Center, working on a project titled ‘Longing and Belonging: Railway Heritage in Southeast Asia and Japan’.

Host:

Tan E-Jan (CEO of INXO Productions)

Date:

03/05/2020 (Sunday)

Time:

8pm – 9pm

Language:

English

Key Takeaway:

Mahen thinks that the shelf life of artwork is a reflection of the society itself. The life of artwork depend on the social value of the society itself.
He thinks that continuity and sustainability is very important. In Malaysia, things come in quickly and dies quickly. There is a need of a structured system to support. New artists could always trace the history of the ecosystem.
Mahen also thinks that artists need more support in many other ways than funding. It is important to connect with each other.
Mahen share about his thought for mental health in arts. To deal with stress, he thinks that to listen how other people who have gone through the same situation and how they dealt with it is very helpful. He thinks that a lot of things need to be talked about rather than doing alone. We always only see the highlight and success stories of artists, but those stress and failures artists suffered are something we need to be talk about in the public.
Mahen shares that we need to try to find a balance in between things we do.
Having a mentor, or a group of friends that can constantly talk to is important. It is not easy but having good relationship with people is one of the survival kit for artist.
He thinks that exposure to various kind of material from artists around the world is helpful. Read and watch interview, seeing their work to understand how they think and deal with challenges is what gives him hope and keeps him going.
He is hoping for a society mature enough to access our present and keep looking into the past, present and future.
To increase the appreciation of the arts in Malaysia, Mahen thinks that one of the most impactful way is to go and see arts for yourself and talk about it. Share about what you think and justify it. The feeling of being involved is very important.

Podcast download:

Podcast Intro & Outro Music Credit:

ACOUSTIC BREEZE | ROYALTY FREE MUSIC
Composer: Benjamin Tissot