James Bain Smith – The George Town Batik Lounge

Installation - Exhibition from July 2nd to September 23, 2018

During the Provencal summer season, Galerie Huit Arles creates the “George Town Batik Lounge” to celebrate the official arts and heritage twinning of two UNESCO World Heritage sites – Arles in Southern France and George Town, state capital of Penang, Malaysia.

Julia de Bierre, Penang-born owner of Galerie Huit Arles, is proud to host Puan Haryany Mohamad, Director of Penang State Museums, the first recipient of this innovative cultural exchange and capacity-building program, a collaboration between the Embassy of France, Kuala Lumpur, the George Town Conservation and Development Corporation Snd. Bhd. And the Municipality of Arles.

The Batik Lounge, an intimate curated space situated in the Galerie Huit Arles inner-city mansion, immerses visitors in a fascinating parallel universe. Photographs, objects, furniture and textiles evoke the cultural diversity and hybrid aesthetic of Penang’s state capital. Recorded sounds, a ‘Malaysiana’ library and a rattan sofa encourage guests to linger.

The art installation is accompanied by French and English versions of the best-selling book ‘Penang: Through Gilded Doors ‘author: Julia de Bierre, photography: James Bain Smith, publisher: Areca Books.

Puan Haryany Mohamad visits the historic monuments of Arles, on the first day of her two-month residency.