KUALA LUMPUR: Brushstrokes, acrylic paint and passion were the order of yesterday as The Edge Galerie unveiled artworks that will be featured at its auction later this month.

The Edge Auction 2015 preview, held at White Box in Publika, saw representatives from The Edge Galerie partner IJM Land Bhd also present to view the 136 paintings by both established as well as up-and-coming young artists.

IJM Land chief operating officer and chief financial officer Edward Chong Sin Kiat said the preview offered a good mix of Malaysian and Southeast Asian artists.

“The purpose of us going into this initiative with The Edge was to promote Malaysian artists, both renowned and the relatively unknown young ones,” he told The Edge Financial Daily.

“This is a good platform for young upstart artists to showcase their talents as there are not many avenues for them to do so,” he added.

The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd managing director Au Foong Yee said The Edge Galerie auction is different from other art auctions as the artworks are stringently curated.

“For one, we are selective with what we show, where they are from, history and the stories behind the pieces,” she said.

“If you look around you, you get a sense of what we are trying to convey and that is appreciating art, beauty which is an enriching experience,” she added.

The Edge Galerie general manager Johnni Wong said this year, the art gallery will be featuring a significant number of up-and-coming artists.

“We are focusing on artists who have been in the art scene for quite a while but are relatively new,” he added.

The preview features acclaimed modernists such as Ismail Abdul Latiff and Ibrahim Hussein alongside contemporary artists such as Ahmad Zakii Anwar as well as Penang water colourist Alex Leong.

The paintings range from RM1,000 to RM450,000.

A preview of the auction was also held in Singapore last weekend.

The preview is open to the public until March 20, before The Edge Auction 2015 on March 22.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 13, 2015.