Photo credit: Wisma Geylang Serai

Good afternoon Dr. Maliki, distinguished guests, artists and friends.

Thank you for joining us here today physically in the gallery

or virtually through live streaming.

We are honoured and encouraged by your support.

I take the opportunity here to thank the SeniKita exhibition curators,

Mr. Ahmad Abu Bakar and Mr. Suhaimi Sukiyar.

Also all the artists that responded to our open call. Thank you.

Also allow me to introduce and thank the exhibition team members.

My dear wife Ms Eliyah Osman, Mr Saiful Amri and Ms. Sarah Amalina.

This community gallery opened in November of 2019 with the bare minimum.

If you were present then, you would recall we did not even have air conditioning.

Despite our struggles to remain afloat through these trying times

we were able to make improvements to the facilities here bit by bit.

In light of the challenges we needed to transform our organisation

to remain relevant in the community. Mr. Saiful Amri was roped in

to help establish a transformation initiative. We named it ATAS Arts Resource.

The name simply describe our location here at the rooftops of Wisma Geylang Serai

and our aspiration to heighten local art practices.

This initiative addresses the recovery of our local arts scene

from the Covid-19 pandemic. We are thankful to the National Arts Council

for awarding us Organisation Transformation Grant (OTG) to carry out the plan.

ATAS Arts Resource is a shared services facility for artists and arts groups.

Serving beyond visual arts sector, to include other art forms

such as performing arts and literary.

We help artists by sharing our existing resources to provide professional support

in the areas of Arts administration, production support, exhibition management and venue.

This gallery was equipped to become a multi-functional facility

without compromising the existing visual art gallery.

This space now hosts various art activities.

Since September, ATAS has hosted numerous projects, among them:

• Pertama SG, a collective skills upgrading programme for

Malay theatre practitioners every Friday.

• Koh Hong Teng, solo art exhibition – Garden In The City;

• Dayang Bintang Tiga, a female dikir barat group that recorded

their digital dikri barat competition – Alunan Bintang Tiga;

• Unggun Creatives, a Malay literary art publisher

conducting their creative writing workshops – Kemilau; and

• Anggerik Temasek Bangsawan, a bangsawan troupe for their weekly practices.

I must add that the ATAS resource team was involved in this SeniKita project.

It is hoped that with ATAS, we can rejuvenate art participation

and recharge vibrancy through art activities here

at Wisma Geylang Serai and the Geylang Serai Precinct.

Thank you.