By Fitri Hazim Hazam
PETALING JAYA, June 10 — Tourism Selangor has channels RM60,000 in grants to six art enthusiasts, in a bid to strengthen the state's creative industry.
State executive councillor for tourism Dato' Ng Suee Lim said the recipients' projects were showcased at the 2024 Design and Craft Festival (Tukang) at The Spine @ PJKita in Petaling Jaya, from Friday (June 7) until yesterday.
The festival was organised to empower local artistic talent and thus invigorate Selangor's creative and tourism industries.
"Out of 30 submissions submitted in December last year, six were selected and granted RM60,000 each.
"Each winner produced a piece of art and craft that aligned with the given theme, 'Circular Economy,' through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) concept," he said during Tukang's closing ceremony yesterday.
Ng added that the uniqueness of the showcased local art pieces could also stimulate the economy, and attract tourists to witness the creativity of Selangor's crafts.
"Now in its second edition, I am proud to see many youths participating in this year's Tukang Festival.
"Various art and craft pieces by talented artists were displayed, like Wayang Robot by Ahnaf Hakimi and Scaling Up Scraps by Syiborisyd and Aruznadi," he said.
Other projects that won grants this year include Pagar 2tt by Parti Design Awangan, Deru Arus (Jamil Zakaria), Dung Beetle-A Participatory 'Dirt' Exploration (Cheng Yen Peng), and The Light of All Things (Khabir Roslan).
The festival, organised by Tourism Selangor in collaboration with Rantai Art, also featured performances by local 'indie' music groups like Daliliyana, Kingsley Chen, and Lorita Nyepit.
The event, which included food and beverage vendors as well as art and craft sales, attracted over 2,000 visitors from Malaysia and abroad.
[caption id="attachment_359793" align="aligncenter" width="872"]
Visitors admiring crafted goods for sale during the 2024 Design and Craft Festival (Tukang) at The Spine @ PJKita in Petaling Jaya, on June 9, 2024. — Picture by FIKRI YUSOF/SELANGORKINI[/caption]
