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Kota Kinabalu: Sabah should look into hosting a symposium on modern and contemporary art, said Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.

Such conference, he said, has the potential to draw a larger crowd and will pique the interest of everyone, including tourists.

“Sabah has played host to several significant expositions and conferences, many of which have attracted participants from other countries.

“We, at the Ministry and the Sabah Tourism Board, are always on the lookout for prospective events to promote, and I believe that contemporary art has the potential to be one of such events because it complements tourism,” he said.

Joniston, who is also the Sabah Tourism Board Chairman, said this at the launching of Art Connects 2.0 International Art Exhibition at the University Sabah College Foundation (USCF) here on Saturday.

He said Sabah has the capacity to be a hub for the convergence of artistic talents from across the world, adding the state’s rich cultural heritage and natural beauty have served as a source of inspiration for art enthusiasts.

The Art Connects 2.0 exhibition, themed ‘Stronger Reconnection with New Aspirations’ featured artworks by 80 local and international artists. The two-day exhibition is jointly organised by the USCF, Asian Tourism International College (ATI College), and Sabah Institute of Art (SIA).

International participations come from the United States, China, Japan, India, Korea, and Thailand.

Present were Palm Oil Industrial Cluster chairman Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, UCSF Vice-Chancellor Dr Rafiq Idris, ATI College Executive Chairman Datuk Seri Wong Khen Thau, and SIA President Prof Datuk Seri Wilson Yong Tung Yung.