At his new Penang art museum, entrepreneur Lin Xiangxiong aims to ‘bridge cultures’

A new cultural tourist landmark is set to open in Penang, an island off the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, this December. Funded by the chairman and founder of Chinese mining company CNMC, Professor Lin Xiangxiong, the Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery is said to be the cornerstone of an ambitious vision to position Penang as a centre for cultural dialogue, with art as its language. The mining magnate has invested 100 million yuan (US$14 million) in the project, which will showcase his lifetime of work as an established artist. The 86,900 sq ft (8,070 square metre) space will feature a permanent display of more than 300 original works by Lin, supplemented by a rotating collection of more than 1,000 pieces. Beyond the exhibition halls, the venue, at The Light Waterfront in the island’s biggest city, George Town, will include retail shops, a restaurant and a basement car park, creating a comprehensive cultural destination designed to engage both art enthusiasts and the general public. Throughout the years, Lin has accumulated many credentials in the art world, including serving as president of the Global Chinese Arts and Culture Society, as a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of the Arts and as a visiting professor at Peking University. “I believe art can bridge cultures and spark dialogue where words alone may fail,” Lin tells the Post. The design of the Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery is inspired by a sea turtle. While abstract, the motif can inspire many different interpretations. “There were three reasons I chose Penang,” Lin says. “One is because of its history as a port in the trans-imperial network of colonial times. Second, the Penang government wants to promote Penang as a destination for art and culture tourism. Lastly, it was the cost. This museum would cost more than 10 times more in Singapore than in Penang.” Lin was born in China’s Guangdong province in 1945. His mother raised him and his two siblings after his father left mainland China for what is now Malaysia to escape post-war political turmoil. Lin’s mother, who was stigmatised as a landlord, barely got by and died when Lin was 11 years old. “My childhood is a very sad story of challenges and suffering due to war,” he says. At 12 years old, he made the journey to Malaysia to find his father, only to be bounced around among relatives. He eventually ended up living with his grandmother, who was a housemaid at the time. Lin became a delivery boy to put himself through high school. In 1956, he moved to Singapore to help his father, who worked at the port for a foreign shipping company. Smart and eloquent, Lin quickly worked his way into the office buildings of the shipping company as a clerk and gained the favour of his boss. It was at this juncture that Lin held his first exhibition. He used the money his artworks raised to study in Paris. Lin established a design firm, later expanding into contracting and importing Italian tiles. Upon returning to Asia in 1983, he entered the quarrying business in China, but faced thin margins thanks to fierce competition. His experience doing business in China led to his appointment in 2004 as the adviser on China trade for the government of the Malaysian state of Kelantan. To attract foreign investment, the state offered a gold mining concession in an undeveloped area called Sokor. Lin initially facilitated a deal with a Chinese state-owned enterprise, but when it stalled, he privatised the project in 2006. Throughout this whole time as an entrepreneur, Lin has kept art as his side passion. His art confronts weighty themes from Southeast Asian heritage to anti-war sentiment and the human condition. Yet, for decades, this prolific output has remained in his private possession. The Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery will be the physical manifestation of his belief – a dedicated space for “Art for Peace” where his unsold paintings will be on public display, not as commodities, but as catalysts for conversation. The gallery’s potential, however, extends far beyond its walls, promising a boon for Penang’s economy. George Town, whose centre is a Unesco World Heritage site renowned for its colonial architecture and street food, has long attracted tourists. The Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery promises to be a powerful new magnet for high-value cultural tourism. The Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery recently announced its partnership with Leaders for Peace, a Paris-based foundation led by former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin as part of the latter’s Peace Through Art initiative. The collaboration elevates Penang’s reputation as an international cultural destination. This partnership launched a peace prize, the first of which was given this year. It will also be rolling out more initiatives that mix art with peace-building, including joint multicultural artworks and academic programmes to attract a steady stream of diplomats, academics, artists and culturally minded travellers. These visitors will not just sightsee, but also stay in hotels, dine in restaurants and engage with the local economy for extended periods. The gallery will become a must-see destination, creating a ripple effect that benefits adjacent businesses and reinforces Penang’s brand as a sophisticated, global-minded destination. This positioning is strategic. In an era of geopolitical tension, the vision of a Malaysian-founded private museum to facilitate diplomatic discourse aligns with a growing desire for soft-power solutions. It also differentiates the Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery from Penang’s other tourist attractions. “With this partnership, Eastern art joins the global conversation on peace and renewal,” Lin says.

At his new Penang art museum, entrepreneur Lin Xiangxiong aims to ‘bridge cultures’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The mining boss and artist shares how his soon-to-open Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery will help make George Town a centre for cultural dialogue

The mining boss and artist shares how his soon-to-open Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery will help make George Town a centre for cultural dialogue