On the 21st to 23rd of August, the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) will play host to the inaugural Visual Arts Expo.
What is the Visual Arts Expo you ask? Visual Arts Expo, or VAX for short, is an event that aims to bring together the best of the Malaysian creative industry under one roof for talent matchmaking at its best. VAX aims to be the one stop location for creatives to gather and present their ideas and portfolios to interested parties, giving them the chance to find opportunities to expand their services and reach into larger markets outside of Malaysia. Targeted at school leavers, fresh graduates, young adults and entrepreneurs, the event is focused on creative content in various forms – which includes animation, comics, video games and also music. The contents will be shared with visitors, which includes creative industry players from Japan, America and Europe, which would ultimately be used by these professionals as part of their own content and future projects.
In order to better facilitate this gathering of creative powerhouses, the expo will be holding closed-door business-matching cum networking sessions between exhibitors and interested parties. There will also be seminars and panels on related subjects that will be of interest for the expo goers and participants alike, a differentiating factor compared to any other Animation, Comics & Games (ACG) conventions held before in the country.
Some of the big names that are scheduled to appear at VAX include Shoji Kawamori, the executive director of Studio Satellight who is well known for involvements in animation projects such as Macross and Aquarion. Another big name that will be present is Hiroyuki Yamaga, CEO and Co-Founder of Studio Gainax. Both men will be at the event to give talks and seminars during the three-day event as well as conducting portfolio reviews with the public, where registered public can come in and have their work critiqued by professionals.
Fun is not neglected at VAX too as the event will be hosting a concert as part of the itinerary. Featuring artists such as Aimee Blackschleger, who was involved in anime projects such as Kill la Kill and Attack on Titan; and BACK-ON, who sang the opening song to Air Gear and Gundam Build Fighters. Besides them, professional wrestler, comedian, singer and crossdresser Richard “Ladybeard” Magarey will also make an appearance at the event.
Other events that will be happening on VAX include fan-based panels where people on the street can enrol and talk about their favourite topic.
“By connecting local creatives with the international players, VAX aims to create new relationships between the local creative industries with international players from Europe, Japan and America to spark growth and spur more creative content to be generated locally for the world,” says Fazri Nuha, Project Director for VAX and former PC.com writer.
For those interested, tickets for Visual Arts Expo is available at RM 15 per day for walk-in visitors or RM 25 for two-day entry when purchased here. A special VIP Gold pass will be available to 200 people only, which includes benefits such as 2-day early entry into the hall, early entry to the VAX performance on day 2, a one-time use Fast Pass that allows the person to skip the line during an autograph session and a mystery gift.
