OF ART, IDENTITY AND AMBITION

Aliya and Farouk Khan share their philosophy on art as a bridge between communities, their journey as collectors, and how their collection tells the story of a nation striving for progress while embracing its diverse cultural roots.

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Art, in its purest form, transcends boundaries. It speaks a universal language, reflecting the soul of a society while acting as a mirror to its progress. For couple Aliya and Farouk Khan, contemporary art is more than an aesthetic pursuit; it is a powerful tool for nation-building and a lens through which the nation's identity is apparent. Through their collection, they have documented Malaysia's evolution as a post-independence, multicultural society, fostering conversations on identity, heritage, and the unifying power of artistic expression.

I have known the Khans for many years, their daughters friends of mine. This has given me an insight to the painstaking way in which Aliya and Farouk have grown their collection of contemporary Malaysian art, the AFK Collection. I've also seen how, inspired by their parents' dedication, Leila and Zena have stepped in to curate and—for the lack of a better word—market it. This also means that I've been privy to the brickbats the couple have been thrown, when it should have been bouquets—few other people have taken as much effort to celebrate the Malaysian contemporary art scene like the Khans, or have chosen to make it so publicly accessible through frequent exhibitions and their website.

"Our art collection is our love story for each other," Farouk says affectionately, taking his wife's elegant hand in his own. "But more than that, it is a love story to the country we have made home."

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