SABAH TO HAVE ANOTHER ``UST VISIT PLACE`` -- A WORLD CLASS ART GALLERY

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's East coast state of
Sabah, dubbed the Land Below The Wind, will have another "must visit place" for
foreign tourists once the octagonal permanent building of the State Visual Arts
Conservation Centre is ready soon.

The construction of the RM14 million (US$4.14 million) building near this
Sabah's capital, housing a world-class state art gallery, started Friday with
the ground-breaking ceremony performed by state Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Environment Masidi Manjun.

"If you go to Jalan Gaya (a bazaar held every Sunday in the heart the city),
one of the most popular things among the tourists is paintings. But the problem
is we don't have a permanent place for this.

"That's why we need a place to really display the best of Sabah in terms of
arts and we hope the art gallery will move to its new premises or building
soon," he told reporters after the ceremony.

Masidi said the four-storey building was expected to be completed in 18
months while phase 2 was waiting for the government allocation.

"We also hope that the proposed Sabah Art Gallery in the city centre will be
built under the 10th Malaysia Plan," he said.

On the Sabah Visual Arts Conservation Centre, he said it would help promote
art appreciation through exhibitions and educational activities as well as
store and conserve the 2,000-odd works that constituted the state-owned art
collection.

The distinctive form of the building with its narrow base and wide rim top
is reminiscent of the traditional basket which is commonly used by the various
ethnic communities in Sabah.
-- BERNAMA