Indie singer-songwriter Zee Avi is one of the highlights at the Peszta festival's finale concert 'Mantap Kampung Attap' this Saturday evening. Photo: Zee Avi
ARTS FESTIVAL: PESZTA
Venue: various locations in Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Aug 26
Peszta, a smartly curated arts event for culture vultures – young and old, is taking place this Saturday across multiple venues in the surrounding areas of Kampung Attap in Kuala Lumpur.
The festival (free admission) in the heart of the Merdeka 118 precinct will feature open studios, workshops, exhibitions, music, arts market and more. Throughout the day (10am till late), visitors can explore and experience a range of activities.
The Zhongshan Building will host talks and workshops, including one on art and pottery, while House of Art (HEART) – a residence for art students and artists – is where live graffiti sessions, visual art programmes, and performances by KL Shakespeare Players will take place.
There will be an outdoor market, traditional dances, face-painting and barley beading workshops as well as Bajau food at Sam Mansion, plus an exhibition of Loke Yew – once Malaya’s richest tin tycoon – at the KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. The arts programme list is a long one, so it's best to check out what's happening on the festival's Instagram page.
A street concert finale - Mantap Kampung Attap - featuring indie singer Zee Avi, sape musician Alena Murang, veteran punk outfit Carburetor Dung, and alternative rock group Manis Manis is also a live treat not to be missed.
More info here.
Normally closed to the public except for events, arts space Rimbun Dahan in Kuang, Selangor welcomes everyone to visit this Sunday for its Open Day. Photo: HandoutPhoto: Rimbun Dahan
ART RESIDENCY VISIT: RIMBUN DAHAN OPEN DAY
Venue: Rimbun Dahan, KM27, Jalan Kuang, Mukim Kuang, Selangor
Date: Aug 27, 9am-6pm
Need to get out of the busy city? Here’s your chance to enjoy a day exploring art and nature in the 5.7ha tropical greenery of Rimbun Dahan, 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.
The Rimbun Dahan open day series is a free entry event, just walk-in. You can also bring your own picnic!
This Sunday, current resident artists Suhaimi Fadzir (Malaysia), Annabell Ng (Malaysia), Yosep Arizal (Indonesia) and Charuwan Noprumpha (Thailand) will share the artworks made during their residencies at Rimbun Dahan.
If you are planning to head down early (9am-11am), don’t miss the guided tour of the South-East Asian arboretum and garden at Rimbun Dahan by owner Angela Hijjas.
Throughout the day, you can visit the artist open studios - check out their works, chat with the artists, and maybe even pick up a purchase.
The Rimbun Dahan Underground Gallery will also be open from 9am to 6pm, showing ‘Menagerie’, a selection of works from its permanent collection.
More info here.
A view of the Tugu Negara in KL. This Sunday morning, the Friends of Taman Tugu is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Malaysian Armed Forces with a special People Library event at the Taman Tugu Nursery. Photo: The Star/Azman Ghani
PEOPLE LIBRARY: MALAYSIAN ARMED FORCES
Venue: Taman Tugu Nursery, KL
Date: Aug 27, 9am onwards
This Sunday sees a special People Library event, organised by Friends of Taman Tugu, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
To coincide with Merdeka and Malaysia Day, a line-up of army veterans has been invited to Taman Tugu Nursery to recount their courageous stories and sacrifice in defending and establishing this nation.
From the tales of dangerous helicopter missions to the “Labis Landing” (during the Indonesia-Malaysia Konfrontasi era) right up to jungle warfare and military comic books, there will be no shortage of diverse military content for the public to investigate.
The talks will feature esteemed guests such as Lt Gen Datuk Nawi Alias, Col Raymond Goh, Capt Affandi Yahaya, Col Ajaya Kumar, Col Nik Zainin Abdul Rahman, Capt Dr Wong Ang Peng, Rear Admiral Datuk Danyal Balagopal, Col Tan Siew Soo and Brig Gen Datuk Goh Seng Toh.
There will also be military memorabilia and model aircraft on display, book sales and children’s activities.
More info here.
An exhibit seen at the 'Malaysia Children's Picture Books' mini exhibition at The Museum of Picture Book Art at the GMBB Mall in KL. Photo: Handout
EXHIBITION: MALAYSIA CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS 1930s TO 2000s
Venue: The Museum of Picture Book Art, GMBB Mall, KL
Date: ends Sept 30
Here's a chance to walk down memory lane through the covers and pages of old Malayan and Malaysian children's books. Presenting a range of children’s books from as early as the 1930s all the way to the 2020s, this mini exhibition will also feature the beautiful and poignant illustrations of Nora Hamerton, a British illustrator who settled down in Malaya and helped illustrate some of the earliest local children's books.
The illustrations in these books are among the highlights of this (free admission) exhibition, as they take us back to the past through depictions of local life and culture.
How did we live in the past, what were the values that were important to us, who were the people portrayed in the books, what were the city or kampung scenes that have changed or remained? These are some of the questions we can find answers to in this fascinating exhibition and guided tour.
More info here.
Rhythm In Bronze is back with a new gamelan theatrical show 'Seruan Setu' this weekend at KLPac. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril
PERFORMING ARTS: RHYTHM IN BRONZE’S ‘SERUAN SETU’
Venue: Pentas 2, KLPac
Date: ends Aug 27
At the heart of Seruan Setu is contemporary gamelan music - 10 songs tied together in a narrative woven through seagrass.
It is Rhythm In Bronze's new gamelan theatre production that combines contemporary gamelan music, theatre and conservation science to promote a deeper understanding of the wonders of seagrass.
This show is a call to action (“seruan”) for the protection of this incredibly important yet often overlooked ecosystem in our oceans (the seagrass).
Just like their land counterparts, seagrasses form beautiful gardens in the sea that serve as key habitats for marine creatures and as resources for the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Rhythm In Bronze named its show after the tape seagrass, also known as "setu" in the Bahasa Malaysia language, which is at risk of disappearing from our shores if we don't act now.
There are limited tickets left for this show, so you better act fast to get your tickets.
More info here.
A view of an exhibit at the newly-opened the Harta - Heritage Jewellery Museum by Habib in Ampang, Selangor. Photo: The Star/Azman Ghani
HARTA – HERITAGE JEWELLERY MUSEUM, ART GALLERY AND CAFE
Venue: Habib Ampang II showroom, Ampang, Selangor
Date: open daily, free admission
Another new museum and gallery in Kuala Lumpur is always good news! Malaysian jewellery brand Habib has unveiled Harta, its tribute to Malaysian heritage and art in the form of a heritage jewellery museum and contemporary art gallery.
The Harta (short for Habib's Action for Revival of our Traditions and Arts) Heritage Jewellery Museum shines a spotlight on our unique multi-ethnic Peranakan culture in its primary collection, featuring over 800 remarkable pieces collected over 65 years. Here, you can learn the significance and meaning behind the motifs and designs that had been painstakingly done by hand.
While the museum (open 10am-5pm, daily) aims to preserve the past, the art gallery is a celebration of the present by promoting the works of talented Malaysian artists. Its debut exhibition, Open House, delves into the multi-faceted layers of domestic spaces and includes 16 fascinating artwork and installations from the likes of Umi Baizurah, Yee I-Lann, Chong Yan Chuah, James Seet, Nadirah Zakariya and more.
Connected to the museum and gallery is a cozy cafe, where you can rest your feet and enjoy a stimulating conversation over coffee. Harta is open to the public and is free to enter. It is located on Level 1 above the Habib Ampang II showroom.
More info here.
New York-based Azzah Sultan is back in KL for her first Malaysian solo exhibition 'Dah Makan Kah?' at Rissim Contemporary in KL. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin
EXHIBITION: AZZAH SULTAN'S 'DAH MAKAN KAH?'
VENUE: RISSIM CONTEMPORARY, KUALA LUMPUR
Date: ends Sept 10
New York-based artist Azzah Sultan is back in town to open her solo exhibition Dah Makan Kah? at Rissim Contemporary in Bangsar. It is her first show in Malaysia.
What can viewers expect? Definitely a heartfelt series of new works from this talented artist, who has also exhibited in shows in the United States.
Oil painting and batik fabric techniques are the mediums used in the Dah Makan Kah? exhibition.
Throughout the show, Azzah delves into the nuanced realm of family dynamics as revealed through culinary traditions; taking us through the process of acquiring ingredients from local markets, preparing food, and the act of sharing a meal, while drawing our attention to the colours, textures, and shapes involved.
This deeply rooted tradition acts as a symbol for Asian family dynamics, as well as Azzah’s personal meditation on her identity and heritage.
More info here.
Syahnan's 'Awas; Mandi-Manda' (silkscreen on cotton paper, 2023). Photo: The Back Room
EXHIBITION: SYAHNAN ANUAR'S 'PORTRET DIRI'
Venue: The Back Room, KL
Date: ends Aug 27
It’s the last few days to catch Portret Diri, a showcase of recent works by printmaker Syahnan Anuar, who is mostly known as the founder of Bogus Merchandise (a silkscreen production company).
The works, collected since 2018, reflect upon the artist’s various identities: as a son, the seventh child in a family of 10, as the head of a company, a Malay Muslim man, and as a young person living in a Malaysia built in the shadow of Mahathir’s Vision 2020. Featuring the artist’s own parents and national authority forces as subjects, the showcase reflects the intractability of the personal from the political in the artist’s lived experience.
Featured in the exhibition are works from the Awas series (2023), Demonstrasi Demokrasi (2021) which alludes to the "Lawan" protest at Dataran Merdeka in 2021 during the Covid-19 lockdown, and a few of Syahnan’s earliest works as an artist.
More info here.
Artist Kide Baharudin seen at his new exhibition 'Kulu Kilir' at Galeri Puteh in KL. Photo: The Star/Chan Tak Kong
EXHIBITION: KIDE BAHARUDIN'S 'KULU KILIR'
Venue: Galeri Puteh, KL Eco City
Date: ends Sept 10
Marvel over the colours and intricacies of artist Kide Baharudin’s pieces in his second solo exhibition, Kulu Kilir.
Fans can see his pieces up-close and in person this time, compared to his debut solo Sa-hari-hari, which took place online due to the pandemic lockdown. Comprising over 50 works, Kulu Kilir (taken from Negri Sembilan slang that shortens the phrase "ke hulu, ke hilir", meaning to wander around) is mainly inspired by Kide’s walks around Seremban, where he is based, and Kuala Pilah, his hometown.
The acrylic paintings and handful of sculptures depict modern slice-of-life scenes familiar to most Malaysians, such as buzzing town centres filled with people trying to eke out a living, the neon lights and dark shadows of local nightlife and the mundane chaos of a government office, as seen through Kide’s eyes and imagination.
“What I want to convey in this solo is my spontaneous response or reaction to society and everything around me in my travels around Malaysia and abroad,” says Kide in this artist’s statement.
You'll also get to see several paintings and sketches based on his recent international travels to Tokyo, Osaka, Berlin, Leipzig, Amsterdam and London.
More info here.
