A filepic featuring an array of Malaysian fanzine titles. The DIY culture of fanzines and independent publishing will be in the spotlight at the Zine x DIY Fest 2023 at the National Art Gallery in KL on Sept 9. Photo: The Star/Filepic
COMMUNITY ARTS: ZINE x DIY FEST 2023
Venue: Art Depot, National Art Gallery, KL
Date: Sept 9, 10am till late
The National Art Gallery is diving deep into DIY culture with this day-long festival of zines, artist books, comics, artists-run spaces, talks and exhibitions. The festival, which has been put together by Rabak Lit, KL Sketch Nation and Cerita & Co, will feature independent publishing works and a series of open studio activities.
The event is supported by the National Art Gallery and its Young Art Entrepreneur programme.
There will be more than 30 booths to welcome the masses to the free admission Zine x DIY Fest 2023, with indie favourites such as Rabak Lit, Tokosue, Kata-Pilar Books, Toko Buku Rakyat, Distopia x HiMedia and Patin Post being some of the regular names in the scene. Independent music also gets a look in with zine/record label/distro outfits such as Noisemongers Records, Nervhous Records and Doyerown.
The event will also include poetry reading sessions and acoustic music live performances throughout the day.
With the Hospital Kuala Lumpur MRT now open, you can exit from Jalan Kuantan (Entrance B) to take a six-minute walk (450m) to the National Art Gallery.
More info here.
A rehearsal scene from Parastoo Theater's recent show 'Red Soil Of Kabul'. The refugee theatre group is set to perform 'The Lost Hope In Darkness' at the Refugee Festival 2023 at the Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this Sunday at 7pm. Photo: The Star/Low Boon Tat
COMMUNITY ARTS: THE REFUGEE FESTIVAL 'INCLUSION FOR A BETTER WORLD'
Venue: Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Date: ends Sept 10
Not sure what to do this weekend? Want to learn more about migrant communities and the forcibly displaced in Malaysia?
Come on down to the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this weekend for Refugee Festival to learn directly from refugees and migrants in Malaysia with the festival's Human Library exhibit to film screenings.
The festival is also filled with panel discussions, music, dance and theatre performances, poetry, art and photography exhibition, film screening, workshops, bazaar and many more activities.
The Refuge Festival provides a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the experiences and challenges faced by disenfranchised communities in Malaysia both through dialogues on stage and the informal interactions in the hallways and at the bazaar - increasing the chance for collective understanding and appreciation of these diverse cultures. It is the festival's goal that this in turn will lead towards a more open, safe, and welcoming environment towards refugees and migrants in Malaysia.
More info here.
KongsiKL is one of the main arts venues for the Klang River Festival. Photo: Klang River Festival
COMMUNITY ARTS: KLANG RIVER FESTIVAL
Venue: various locations along the Klang River, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 24
The Klang River Festival, an independent grassroots event, was put together last year by a team of arts activists to create a platform to map out the artistry, heritage, community and the rich biodiversity of the Klang River.
This unique festival, which opened yesterday, offers a programme packed with community engagement, including events surrounding contemporary art, social and cultural issues in KL.
The Klang River Festival will also feature several locations, including KongsiKL and Dasien Academy of Art, to host its activities.
The aim is to also invite the masses to discover (or rediscover) neighbourhoods and urban areas along the Klang River.
“Tanah Air” is the theme of this year’s festival, which encapsulates the essence of homeland and motherland, while emphasising the significance of both land and water in our lives.
More info here.
A video mapping art installation being set up at the 'My Words Won’t Change The World' exhibition at Muzium Telekom in KL. Photo: Handout
DIGITAL ART: ‘MY WORDS WON’T CHANGE THE WORLD' EXHIBITION
Venue: Muzium Telekom, Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Dec 8
For art lovers looking for an immersive and visually dazzling show to load up on your Instagram feed, then here’s an exhibition to check out.
Muzium Telekom’s new Digital Art Gallery is opening with a bang with My Words Won’t Change The World, a video mapping exhibition curated by Amanda Ariawan and James Ly.
The exhibition, put together by new media outfits Filamen and Anthology of Metaverses, features five multi-disciplinary art practitioners from the region, who are involved in the areas of graphic and motion design, film, photography, graphic design, digital art and more.
The show’s line-up includes Grafis Nusantara, Jowhan Lim, TypeDistortDecay, Naufarel Pandu, and Nabilla Wardhana.
This weekend, the exhibition (10.30am to 6pm) is having a free admission treat to introduce the masses to this digital gallery space and to coincide with the show’s launch.
More info here.
Kuik's 'A Love Object' (graphite and colour pencil on paper, 2023). Photo: The Back Room
EXHIBITION: MINSTREL QUIK'S 'STORY TIME'
Venue: The Back Room, Zhongshan Building, KL
Date: ends Sept 24
The Back Room gallery is hosting contemporary artist Minstrel Kuik's solo exhibition Story Time this month. The exhibition, which will be launched by Kuik on Sept 9 (7pm), features a new body of work that looks into the art-making process.
Through a series of 22 colour pencil and graphite drawings engaging with the myth and figure of Medusa, Kuik investigates the deep forms of intuition - feeling and imagination - necessary for acts of artmaking, creation, and storytelling.
Story Time is a significant departure for Kuik who, in recent years, has exhibited mostly photography, mixed-media installations and fabric assemblages with socio-political themes and personal histories. This exhibition explores literary, mythological, art-historical, and philosophical sources to meditate on how art might be released from the pressure to comment on contemporary issues in a direct or immediate way. In particular, the myth of Medusa, associated with sight, fear, destruction, beauty, and creation, becomes an apt symbol for the examination of artmaking itself.
More info here.
Artist Zulkifli Lee's new works are inspired by the powerful role of words in shaping narratives and influencing public opinion. Photo: Cult Gallery
EXHIBITION: REALPOLITIK
Venue: CULT Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 16
Taking place between the critical dates of Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day, Realpolitik is a group exhibition documenting the various responses of Malaysian artists in how they perceive our current political reality.
In the show, 27 Malaysian artists have detailed their thoughts and represented the pulse of our current political climate through relatable and thought-provoking pieces, including Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, Jailani Abu Hassan, Haslin Ismail, Chang Yoong Chia, Faizal Suhif, Sharon Chin, Syahnan Anuar, Poojitha Menon, Wong Ming Hao, Zulkifli Lee, Stephen Menon and Trina Teoh.
The show aims to nudge, prod and provoke into making visual art as a layer of socio-political commentary normal again, and not as an exception to the rule.
“Realpolitik is not just what is being said and done, but it is also about what is not being said or done, in the name of practical politics," says Amar Shahid, who curated the exhibition.
More info here.
A view of Kide Baharudin’s second solo exhibition 'Kulu Kilir' at Galeri Puteh in KL. Photo: The Star/Azman Ghani
EXHIBITION: KIDE BAHARUDIN'S 'KULU KILIR'
Venue: Galeri Puteh, KL Eco City
Date: ends Sept 10
It's the last weekend for art lovers to marvel over the colours and intricacies of artist Kide Baharudin’s new pieces in his second solo exhibition, Kulu Kilir at Galeri Puteh in KL.
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.
For a more intimate side to Kide, art lovers will also get to see several sketches based on his recent international travels to Tokyo, Osaka, Berlin, Leipzig, Amsterdam and London.
More info here.
A scene from Theatresauce's new production 'Sisyphus No. 9'. Photo: Theatresauce
THEATRE: 'SISYPHUS NO. 9'
Venue: Sunway Rooftop Theatre, Sunway University, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends Sept 10
Here's a show with an edgy feel for this weekend. Theatresauce is pulling out all the stops to make its next production Sisyphus No. 9 an experimental-minded show to remember.
Directed by Tung Jit Yang, Sisyphus No. 9 features multidisciplinary performing and fine artist Liew Chee Heai, and the duo of Francoe with live ambient music. Bryan Chang production designs.
It is a work inspired by two stories - the myth of Sisyphus, punished by the gods to eternally roll a boulder up a hill to only have it roll down once more for him to start all over again; and the story of Ludwig van Beethoven, at this juncture at near total deafness, composing, and eventually conducting his 9th Symphony in Vienna, Austria.
It explores the absurdity/meaning of life through repetitions and visceral movements, accompanied by live ambient music.
Sisyphus No. 9, which has four more shows this weekend, is also Theatresauce's 2023 season closer.
More info here.
