A close-up detail of Amir Shahid's 'Bride In Teal And Orange (oil and wax on jute, 2023). It is part of his Rimbun Dahan residency exhibition 'Ignis Familiaris', which opens on Oct 15. Photo: Amar Shahid
ARTS RESIDENCY: AMAR SHAHID’S ‘IGNIS FAMILARIS’
Venue: Rimbun Dahan, KM27, Jalan Kuang, Mukim Kuang, Selangor
Date: Oct 15 to Nov 5
Contemporary artist Amar Shahid's new solo exhibition Ignis Familiaris opens in the Underground Gallery at independent arts centre Rimbun Dahan tomorrow. The walk-in exhibition (no registration required) will be showing on weekends, 10am to 5pm, until Nov 5.
Amar, the current resident artist at Rimbun Dahan, has opened up new possibilities in the medium of painting. What started as an exploration in photographic materiality is now evolving into the dismantling of the picture plane, towards photo-abstraction.
“The selection of images is bordering on disfiguration and the eventual abandonment of pure representation. The abstractions are intentional and highly calculated, however, rather than conforming to the free-form expression of the postmodernist – though the image may be vague, in definition it is still very much a photorealist approach. This coincides with the artist’s personal negotiation on the permissibility of image reproduction according to his faith,” outlines the exhibition notes.
In this exhibition, Amar also emphasises the powerful potential of symbolism, in the form of “familiars” superimposed upon the images. Ignis Familaris was conceived entirely during Amar's six-month residency at Rimbun Dahan, which has proved to be fruitful and fertile, paving the way for the conclusion of the trilogy of shows in the near future.
More info here.
A new artwork titled 'Steep' is seen at Saiful Razman's exhibition 'Pangsa' at Rissim Contemporary in Bangsar. Photo: Rissim Contemporary
EXHIBITION: SAIFUL RAZMAN'S 'PANGSA' (APARTMENT)
Venue: Rissim Contemporary, Bangsar, KL
Date: ends Nov 10
This month, Rissim Contemporary is showing Saiful Razman’s new exhibition Pangsa (Apartment), which uses a series of abstract paintings to reflect on urban life in the margins of Kuala Lumpur.
Saiful, an artist primarily recognised for his gauze and tissue-paper collages and abstract minimalist paintings, is returning to the gallery setting with this new thought-provoking show after putting on the multi-disciplinary installation Tugu Atas Bukit - featuring art, audio drama and film - at the National Art Gallery in KL late last year.
This Pangsa series - a far more reflective experience - offers the viewer a vivid and compelling exploration of the socio-architectural landscape of low-income housing in the capital.
Through his multi-disciplinary practice, Razman invites us to delve into the complex web of experiences, emotions, and dilemmas faced by the urban youth of Malaysia in the late 1990s.
Pangsa is open from Friday to Sunday, noon to 7pm.
More info here.
A lively scene from 'The Elixir Of Love' opera show at KLPac. Photo: Benedict Yee
OPERA: THE ELIXIR OF LOVE
Venue: Pentas 1, KLPac
Date: Oct 13-15, Oct 20-22
Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti is known for nearly 70 operas, but his legendary work The Elixir Of Love is regarded as one of opera’s most heartwarming comedies, filled with passionate music.
Kuala Lumpur City Opera (KLCO) is presenting this beloved Donizetti opera at Pentas 1, KLPac this month.
The Elixir Of Love is a comic opera, in two acts, by the Bergamo-born master composer that premiered in 1832. It tells a story about Nemorino, a young villager, who is madly in love with the beautiful business owner Adina, who he thinks is beyond his reach.
At KLPac, The Elixir Of Love is being helmed by renowned conductor Kevin Field, who will lead an orchestra ensemble of over 25 players. KLCO also welcomes back stage director Christopher Ling to once again direct this opera.
The opera show features a double cast for the principal roles. Soprano singers Ho Chi Mei, and Tan Sin Sim are playing the role of Adina, while tenor singers Tan Chee Shen and Heo Yueh Ren are playing the role of Nemorino. Baritone singers Seow Chee Chuan, and Samuel Lim are taking on the role of Sergeant Belcore, while baritone duo James Long Cai Hunt and Wilson Loh are playing Dr Dulcamara.
More info here.
A close-up view of Tan Choon Ting’s ‘Woman And Her Ashram’ (oil on canvas, 2022). Photo: Suma Orientalis Fine Art
EXHIBITION: TAN CHOON TING’S ‘100 BEAMS OF TIME’
Venue: Suma Orientalis Fine Art, Damansara Heights, KL
Date: Oct 14 to Nov 19
Contemporary artist Tan Choon Ting’s third solo show, 100 Beams Of Time, offers a deeper understanding of the correlation between spirituality, immortality, growth, and the passage of time.
A graduate of Taiwan National Changhua University in Fine Art, Tan is known for capturing daily events within a kaleidoscopic realm, firmly believing that no place should be pedestrian. His works construct a unique artistic world that portrays the relationship between spiritual curiosity and daily occurrences, embellishing it with a touch of humour to enhance relatability.
On Oct 14, you can join the curatorial tour, which starts at 2pm.
More info here.
A general view of the 'Bapaku Pulang' exhibition at Temu House in Petaling Jaya. Photo: Temu House
EXHIBITION: 'BAPAKU PULANG'
Venue: Temu House, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends Oct 29, 10am-5pm (weekends)
Bapaku Pulang is a visual art exhibition featuring selected Malaysian artworks from the collections of Nazura Rahime and Sharmin Parameswaran, the daughters of the late art collectors Rahime Harun (1954 –2008) and Datuk N. Parameswaran (1948–2022) respectively.
The exhibition features modern and contemporary art works by 39 artists, offering a glimpse into the artists and topics/themes favoured by both Rahime and Parameswaran, who actively collected art and participated in the local art scene from the early 1980s.
Curated by Sarah Abu Bakar, this selling exhibition features 53 artworks spanning from the Wednesday Art Group contemporaries Peter Harris, Grace Selvanayagam and Dzulkifli Buyong, to the Anak Alam artists of the 1970s with Mustapa Haji Ibrahim, Maryam Abdullah, and Ali ‘Mabuha’ Rahamad, as well as early works (drawings, prints, photographs) from Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Eric Peris, Juhari Said, Nik Zainal Abidin and Yau Bee Ling.
Together with the exhibition, there will also be additional programming, including a panel discussion with Nazura and Sharmin; a session with storytelling, short films and songs; and a panel discussion with art collectors.
More info here.
A visitor taking a closer look at one of the wayang kulit exhibits at the 'Gerak Bayang: The Art of Storytelling' exhibition. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin
EXHIBITION: GERAK BAYANG: SENI PENCERITAAN
Venue: Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, KL
Date: ends Jan 28, 2024
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery’s new exhibition Gerak Bayang: Seni Penceritaan is putting the "shadowy" art of wayang kulit in the spotlight.
It features a total of 144 artworks, including wayang kulit (shadow puppets) instruments, paintings, sculptures, and new media.
In the two galleries used for the show, there is a lot to explore with diverse artworks from 39 Malaysian artists, including familiar names such as Long Thien Shih, Nik Zainal Abidin, Ismail Mat Hussin, Nik Husyaidie, Haris Abadi and Adeputra.
The artworks feature various mediums, such as buffalo or cow hides, paper and canvas and new media. The exhibition, which is open to the public for free, will also include workshops, talks, puppet-making workshops and wayang kulit performances.
More info here.
A view of the 'Orientalist Paintings: Mirror Or Mirage?' exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. The show closes this weekend. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
EXHIBITION: ORIENTALIST PAINTINGS: MIRROR OR MIRAGE?
Venue: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, KL
Date: ends Oct 15
It's the final weekend to catch one of the most talk-about art exhibitions in Malaysia this year.
The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) is exhibiting over 100 paintings of Orientalist art from its vast collection, making it the biggest exhibition in Asia to feature paintings and artefacts that capture the essence of the Orient in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Highlights of IAMM's Orientalist Paintings: Mirror Or Mirage? exhibition, which ends tomorrow, include renowned works by some of the most celebrated painters of the era, including Jean-Leon Gerome, Eugene Delacroix, John Frederick Lewis and the remarkable but rarely seen Ottoman polymath Osman Hamdi Bey.
The paintings are mainly from the 19th century, a time when it became possible for artists to travel to the "Orient", as the Middle East and North Africa were then called. The exhibition takes a thematic look at that vast region in a time of transition. The display is divided into eight sections that follow the artists’ different creative callings.
Orientalist Paintings: Mirror Or Mirage? is one of the largest exhibitions ever undertaken at the IAMM, and the show is spread out over two galleries.
More info here.
