Veteran artist Awang Damit standing in front of his installation work 'Roh-Roh Yang Tenang ... Ingatan Buat Sabra Dan Shatila, Alfatihah' (mixed media, 2023). It is part of the 'Colours For Gaza' exhibition at Galeri Puteh in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Galeri Puteh
EXHIBITION: 'COLOURS FOR GAZA'
Venue: Galeri Puteh, KL Eco City Mall
Date: ends Nov 21
Over 90 artists from all over the country, including painters, poets, musicians and performing artists, have come together to fill up the walls of Galeri Puteh for the Colours For Gaza exhibition.
Initiated by Galeri Puteh and friends, the exhibition’s main aim is to raise funds for humanitarian aid as well as to convey a message and raise awareness on the plight of the Palestinian people.
The artists, featuring a multi-generational cast, include Abdul Mansoor Ibrahim, Juhari Said, Jailani Abu Hassan, Ahmad Fuad Osman, Awang Damit, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Datuk M. Nasir, Faizal Suhif, Stephen Menon, Hasanul Isyraf Idris, Kide Baharudin, Samsuddin Wahab, Rafiee Ghani, Suddin Lapo, Haslin Ismail, Xin Yen Nooy and Ika Sharom.
Brazilian painter Kika Goldstein and Turkish artists Turkan Sultan Yasar are also part of the line-up.
Colours For Gaza - which took a week to plan - features more than 100 artworks, spanning mediums such as paintings, installations, mixed media pieces, prints and conceptual art.
Galeri Puteh has stated that 40% of the proceeds from the sale of artworks and sponsorships will be contributed to the Palestinian aid fund in collaboration with Yayasan Raja Zarith Sofiah Negeri Johor. Some of the participating artists are also donating their artworks to the aid fund.
More info here.
In the new play 'Fault Lines', Fatimah (right) and Putrina play mother-daughter duo Habsah Aziz and Shereen Rahman. Photo: Azmi Hud
THEATRE: 'FAULT LINES'
Venue: Nero Event Space, PJPAC
Date: ends Nov 19
Two soldout shows and counting! Be quick and get your hands on tickets for Fault Lines, a new play which is causing quite a buzz at PJPAC.
This debut full-length play by Adriana Nordin Manan, which centres on a Malaysian diaspora family drama, is directed by Ghafir Akbar. It is helmed by a seven-person cast headlined by Fatimah Abu Bakar and Putrina Rafie, who play the mother-daughter duo of Habsah Aziz and Shereen Rahman.
After years of separation, they reunite when Habsah and other family members travel from Kuala Lumpur to New York, Shereen’s adopted home. Xavier Reminick, Reza Zainal Abidin, Sabrina Hassan, Aloeng Silalahi and Catherine Leyow complete the cast.
“A reunion of sorts, Fault Lines is about a family of hurt souls who miss each other and are reaching out to each other. They come with many questions. Where did we go wrong? How can we be better, how can we be stronger? If I did something wrong, how can I make it better?” says Fatimah, a veteran actor, about this new production.
New York can be considered the eighth character in Fault Lines. Looming large throughout the play, the city becomes a site of joyful reunion, a setting for clashes fuelled by family dysfunction and a place of possibility for the cast of characters.
More info here.
Gerakbudaya in Petaling Jaya is hosting a new poetry community event 'Write To Be Heard' on Nov 18. Photo: AP
COMMUNITY POETRY: 'WRITE TO BE HEARD'
Venue: Gerakbudaya, Petaling Jaya
Date: Nov 18, 2pm onwards
Bookshop Gerakbudaya is set to have a busy Saturday at its event hall space with this new initiative Write to Be Heard - Malaysian Perspectives, which is a community poetry event.
It also serves as a platform for new poets looking to share or debut their works. Poets are encouraged to submit their works for a feedback session, as well as to use these works as a general line of connection to the local community. These can be new or existing works.
Here is the list of guests for the event: Charissa Ong Ty, Shivani Sivagurunathan, Sheena Baharudin, Tshiung Han See and Anastasia Bell.
Each of these writers will be performing works that speak about their perspective as a Malaysian. You can expect valuable poetry readings, poetry discussions and a chance to meet the literary community at large.
More info here.
A general view of the ArtBox Malaysia event happening this weekend at Sunway Pyramid. Photo: Handout
ARTBOX MALAYSIA
Venue: Sunway Pyramid’s outdoor car park
Date: ends Nov 19
Here's a day out in the sun to the enjoy a mainstream arts event. After a four year hiatus, this year’s Artbox event is set for a big splash. This specially curated third edition hits Sunway Pyramid with the “Arcadia” theme, showcasing Art: Pieces of Arcadia, Pieces of Artbox: Hereafter, Pieces of Artbox: Art Pillars & Murals, Experiential: Garden of Creation, Food: The Forbidden Bite, Music: Sound of Bliss, and Retail: Shopping Paradise
Attendees can visit the Insta-worthy instax Mart to experience the brand new instax Pal, and to receive free photos and freebies. Dissy.co features as Artbox’s official merchandise partner, and will be customising T-shirts at the booth. Look out for special Dissy artists, who will be running TikTok live and organising exciting games with audiences.
One of the highlights of the event is Artbox’s Arcadia tunnel, inspired by a local storybook, Kalista. The tunnel serves as an immersive showcase, taking visitors into the world of the "Kerokea" planet. It will be adorned and transformed with various floral elements to bring the story to life. Throughout the journey inside the tunnel, there will be engaging activities for visitors to enjoy.
More info here.
Sivanathan K's '(Oli) The Light' (digital print on canvas, 2023) features an appreciation on what light does for us in terms of food (agriculture). The photograph features food waste such as fruit peel and onion skin given new shape through typography. Photo: ArtVoice
EXHIBITION: 'THE TRUTH UNTOLD': A FUSION OF TAMIL TYPOGRAPHY AND CALLIGRAPHY
Venue: ArtVoice Gallery, Sentul, KL
Date: ends Nov 30
The Truth Untold exhibition offers a unique journey into the world of Tamil typography and calligraphy.
The show, curated by artist-printmaker Stephen Menon, features 20 artists presenting a fresh perspective on these ancient art forms that are deeply rooted in history, language and culture.
Apart from Menon, the show's line-up includes familiar names such as Syed Thajudeen, KF Choy, Mat Ali Mat Som, and Lim Siang Jin. Newer names such as Poojitha Menon, Sanker Ganesh, Moly and Tamaka have also come into their own in this exhibition, featuring paintings, mixed media and installations.
Each artist has reimagined the Tamil characters and scripts in their works, some even unveiling the untold stories they carry within. The exhibition is also providing a space for young artists to explore the versatility of Tamil script.
"The Truth Untold promises to be a cultural milestone, inviting visitors to engage with the beauty and depth of Tamil typography and calligraphy, while simultaneously exploring the creative expressions of the artists. It offers an opportunity to immerse oneself in the stories concealed within the graceful curves and lines of this ancient script, as interpreted by these Malaysian artists," reads the exhibition's notes.
This Saturday at 7.30pm, Prabhakaran S. Nair, founder of the Malaysia-India Heritage Society, will inaugurate this celebration of artistic expression. All are welcome.
More info here.
A view of the 'Pagar & Padi' exhibition at The Back Room in KL. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan
EXHIBITION: 'PAGAR & PADI'
Venue: The Back Room, Zhongshan Building, KL
Date: end Nov 26
The Back Room gallery is presenting a collaborative project titled Pagar & Padi by Sabah-based artists Catriona Maddocks and Gindung McFeddy Simon.
It was first exhibited throughout August–September 2023 at Kota-K Art Gallery in Kota Kinabalu.
The Sabah-inspired Pagar & Padi is an exhibition that presents the documentation of a piece of land art created by Maddocks and Simon in collaboration with community members of Kampung Kilimu, a rural village at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu.
In 2022, the artist collaborator duo participated in the annual “Mongomot” rice-planting event, using heritage rice grains to spell out the word “JAMIN” (“guarantee” in Malay) into the earth at Kampung Kilimu.
In March, the artists harvested the padi and documented the process through drone photography and videography. The documentation was presented first at Kota-K art gallery. Early this month, the artists returned to the padi fields in Ranau to re-plant the land art, and the documentation is being exhibited, in a slightly adapted form, at The Back Room gallery.
More info here.
