A close-up detail of 'The Glass Doughnut: An Interactive Chronicle Of Time And Transition' by UnrealityKai and Izealist, which is a new media installation at the 'Immersio' exhibition at Muzium Telekom in KL. Photo: Filamen
Twenty new media artists have given Muzium Telekom (a building constructed in 1928) a new dimension with digital artworks and interactive installations for the public to explore.
Scattered along three floors of Muzium Telekom, new media artists and collectives such as James Ly, Filamen, Suzy Sulaiman, Chong Yan Chuah, Unrealitykai x Izealist, Anwar Suhaimi, Roger Ng Wei Lun, Aw-kult, Duta Adipati and Haura Khalisha, and Ammar Hazman have been given the freedom to showcase their edgiest work.
A group of digital art newcomers from the Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU) and The One Academy have also been given a platform to showcase exciting student projects.
As you wander through the halls, the digital art installations, with their intricate use of technology, also highlight the need for sustainability.
You’ll find some pieces are activated by motion sensors, while others can be activated directly by touch or other levers and buttons. A particularly cute piece - made by student outfit The Factory - is made out of recycled plastics which reacts to hugs, changes colour and shows a heartwarming message.
This art playground is the fifth edition of Immersio curated by digital arts collective Filamen and supported by Yayasan Telekom Malaysia (Yayasan TM), as the strategic partner through the Digital Technology Incubation Programme.
Admission for Immersio is RM15 (RM5 for children under 12).
Tomorrow (Dec 30) will also see live performances - through the day - at Immersio, with a line-up featuring Jemput Dengar, Shelheil, Sonik-Bingit, Fauxe and Cerikapak x Vasflow.
More info here.
Faizal Sidik's 'Black Landscape' (acrylic on canvas, 2023). Photo: Handout
A recent trip to New York has given contemporary artist-curator Faizal Sidik a new way to approach his songket and pixel-inspired art series. Just narrow down the colour palette.
His new minimalist exhibition New Works features black as its primary colour, with 17 works (paintings and wood sculptures) detailing a series of clouds, landscapes, butterflies and flowers.
Apart from the black pieces, Faizal’s fifth solo show also uses gold and silver in the new works, giving some of the paintings a distinct old world feel to highlight the “weave” patterns and traditional symbolism.
New Works also sees Faizal concentrating on the shape and scale of the paintings, moving past the need to liven up the gallery with colours. Instead, black keeps the new series classy and well-grounded, adding to how the artist grapples with opposing themes and ideas: authority and humility, rebellion and conformity, and wealth and poverty.
Free admission. Gallery is open 10am-5pm daily.
More info here.
In Sheena Liam's artwork 'Borders’ she has embroidered the image of a refugee boat, drifting on the sea. This artwork does not seek to assign blame but rather to open a dialogue, to make the audience reflect deeply on the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The sales from this piece will go towards the UNHCR. Photo: Sheena Liam
The last group show of the year at Temu House in Petaling Jaya presents a loose line-up of artist friends and collaborators from the street art scene and beyond in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Penang, who have come together for a thought-provoking series.
The artists include Asmoe Roc, Bibichun, Drewfunk, Ernest Zacharevic, Katun, Kenji Chai, Louise Low, Nestwo, Red Hong Yi, Sheena Liam and Sliz.
"Tagging, a graffiti slang to get your art up in as many places as possible; to also mean putting your statement out there. With Tagging Temu, we see the artists exploring their self-expressions, social commentary, and artistic creations on what matters to them as we flip the final pages of the year’s calendar," reads the exhibition's notes.
The exhibition is free admission. Open on weekends, 10am-5pm.
More info here.
'A Retrospective: Chew Teng Beng – Life, Art And Writings' exhibition is a celebration of the illustrious seven-decade journey of the 85-year-old artist. Photo: Handout
The Harmoni gallery space at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM is closing out the year with a major tribute to Dr Chew Teng Beng, a Malaysian artist, scholar and visionary.
A Retrospective: Chew Teng Beng – Life, Art And Writings exhibition is a celebration of the illustrious seven-decade journey of the 85-year-old artist.
The exhibition, curated by Tan Sei Hon, focuses on three significance areas of the artist’s body of work. On display at the ground floor will be works selected from the 1950s until the 1990s, from drawings, paintings, prints to handmade paper highlighting Chew's early developments. On the mezzanine floor, selected handmade paper works from local indigenous plant fibre produced for his dissertation will be on display and finally on the second floor, abstract paintings and paintings on paper pulp from the 1990s and 2020s will be on display.
In his long career, the Penang-based Chew played an important role in evolving Malaysia’s art scene as a pioneer in papermaking. As an an eclectic artist and educator, his works intertwine colours and forms, deeply contemplating the symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
An exhibit of four Mughal Empire-era swords is seen at the 'A Journey Through Islamic Art' exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. Photo: Bernama
Here's chance to explore Islamic art and culture, encompassing a historical and cultural journey of over 1,000 years from East Asia to West Africa, through two exhibitions held in conjunction with the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) silver anniversary celebration.
The exhibitions, A Journey Through Islamic Art and Alif Lam Ra: Contemporary Muslim Calligraphy, taking place at IAMM until June next year, showcase a diverse array of historical artefacts and Islamic art.
Four royal swords from the Mughal Empire in India, dating from the 15th to the early 18th century, belonging respectively to Emperor Akbar, who reigned from 1556 to 1605, Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627), Emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1666), and Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707), are among the exhibition highlights.
Also on display is the golden finial that once adorned the throne of Tipu Sultan, famously known as the Tiger of Mysore, from the Mysore Sultanate in Seringapatam, south India, during the 18th century. It is believed to have been seized by the British forces after Tipu Sultan’s defeat to the East India Company in the Anglo-Mysore War.
A set of 30 volumes of the Hui Quran from the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century is also one of IAMM’s early collections. They are adorned with Chinese motifs such as cloud patterns or peony flower buds and are written with only three to five lines on each page for each juz (part).
The Alif Lam Ra: Contemporary Muslim Calligraphy exhibition features the works of 42 contemporary Islamic calligraphers from various countries, including notable calligraphers such as Fuad Kouichi Honda from Japan, Azra Aghighi (Iran), Charles Hossein Zenderoudi (Iran), Ahmad Moustafa (Mesir), Nasser Al-Aswadi (Yaman), Nja Mahdoui (Tunisia) dan Khaled Al Saai (Syria).
More info here.
'Port And Pottery' exhibition's run has been extended until Jan 31 at Museum of Asian Art at Universiti Malaya. Photo: The Star/Aina Amirah
The Port And Pottery exhibition, now showing at the Museum Of Asian Art (Muzium Seni Asia) at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, explores a trail of ceramic shards, earthenware and broken pots, which were salvaged from two sites along Melaka’s coastline.
A total of 120 artefacts, selected from nearly 910 recovered pieces, await visitors as they stroll through this small gallery, which is loaded with info on old world Melaka through this exhibition.
Among the highlights behind the glass in this exhibition are regionally produced earthenware cooking pots, glazed stoneware bowls produced during the Yuan (1271-1368 CE) to Ming (1368-1644 CE) dynasties, Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain plates, Chinese and South-East Asian stoneware storage jars and bottles, Burmese (Myanmar) Martaban stoneware jars and celadon plates from China, Thailand and Myanmar.
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 CE) porcelain used by the common people of the time, which are mainly provincial blue and white Chinese dishes and bowls with simplified decoration, were the most recovered artefacts.
Beyond the ceramics rescued from the Melaka coast, on display is a small exhibit of ceramics used or kept in Melaka’s Baba Nyonya, Portuguese (Kristang) and Chetti households. A selection of ceramics excavated from six shipwrecks in the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea are also part of the exhibition.
Port And Pottery exhibition's run has been extended until Jan 31. Open: Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. Saturday, 9am-4pm. Closed during public holidays. Free admission.
More info here.
Take a stroll around the surreal and world of Kuching-born Syahbandi Samat, a contemporary artist whose primary tool is a simple ballpoint pen. Most of his artwork is done on canvas, with a strong use of black colours, given its accessibility, with a few installations in mixed media.
The Road Less Travelled - which reopens on Jan 2 after a short break - is Syahbandi's fifth solo exhibition, and possibly the most comprehensive survey of his career to date, with 35 works.
As you go through the exhibition, you’ll find a wide range of animals, deformed bodies and other dark mechanisms. The artist uses an average of six to eight pens for each piece, proving that the talent of the artist outweighs the type of medium.
Located alongside the Habib Heritage Jewellery Museum, this exhibition is presented and co-created by Artemis Art and Ivan Gabriel, offering a unique “playground space” for art lovers to enjoy.
Despite the novelty of the artists most favoured tool, what’s most striking about this exhibition is the different types of torture devices showcased in his works. Inspired by the contraptions of the SAW movie series, Syahbandi notes that the anxiety and claustrophobia makes his intense pieces a little uncomfortable to look at.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
