In 'Sharpening The Imagination' at HOM Art Trans, artist-sculptor Daud Rahim takes inspiration from the most ordinary and yet, most vital tool on the path to learning, the pencil. Photo: The Star/William Gary
This is probably the most quirky and uplifting exhibition of the week! In Sharpening The Imagination, Perak-based artist-sculptor Daud Rahim takes inspiration from the most ordinary and yet, most vital tool on the path to learning which is known to every child and adult alike, the pencil.
And these literally "larger than life" wooden sculptures, which now adorn the HOM Trans Art gallery in Ampang, will naturally evoke a sense of nostalgia and recognition to the visitor. These colourful and wonderfully shaped pencil sculptures are borne out of Daud’s own recollection and artistic endeavour, not to mention his skill as a woodcarver that will leave one simply impressed.
In this new show, he takes the pencil and assigns it to certain figures like his father (Ayahku Seorang Tukang Yang Jitu), his teacher (My English Teacher) and himself even (My Pencil) but adds a living organic dimension to the sculptors by making the lead tip curl and spiral like the sculpture titled Biomorphic Pencil.
He also takes it a step further by morphing a pencil into a banana (Belajar Jadi Orang) and bends them into a semi circle or take curious chevron like shapes.
What the imagination armed with a pencil can potentially create, Daud has created imagination out of the pencil.
More info here.
Come enjoy a day out surrounded by nature and art at Rimbun Dahan’s open day. It's only an hour's drive away from KL's city centre. What can you expect? The art centre’s visual artists’ studios will be open to the public where you can chat with current resident artists and view their works-in-progress. Not to forget a wonderful garden space to explore nature.
The Rimbun Dahan resident artists include Indonesian composer, pianist and soundscape researcher Gardika Gigih; multi-disciplinary artist and musician Lucy Zola from Australia; Studio 1914, a Singapore-based art practice led by filmmakers and visual artists Adzlynn and Hong Hu; film enthusiast and archivist Hardiwan Prayogo from Indonesia; and Malaysian contemporary artist Yap Chee Keng.
You can also visit the new hang of works in the Permanent Collection in the Underground Gallery in an exhibition curated by Rimbun Dahan intern Thibault Lim, titled Spinning In Still Storms. Fellow intern Amirul Arif, a diploma student in Landscape Horticulture, will be exhibiting his butterfly specimens collected in the Malay Peninsula to illustrate the diversity of butterfly species in the region, their role in the environment and the implications that carries with their dwindling presence.
At 4pm, there will be a book sharing session on Syair Jaran Tamasa, a Jawi-to-Rumi transcription project produced by Dr Mulaika Hijjas and published by Buku Fixi. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
The open day is expected to end on a high note with a fun workshop at 5pm by Gardika Gigih, who will introduce his method of sound recording and composition, followed by an outdoor session of crowd-sourced sound-making improvisation, working in harmony with Rimbun Dahan’s natural soundscape. You can even bring your own instrument, if you like!
Rimbun Dahan's open day is a free admission, walk-in event.
More info here.
A view of indie publisher Rabak-Lit's pop-up booth at the KL Alternative Bookfest 2024 in Central Market. There are 49 exhibitors this year, with the festival expected to break attendance figures (last year's event attracted a 50,000 crowd) yet again. Photo: Rabak-Lit
The KL Alternative Bookfest (KLAB) - free admission - returns to Central Market for its 15th edition. With nearly 50 exhibitors, it is a unique celebration that diverges from traditional literary events, showcasing a diverse array of voices and narratives that might otherwise go unnoticed. Unlike mainstream book festivals, this event prioritises independent authors, publishers, and unconventional literary works that challenge the status quo.
This year, KLAB will be divided into three zones, and the book events, including launches, talks and discussions, will be the main highlight. For added fun, there will also be live performances and Insta-worthy activities such as the “Snake & Ladder” game, acoustic performances and a balloonist clown to be discovered at the outdoor activity area.
The KLAB programme highlights include the launch of three music-related books tomorrow (3pm) from Rabak-Lit, featuring Mohd Jayzuan, Ku Syafiq and Takahara Suiko. Also happening on Saturday (at noon) is the launch of Syair Jaran Tamasa, a torrid love story about a warrior in love with a girl promised as a concubine, released by the Fixi Retro series, while the climate-focused Malapetaka Iklim: Memahami Fenomena Pemanasan Dunia, edited by Hishamuddin Rais and released by Kawah Buku, is the book discussion spotlight tomorrow evening (8pm).
On Sunday, newcomer author Aishah Zainal is holding a meet-and-greet session (5pm) to promote her debut novel Hades, which has made the longlist for the Dublin Literary Award 2024. The book is released by Gerakbudaya.
Most of the exhibitors will be offering Bahasa Malaysia books, but there is an increasing amount of English books and used books brought to the festival by specialist vendors. Take your time at KLAB, it's book hunting season!
More info here.
Alexdrina Chong's 'Follies Of God' (graphite on paper, 2023). Photo: Handout
Discover up-and-coming local artists at Cult Gallery’s annual platform for emerging talents, Ways Of Seeing. Already in its fourth year, this year’s exhibition features six artists, each one presenting a body of work that represents their art practices in entirety in their early career.
This allows the audience to view alternative perspectives from the artist, as the works can span a variety of media and techniques that the artist chooses to showcase a depth and breadth of visual narratives.
Utilising an assortment of mediums – from steel, brass, papier mache and ceramics to cyanotype, acrylic and even AI-generated prints – this rich variety of works enriches and deepens Malaysia’s art landscape, and is designed to showcase the diversity of creativity and thought processes that exist amongst our artists.
Come with an open mind and explore the works of Aer, Alexdrina Chong, Anissa R, Jada Lyla, Joanne Loo and Silas Oo. You may just come away with a new way of seeing things. Ways of Seeing will be at Cult Gallery in Kuala Lumpur from Feb 24 to March 5 before landing at Hin Bus Depot in George Town, Penang from March 9-31.
More info here.
Lee Mok Yee's 'Moving Castle' (found wood furniture part, wood, wood cork, 2024). Photo: The Back Room
The Back Room's new group exhibition Folded Lines brings together the works of Gabriela Giroletti, Laura Porter, Lee Mok Yee, and Mark Tan, with the gallery showing 3D and 2D works including sculptures, reliefs, drawings, paintings, and prints.
The body of work explores personal and universal interactions with urban environments, man-made materials, and architectural spaces through a process-driven approach to making. All four artists transform shape and form through simple gestures, exploring in-between spaces that feel both static and alive, organic and inanimate.
Folded Lines also focuses on the transformation of materials and forms, and the hand-made processes that are at the root of the artist’s explorations. Against the backdrop of an urbanised, digitised culture, these artists choose a physical, slow approach to making, pushing the boundaries of their mediums and the traditions of their craft.
More info here.
In Hsu' 'Three Episodes Of Mourning', three individual works, 'Blank Photograph', 'Gray Room', and 'Zoo Hypothesis', offer contemplations on the construction and complexities of human memory. Photo: Ilham Gallery
Taiwanese video artist Hsu Che-Yu's Three Episodes Of Mourning Exercises multimedia show is Ilham Gallery's first exhibition of the year.
The show - free admission - is a collaboration with the Han Nefkens Foundation, which is working alongside Ilham Gallery to spotlight emerging talent in the field of video art in Asia.
Presented at Ilham Gallery's Level 3 space, Hsu's Three Episodes Of Mourning Exercises comprises three works: Gray Room, Blank Photograph, and Zoo Hypothesis.
Hsu, whose practice focuses on the research and revisiting of historical moments, as well as the reconstruction of private and collective memories, collaborated with a forensic team specialising in 3D scanning of crime scenes, navigating the body, space, and memory as part of an investigation into the ‘politics of death’.
Hsu was a recipient of the Han Nefkens Foundation – Loop Barcelona Video Art Award Production Grant in 2020.
More info here.
