To mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Museums Malaysia (JMM) will present the Citra Nusa@Muzium: Magis Belantara 2024 programme this weekend at Dataran Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Handout
CITRA NUSA@MUZIUM: MAGIS BELANTARA 2024
Venue: Muzium Negara (National Museum), KL
Date: Aug 10 and 11
In celebration of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Museums Malaysia (JMM) is presenting the Citra Nusa@Muzium: Magis Belantara 2024 programme at Dataran Muzium Negara.
Themed "The Past and The Present," the two-day programme - kicking off tomorrow - aims to build goodwill, enhance cross-cultural understanding, and highlight Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage, focusing on the Orang Asli community.
The (free admission) event will bring together the Semai, Mah Meri, Temiar, and Temuan tribes through four segments – heritage, history, lifestyle, and crafts. Visitors can enjoy traditional performances, folklore, games, customary practices, traditional cuisine, and more.
Additionally, the "Malam Gema Suara Dari Belantara" tomorrow will feature Itam Jelmol, a 1990s Orang Asli singer, along with performances by other Orang Asli cultural artists.
Opening times: Aug 10 (10am-10pm), Aug 11 (10am-5pm).
More info here.
This weekend marks the last chance to catch the 'Not Just In Black And White' exhibition, which spans two floors and showcases 76 large-scale artworks. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
EXHIBITION: 'NOT JUST IN BLACK AND WHITE'
Venue: GDP Campus, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Aug 11
In Kuala Lumpur, art collectors are stepping into the spotlight, their personal tastes and curatorial visions shaping the city's exhibitions. The Not Just In Black And White exhibition at the new GDP Campus is a testament to this trend, featuring a stunning array of contemporary Malaysian and South-East Asian artwork, mostly monochromatic, from the Steve Wong collection.
This weekend marks the last chance to catch this (free admission) exhibition, which spans two floors and showcases 76 large-scale artworks. The pieces reflect Wong's penchant for impactful, provocative, political, and introspective art. Curated by Beverly Yong of Rogue Art, the collection spans over 30 years and weaves a rich narrative of Malaysia's evolving art scene with regional influences.
Visitors can expect to be captivated by works from artists such as Wong Hoy Cheong, Pangrok Sulap, Yee I-Lann, Saiful Razman, Ahmad Fuad Osman, Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Kide Baharudin, Chang Yoong Chia, Justin Lim, Nadiah Bamadhaj, Hasanul Isyraf Idris, Samsudin Wahab, Yeoh Choo Kuan, and many more. Each piece offers a glimpse into the dynamic and diverse landscape of contemporary art in Malaysia and beyond.
More info here.
A gallery view of the 'Piring Hitam 78 RPM Lagu-Lagu Melayu Klasik' mini exhibition, running until Aug 31 at the Museum of Malay Ethnography, Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
EXHIBITION: 'PIRING HITAM 78 RPM LAGU-LAGU MELAYU KLASIK'
Venue: Museum of Malay Ethnography, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Aug 31
Discover the forgotten world of vintage Malay music at the Piring Hitam 78 RPM Lagu-Lagu Melayu Klasik mini exhibition, running until Aug 31 at the Museum of Malay Ethnography, Academy of Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.
Dive into a treasure trove of 78rpm recordings, showcasing rare Malay songs from the 1930s to the 1950s, with genres spanning film, early pop, religious songs, dondang sayang, keroncong, and bangsawan theatre. Highlights include contributions from legends like Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Saloma, Nona Asiah, Momo Latif, Rokiah Wanda, A. Rahman R. Azmi, Ahmad C.B., and Jasni.
The exhibition features about 200 records, vintage gramophones, and music memorabilia. Open Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm, with free admission.
More info here.
Dina Zaman's book of short stories 'King Of The Sea, republished by Clarity Publishing. Photo: Handout
BOOK EVENT: DINA ZAMAN'S 'KING OF THE SEA'
Venue: Sunda Shelves, Petaling Jaya
Date: Aug 11
KL-based writer Dina Zaman will be at Sunda Shelves this Sunday at 4pm to discuss her newly republished book, King Of The Sea, followed by a Q&A and book signing session.
Originally published in 2012, this collection of short stories has been re-released by Penang-based Clarity Publishing for a new audience. This updated version also features three new stories.
You need to pre-register for this "Sunda Talks" event at the bookshop.
Written as a love letter to her home state of Terengganu, Dina draws on childhood memories of visiting her grandparents to weave tales of love, grief, loss, longing, and magic.
In the book, you'll meet a young boy grieving his father who encounters a ghost claiming to be the king of the sea; Alia, a missing child who returns as a chicken to her bewildered parents; a young man who marries a jungle spirit on an island; a teacher who longs for a more glamorous life and disappears into a movie screen; and more enchanting characters.
More info here.
Theatre show 'Oh Blue, I Love You Too' explores facets of relationships that form our history, influence our being, and present us with decisions that shape our destiny. Photo: Goh Bong
THEATRE: 'OH BLUE, I LOVE YOU TOO'
Venue: Pentas 2, KLPac
Date: Aug 8 -11
Devised and directed by Mark Beau de Silva and TUTAS Conservatory of Performing Arts students – this new work on the heartaches and sweet memories of first loves, relationships and more will definitely speak to the youth of today.
Featuring a youthful cast of five – Fatin Nur Alya, Adhika Tan, Ayleshvar Raj, Samuel Wong Judd Whye, and Scarlett Lau Wen Yi – the stories on stage are drawn from the performers' own experiences.
This romantic theatre piece also goes in search of the connections between different types of couples, whether they are kindred spirits or complete opposites.
As part of Taylor’s University and The Actors Studio (TUTAS) three-year conservatory degree programme, students are responsible for all aspects of the production, from lighting and sound to stage management, under the guidance of The Actors Studio’s general manager, Ian Chow.
The play, performed primarily in English, also features movement and live music by musicians Eleanor Elizabeth Lim and Marco Chong Zhuang Siu, along with vocalist Dhakshayni Jegatheeswaran.
More info here.
A view of the textile artwork 'Tied To The Loom' by Afiza Abu Bakar. Photo: Temu House
EXHIBITION: 'THE TENSION MUST BE JUST RIGHT'
Venue: Temu House, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends Aug 18
Continuing its experimental and interactive art initiatives, Temu House invites visitors to wear and try on artworks, primarily textiles from three featured artists.
Afiza Abu Bakar, a textile artist based in Japan, employs the Saori style of weaving, a Japanese method developed in the 1970s by Misao Jo. This technique values individual creativity, celebrating what might typically be considered flaws as unique expressions of the weaver.
Lada Dedic is a full-time nomadic artist whose work blends science and art, exploring themes of cartography, neuroscience, and microbiology.
Finally, Malaysian artist Xeem Noor creates woven structures as a form of self-documentation, using art as meditation and comfort by incorporating embroidery, textiles, and vibrant colors into abstract forms.
For an insight into the exhibition, the artists will hold a sharing session on Aug 11 at 3pm.
More info here.
'Tiba Anak Cucu', a solo exhibition by Indonesian artist Budi Agung Kuswara, is showing at The Back Room KL gallery this month. Photo: The Back Room KL
EXHIBITION: BUDI AGUNG KUSWARA'S 'TIBA ANAK CUCU'
Venue: The Back Room, Zhongshan building, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Aug 25
Indonesian artist Budi Agung Kuswara, better known to friends as “Kabul”, is showing his latest exhibition, Tiba Anak Cucu (The Descendants Emerge) at The Back Room this month, in collaboration with Mizuma Gallery (Singapore).
At the heart of Kabul's work is the cyanotype, a technique where sunlight exposure transforms photo negatives into distinct blue and white images. It is a technique with a deep sensitivity towards the movements of the sun, articulating a relationship with time, memory, and the past.
In his previous series, Anonymous Ancestors, Kabul explored colonial archives to depict unnamed Balinese women, imagining them in European attire to reclaim their agency.
In Tiba Anak Cucu, he extends this vision to create a genealogy for these women, embracing excess and extravagance to reimagine their descendants as wealthy tycoons reclaiming prosperity. The result blends traditional Balinese aesthetics with lavish elements, creating fantastical legacies that leap from the canvas with unapologetic flourish.
Through his cyanotypes, Kabul invites us to see the sun not just as a source of light, but as a bridge connecting past and present, a storyteller of untold histories and imagined futures.
More info here.
