The KL Literature & Art Fair at GMBB is bringing together a vibrant mix of books and art from Malaysia and beyond, offering something for all ages under the lively theme, 'Live! Love! Read!' Photo: The Star/Ong Soon Hin
BOOK EVENT: KL LITERATURE & ART FAIR 2024
Venue: Level 5, GMBB, Jalan Robertson, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 16, 11am-8pm
Brought to you by the Museum of Picture Book Art (MoPBA), the inaugural KL Literature & Art Fair features a variety of booths bringing together books and art from Malaysians as well as from other countries that are suitable for all ages under the theme, “Live! Love! Read!”.
The main highlight is MoPBA’s “100 Malaysia Children’s Picture Books To Read and Love”, a list that highlights 100 children’s picture books by Malaysians, for Malaysians. The books selected for the list will be available for you to browse through and purchase at the fair.
Throughout the fair, you can also check out its exciting programme, which includes book launches, cooking demonstrations, sharing sessions and workshops. So come and experience the books, art, food and people who are part of the rich multicultural heritage of Malaysia. Free entry.
More info here.
The new exhibition 'Batik: A Glimpse Of The Lines' celebrates the beauty and cultural significance of batik art, featuring 81 batik paintings from Bank Negara Malaysia’s Collection, some dating back to the 1960s. Photo: The Star/Chan Tak Kong
EXHIBITION: 'BATIK: A GLIMPSE INTO THE LINES'
Venue: Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery
Date: ends Sept 30
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery (BNM MAG), one of KL's major art spaces, is showing Batik: A Glimpse Into The Lines (Batik: Melirik Larik), an exhibition showcasing the cultural richness of batik painting. As a show to tap into the Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day season, the exhibit features 81 batik paintings from BNM’s collection, some dating back to the 1960s.
While batik is traditionally viewed as a textile art, this exhibition reimagines it as fine art, capturing Malaysian life and culture. The exhibit highlights the works of renowned artists like Chuah Thean Teng, Khalil Ibrahim, Lee Kian Seng, Fatimah Chik, Zaleha Zainuddin and Tay Mo Leong, and is divided into four thematic sections that range from narrative to abstract expressions.
Batik: A Glimpse Into The Lines not only highlights the artistic prowess of Malaysia's batik artists but also serves as a reminder of the cultural and historical significance of batik in the Malaysian narrative. The exhibition invites visitors to explore the intersection of tradition and modernity, as each piece tells a unique story woven into the fabric of Malaysia's artistic legacy.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
Dr Mulaika Hijjas, a senior lecturer in South East Asian Studies in London, initiated the transliteration of this manuscript. She will be discussing the book project at Tintabudi on Aug 24. Photo: Handout
BOOK EVENT: 'SYAIR JARAN TAMASA'
Venue: Tintabudi, Plaza TTDI, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Aug 24, 8pm
This book talk session revolves around a centuries old manuscript set in the time of the Majapahit kingdom that was translated into Bahasa Malaysia and made widely available this year. Syair Jaran Tamasa tells the tale of a dashing and handsome courtier named Jaran Tamasa, who fell in love with a beautiful maid named Ken Lamlam Arsa.
However, as Ken Lamlam Arsa was promised to the King of Majapahit, Jaran Tamasa decided to kidnap her using witchcraft. This prompts her family to carry out a bloody revenge.The manuscript is part of the collection of the Malay literary works belonging to colonial researcher John Leyden, which now belongs to the British Library. Though the original author of Syair Jaran Tamasa is unknown, it is believed to have been written not by a courtier, but by someone living in one of the cosmopolitan cities of the early 19th-century Malay world.
Come listen to a recitation and discussion by Dr Mulaika Hijjas and Dr Shafa’atussara Silahudin about the poem, which was recently republished under Buku Fixi’s Fixi Retro imprint. Registration required for this event.
More info here.
A work-in-progress by Indonesian visual artist Sabiq Hibatulbaqi, one of the featured resident artists. Photo: Rimbun Dahan
OPEN DAY: RIMBUN DAHAN
Venue: Rimbun Dahan, KM 27, Jalan Kuang, Mukim Kuang, Selangor
Date: Aug 25, 11am-5.30pm
Enjoy a peaceful day surrounded by art and nature at Rimbun Dahan’s Open Day. This month highlights the works of Malaysians Lim Wan Phing and Gogularaajan Rajendran.
Penang-born writer Lim worked on her third short story collection during her residency. The plong trees found in Rimbun Dahan have inspired her first story, Spirit Of The Plong. For the open day, Lim will conduct a reading session, as well as a sensorial writing workshop that will encourage you to engage with the senses as you participate in short, guided writing exercises, inspired by the nature and architecture of Rimbun Dahan.
Gogularaajan, who goes by Gogu, developed his feature film project Kaali: Depth Of Darkness during his two-month residency. The KL-based filmmaker will share a short film he made as a love letter to the lotus pond at Rimbun Dahan.
Other featured residents are visual artists Naraphat Sakarthornsap (Thailand), Sabiq Hibatulbaqi (Indonesia), Noelle Varela (Philippines), and interdisciplinary artist Kieu-Anh Nguyen (Vietnam).
More info here.
Author Kam Raslan will be at Sunda Shelves this Sunday at 4pm for a book reading, signing, and a Q&A moderated by editor Elaine Tan. Photo: Handout
BOOK EVENT: KAM RASLAN’S ‘CONFESSIONS OF AN OLD BOY'
Venue: Sunda Shelves, Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya.
Date: Aug 25, 4pm
For lovers of satire, the hilarious (mis)adventures of the fictional Dato’ Hamid, the titular ‘Old Boy’, have returned to amuse a new generation of readers. The retired civil servant first burst onto the scene in 2007, unapologetically sharing his life and loves against the backdrop of economic and political changes that have created the Malaysia of today.
Many years later, this revamped edition is back to tickle the funny bone of readers afresh and introduce a new generation to just how cosmopolitan yet curmudgeonly, suave yet self-serving, poised-for-anything yet prepared-to-shirk-everything and ultimately unwittingly funny and Empire-educated Malaysia can be.
Head over to Sunda Shelves for a book reading and signing session with author Kam Raslan, moderated by Elaine Tan. Registration is required for this "Sunda Talks" event.
More info here.
The 'Engraving Life' exhibition showcases a mini survey of veteran printmaker Abdul Mansoor's works from the past decade. Photo: The Star/Shaari Chemat
EXHIBITION: ABDUL MANSOOR IBRAHIM'S 'ENGRAVING LIFE'
Venue: Chetak 17, Taman Wangsa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Aug 31
The Engraving Life exhibition is a mini survey of veteran printmaker Abdul Mansoor Ibrahim's (fondly known to many as Pak Chot) works from the past decade.
The exhibition features 38 prints made from Abdul Mansoor's intricately detailed wood engravings and comprises three distinct sections: "Life", "Frame of Nature" and "Eyes of the World", with subjects ranging from a close-up look at insects, reptiles and crustaceans to a broader perspective on current issues both local and global, such as the disappearance of MH370 and the emergence of Bitcoin.
His works encourage viewers to look between the lines of each work – his selection of subject matter, as well as the titles he chooses for his pieces, often serve as a thought-provoking social commentary, offering insights into his observations of human behaviour. Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday (11am-6pm).
More info here.
A view of Nadiah Bamadhaj's 'Pessimism Is Optimism III' (2017) series at the 'Titik Garis Bentuk' exhibition. Photo: The Star/Ong Soon Hin
EXHIBITION: 'TITIK GARIS BENTUK: DRAWING AS PRACTICE'
Venue: Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Aug 30
It's the final weekend for Titik Garis Bentuk, Ilham Gallery's major group exhibition this year, which looks into the evolving role of drawing in contemporary Malaysian art, highlighting its significance as a standalone artistic medium.
Featuring pieces by 27 artists, the exhibition explores how boundaries between drawing and other art forms such as installation, animation, and performance are being blurred, redefining traditional notions of the medium. The line-up includes artists such as Jalaini Abu Hassan, Wong Hoy Cheong, Haslin Ismail, CC Kua, Chang Yoong Chia, chi too, Novia Shin, Paul Nickson Atia, Faizal Suhif, Hasanul Isyraf Idris, Chang Fee Ming, Engku Iman and Agnes Lau.
With a diverse array of works spanning figuration, landscape, architectural drawing, and minimalism, artists push the limits of conventional drawing techniques through innovative use of materials and methods.
From life-size charcoal figures to expansive landscapes, and from immediate, meditative sketches to intricate installations, Titik Garis Bentuk showcases the myriad ways in which artists are approaching drawing in contemporary practice.
More info here.
A file photo of the RHB Art With Heart series exhibition in Kuala Lumpur in 2022. This year's exhibition will open at Bangsar Shopping Complex in KL on Aug 26. Photo: Filepic
ART EXHIBITION: RHB ART WITH HEART 2024
Venue: Concourse, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
Date: Aug 26-Sept 1
Here's an exhibition to catch next week in KL. RHB’s Art with Heart is back for its sixth installment with the heartfelt theme, "Seni Setulus Hati" (Art from the Heart). Since its inception in 2016, the exhibition has supported over 180 local emerging artists.
This year’s exhibition features 89 artists presenting over 200 works in a diverse array of styles and offers a unique platform for Malaysian artists, bringing together the talents of young emerging artists, neurodivergent individuals and persons with disabilities.
“A particularly poignant element of this exhibition is the inclusion of 18 differently-abled artists (Persons with Disabilities). Their works not only showcase their immense talent, but also their indomitable spirit. We are honoured to feature the exquisite creations of deaf artists such as Candice Singha Wong, Lim Anuar, and Zulaiha Zulkapli.
“Additionally, the remarkable contributions of Nur Fariza, who bravely overcomes the challenges posed by mucopolysaccharidosis type IV, a rare genetic condition, as a testament to the transformative power of art, inspiring us all,” says curator Sarah Abu Bakar.
More info here.
