Chok Yue Zan’s 'Existence In Memory And Reality' (acrylic and oil on canvas, 2024). Photo: The Back Room
EXHIBITION: CHOK YUE ZAN'S 'BETWEEN US'
Venue: The Back Room, Zhongshan building, KL
Date: Jan 4-26
Between Us, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Chok Yue Zan, marks his third solo show and his first in Malaysia. The exhibition, which opens today at The Back Room gallery in Kuala Lumpur, features five new works from the Tawau, Sabah-born artist’s ongoing series, De Upside Down, which presents realistic landscapes flipped on their heads.
For the past two years, Chok, 30, has been engrossed in De Upside Down, sourcing images from open-source photography websites and blending various landscape genres into a single, collaged composition.
By incorporating upside-down elements, Chok, who is based in KL, creates serene yet unsettling worlds – uncannily perfect but undeniably alien.
His exhibition at The Back Room will run through Jan 26. In 2017, Chok won the UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) award. He has since completed art residencies in Shanghai, China and Japan, as well as shown two solo exhibitions – Retrospect Of Paradiso (2018) and Throughout (2022) – in Singapore.
A close-up view of Victor's artwork titled 'Mechanical Harmony' (archival ink on paper, 2024). Photo: Temu House
EXHIBITION: JONATHAN AVINASH VICTOR’S ‘GENESIS’
Venue: Temu House, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends Jan 19 (open only on weekends)
Temu House kicks off the year with its first exhibition featuring Jonathan Avinash Victor, a Malaysian artist based in Singapore. His works, crafted with acrylic, ink, and graphite, blend abstract and surreal elements, offering audiences a fresh visual experience.
His art journey began under the mentorship of the late Malaysian artist Jeganathan Ramachandran, who inspired his passion for painting.
Through a highly detailed monochromatic series, Victor's Genesis explores the profound nature of transitional moments – those key times of change where life's biggest transformations begin. These uncertain moments hold great potential, often sparking unexpected new beginnings.
Visitors can also attend the exhibition's opening reception on Saturday (June 4) at 6.30pm, featuring Genesis In Motion, a contemporary dance performance by dancer and choreographer SueKi Yee, who brings Victor's artworks to life through movement.
Admission is free.
More info here.
Chang Yoong Chia’s 'Thinking Like A Mountain' exhibition reimagines Gunung Ledang's legends through a multidisciplinary lens. Photo: The Star/Art Chen
EXHIBITION: CHANG YOONG CHIA'S 'THINKING LIKE A MOUNTAIN'
Venue: Cult Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Jan 19
Explore Chang Yoong Chia's enchanting world in his new solo exhibition Thinking Like A Mountain at Cult Gallery, KL.
Tomorrow (June 5, 11am), he will engage the public in an artist talk alongside curator-researchers Lim Sheau Yun and Ong Kar Jin, offering insights into his creative process and the themes behind his new work.
This series began when Chang relocated to Tangkak, Johor, where daily glimpses of Gunung Ledang – shifting shapes and moods with the light – sparked his imagination and curiosity. Drawing inspiration from his visits to the mountain and extensive research, Chang weaves together a rich tapestry of influences.
Through art, research, and history, the artist weaves a narrative drawn from the classic Sejarah Melayu’s account of the Princess of Ledang Mountain, Alfred Wallace’s The Malay Archipelago and his theories of natural selection, while reflecting on the mountain’s symbolic connections to South-East Asia’s mythology, nature, and humanity.
The result is a mesmerising mosaic of ideas, blending legends, ecological themes, and comic-like narratives into a series of artworks that explore the relationship between female icons, mountains, and human interaction with nature.
This exhibition invites viewers to traverse the boundaries of history, myth, and artistic imagination, uncovering layers of meaning at every turn.
More info here.
The animation exhibition at Muzium Negara aims to present the journey of Malaysia’s animation industry, highlighting its evolution from creative concepts to cutting-edge visual storytelling. Photo: Bernama
EXHIBITION: ‘MALAYSIAN ANIMATION: FROM IDEA TO REALITY'
Venue: Muzium Negara, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Jan 31
Here's a fun exhibition for the whole family. Who hasn’t grown up with beloved TV cartoons like Hikayat Sang Kancil, Usop Sontorian, Keluang Man, Kampung Boy, or Didi & Friends? These iconic series have captured the imagination of generations of Malaysians.
Now, the Malaysian Animation Society (Animas), with support from the Department of Museums Malaysia, presents Malaysian Animation: From Idea To Reality, an exhibition at Muzium Negara (National Museum) running until Jan 31.
This immersive showcase aims to present the journey of Malaysia’s animation industry, highlighting its evolution from creative concepts to cutting-edge visual storytelling.
Visitors can explore how technology, art, and local culture have shaped the industry, through a collection of sketches, personal works, and artefacts from renowned cartoonists like Datuk Lat and Mohamed Khairi Ibrahim (Aie Ibrahim).
The exhibition also celebrates the achievements of pioneers such as Kamarudin Ismail (Kamn Ismail), Ibrahim Anon (Ujang), and Datuk Othman Yusof (Datuk MOY), whose dedication and creativity turned bold ideas into animated realities.
More info here.
Artefacts, manuscripts, and artworks from the IAMM collection trace Islamic influences from the Indian Subcontinent, China, and the Middle East, shaping a vibrant civilisation led by sultans, scholars, and artists. Photo: The Star/Izzrafiq Alias
EXHIBITION: 'OCEANS THAT SPEAK: ISLAM AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE MALAY WORLD'
Venue: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends June 15, 2025
Discover the rich history of maritime trade at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) in Kuala Lumpur through a new exhibition (ticketed) spotlighting the Malay world’s central role in connecting East and West.
This exhibition showcases the Malay Archipelago as a vibrant hub of trade and cultural exchange, tracing the spread of Islam and its enduring impact on art and society.
An array of artefacts, manuscripts, and artworks - from the IAMM collection - reveal how Islamic influences travelled from the Indian Subcontinent, China, and the Middle East, shaping a thriving Islamic civilisation led by sultans, scholars, and artists.
Highlights include stories of ports like Melaka, key crossroads for 15th- and 16th-century trade in spices and tin, where Islam arrived with merchants and scholars from Hadhramaut and Gujarat, leaving a profound spiritual and cultural legacy.
More info here.
A gallery view of the 'Jiwa Membumi: The Soul Of The Land' exhibition at BNM Museum and Art Gallery. Photo: BNM MAG
EXHIBITION: 'JIWA MEMBUMI: THE SOUL OF THE LAND'
Venue: Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Feb 25
Craving that certain rustic charm? Jiwa Membumi: The Soul Of The Land, an exhibition at BNM Museum and Art Gallery (BNM MAG), celebrates Malaysia’s rural roots and vibrant cultural heritage.
The exhibition highlights the enduring connection between nature, culture, and village life through photography, paintings, sculptures, videos, and installations.
It features works by 12 Malaysian photographers and artists, including Eric Peris, Alan Ng, Ariff Awaluddin, Soraya Yusof, Azman Karib, Azul Adnan, Chong Kok Choon, Grace Ho, Grez Chan, Nora Yusuf, Supian Ahmad, and Hariz Hamdan.
This collection begins with photography and evolves into innovative expressions inspired by the artists’ reflections, experiences, and journeys to distant locales.
Visitors can immerse themselves in scenes of clear night skies, the village surau, vintage road signs, and the timeless charm of the countryside, reflecting how traditional life continues to shape modern Malaysia.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
