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KL Biennale (VIII): Second Floor Galleries
For the interested visitor, the second floor KL Biennale exhibition area in the National Art Gallery, presents an incoherent and challenging display. The immersive “Cracks in the Wall” presentation by...
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KL Biennale (IX): First, and Last, Impressions
I visited the National Art Gallery 3 times in 3 months, during the inaugural KL Biennale. Among offsite exhibition locations, I was at Piyadasa Gallery twice – once to visit Niranjan Rajah’s...
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arkologi: gelap @ Artemis Art
“Ajim Juxta’s fourth solo exhibition arkologi: gelap, is an on-going and progressive questioning of the world we live in, and more importantly a reflection of an artist’s questioning of humanity and...
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A New Post-Election (Art) World
How much Malaysian art created up till 9th May 2018, will be put aside/thrashed/repurposed by artists? Should all commercial galleries stage a "pre-GE14" show, for displaying works created before 9th...
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Gallery Partnerships, and a Pago-Pago @ National Art Gallery
Upon conclusion of the inaugural KL Biennale, the National Art Gallery proceeds to hosts several exhibitions, that collaborates with commercial galleries. Happening at the same time, questions abound...
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Forgotten Beauty @ Richard Koh Fine Art
“When I went to tribal villages in the interior long ago, everyone was so warm. They invited me to their homes even though they did not know me. They cooked for me. These are the old folks I want to...
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Light & Space 得意忘形 @ OUR ArtProjects
A century ago, Piet Mondrian wrote in his essay Natural Reality and Abstract Reality, that “(t)he new plastic idea cannot, therefore, take the form of a natural or concrete representation, although the...
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Google Street View @ Galeri Titikmerah
At Publika's Art Row, the papu x titikmerah pop-up store provides a lengthy distraction, as its wonderful wall of prints and swag merchandise offer much to see. Mei Kei Ho's sterile take of "Pendidikan...
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A-Ha Moments @ Sutra Gallery
With works created across 35 years on display, Sutra Gallery presents a retrospective of sorts for Renee Kraal, a former member of the famed Wednesday Art Group. A number of pieces capture my attention...
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DO NOT GO INTO THE MIST DO NOT GO BACK TO THE DARK DO NOT STAND STILL @ A+...
Dominating an exhibition space is one thrilling aspect when appreciating Chong Kim Chiew’s work, and his latest solo show does not disappoint. Visitors are greeted immediately by small bits of litter...
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Teh Tarik With The Flag @ National Art Gallery
After its victory in Malaysia’s 14th General Election, the new government and its leaders have been accorded a honeymoon period by most rakyat based on goodwill, to establish better policies and...
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Caravaggio Opera Omnia @ National Art Gallery
What is the difference between looking at a painting, and an image of a painting? A huge difference, it seems. I walk briskly within Galeri 3A to see its life-sized backlit projections of Caravaggio...
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Yang Lain-Lain @ Suma Orientalis
The gallery’s publicity statement for “Yang Lain-Lain” touts Donald Abraham as a Sabah-born street artist, pointing out the artist’s lack of formal training, and “YAK” graffiti tag as his signature....
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Sensory Photography @ RUANG by Think City
Billed as “Malaysia’s first photography exhibition by the visually impaired”, the second-floor space features snapshots by seven individuals with differing severities of low vision. How does one who is...
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Mid-October 2018: Malaysian Art Week?
Who needs a Gallery Weekend, when the Malaysian art scene can self-organize a string of exhibitions and events in a couple of weeks, that highlight Malaysian art? Centred around the annual Art Expo...
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3 @ Wei-Ling Contemporary
For his third solo exhibition, Sean Lean utilizes a presentation format – the triptych – as a starting point to explore subject matters in painting. The exhibition statement describes the triptych as...
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TUGU|UGUT @ PAM Centre
Stepping foot into PAM Centre’s lobby, one encounters broken bricks painted in black, where few pieces stand upon pedestals among its dense arrangement. The horizontal layout denotes a building plan...
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Snippets: November 2018 (Downstairs, Upstairs, Abstracts)
Cult Gallery organized “Halal Haram”, a fundraising show that features a stellar line-up of 26 Malaysian artists. Many exhibits resonate with the chosen theme – from Umibaizurah Mahir Ismail’s ceramic...
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Art KL-itique 2018 Look Back
There were a dozen 2018 art exhibitions that I would have liked to write about in-depth. But the impetus to document observations about local visual arts has waned significantly, as my interest shifts...
View ArticleCatalogue Essay: Merdeka, The Lonesome Club, May 2019
https://rkfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/RKFA_Minstrel-Kuik_Merdeka-The-Lonesome-Club.pdf
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Crowded Balai, Muda (Su)dah Wince See
During my first visit to "Leonardo Opera Omnia" at the National Art Gallery, I was startled by the crowd in attendance. A year ago, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has staged reproductions of...
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Mem(Bayang) Maksud @ Balai Seni Negara (I of II)
The exhibition title and its curatorial thread, derive from a conversational text between friends Noordin Hassan and Ismail Zain, published in the catalogue of the latter's 1988 solo exhibition...
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Foreboding Purpose @ National Art Gallery (II of II)
...In his tribute essay titled A Protean Appearance In Malaysian Art, Krishen Jit surmises that "Digital Collage (...) might well be an ironic strategy for Ismail wishes to raise consciousness about...
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Staying Woke with Children at NGS, Jun/Oct 2019 (I of II)
With half its exhibits already taken down 5 months into its 7-months run, "Children’s Biennale 2019: Embracing Wonder" at the National Gallery Singapore amounted to an unimaginative visit with the...
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Staying Woke with Children at NGS, Jun/Oct 2019 (II of II)
...Pictures of burning art by Xiamen Dada - the collective Huang Yong Ping founded - calibrates my attention towards work made by artists residing in Greater China. This exhibition bookends a time...
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