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11/16 Musings about Negaraku @ NAG
If an American tourist can influence Malaysian art… I imagine that the middle-class Malaysian who likes art, probably started out with exposure from their family, saw classics from the Western art...
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12/16 Musings about Negaraku @ NAG
Malaysian artists who work predominantly in sculpture are only a handful; Moving on from conceptual heft and modernist pastimes, there is a fascinating allure to three-dimensional geometric shapes, the...
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13/16 Musings about Negaraku @ NAG
The National Gallery Singapore, is where I last saw Cheong Soo Pieng’s ‘Tropical Life’. The rather-simply-executed picture – oft-quoted in writings about Malaysian art history, and referenced in Ho Tzu...
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14/16 Musings about Negaraku @ NAG
Mohd Salehuddin’s ‘At the Kampung Shop’ stands out as a personal favourite in the National Collection. Some writers claim the picture reinforces racial stereotypes, but what I see is a brilliantly...
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Malaysian Art: A New Perspective 2017 @ Richard Koh Fine Art
While this exhibition claims to showcase “unconventional approaches demonstrated across various mediums”, it is more interesting to note the diverse backgrounds of the six featured artists. The...
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15/16 Musings about Negaraku @ NAG
Notwithstanding a red egg and other constructs viewable from Jalan Tun Razak, ‘Pemain Rebab No. 1’ by Mad Anuar Ismail might as well also be labelled as “public sculpture”. I see it every time I enter...
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16/16 Musings about Negaraku @ NAG
Looks like erected nipples. Constructs by Elias Yamani Ismail are always beguiling, and this grid of 81 (wooden? plastic?) squares, each with a protruding tip at the centre, is no different. The...
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ILHAM Contemporary Forum: Malaysia 2009 – 2017 (II, Re-hang) @ ILHAM
In the previous blog post about the ILHAM Contemporary Forum, I wrote that “(c)oncluding what is contemporary is an impossible task, largely due to the different time ranges inherent in the making of...
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Thirty Pieces of Silver @ Wei-Ling Gallery
Walking past antique furniture then ascending a flight of stairs into the gallery, one is greeted by 45 glass plate photographs made with early photographic processes. Encased in black frames and...
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This Is Where We Meet @ OUR ArtProjects
As large surveys featuring Malaysian modern art are under way in two KL institutions, this relatively small exhibition stands out as a significant complement, to one’s understanding about abstraction...
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M @ A+ Works of Art
“M” recalls ‘M’, a memorable work by Tan Zi Hao I last saw three years ago. The found-object aesthetic extends to shop signs hung here, where a pawnbroker’s signage – with its four languages and...
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KL Biennale 2017 (I): Under Construction
After two visits to Balai Seni Negara, and one sojourn at Universiti Malaya's Piyadasa Gallery, there is much to ponder about the inaugural Kuala Lumpur Biennale. Beyond the initial disappointment of...
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To You I Surrender My Vanity @ Suma Orientalis
The Christian ring to the exhibition title is deliberate – Eng Hwee Chu’s devotion to her religion and family, are clearly on display in her art. Consisting of signature acrylic paintings, preparatory...
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Snippets: September 2017
Museum hopping in Singapore might become an annual family affair, given the international superstars the nation-state draws to their pristine shores. While the kid runs wild at teamLab’s interactive...
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KL Biennale (II): The Gift of Knowledge
“What's so interesting about Durai Singam? Durai Singam (1904 – 1995) was no ordinary secondary school teacher who once taught in Kuantan. He also became one of the world's most obsessive...
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Dash @ Five Arts Centre, 22 September 2017
With beads of sweat covering his forehead roughly two-thirds into his 55-minutes performance, Ho Rui An’s voice starts to quiver. Despite taking sips of water throughout his narration, sitting in front...
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December 2017: R&G Body Template in A Room
The human body, is the focus of three exhibitions held in the same month, at three independent art spaces. Organized by The F Klub, “Figure in the Room” at HOM Art Trans features a younger line-up of...
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Snippets: Q4 2017
Organized by the artist’s family, a collection of 100+ sketches and paintings by Chia Yu Chian are cramped into a first-floor room at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. Among figure...
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Art KL-itique 2017 Look Back
With favourite review site LoveHKFilm (and inspiration for this web log) now on indefinite hiatus, I am tempted to follow the same path. Since strong curatorship is an inconsistent affair, group...
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Remembering Warisan Nusa @ Badan Warisan Malaysia
After buying a copy of Warisan Nusa years ago, I only browsed it. This exhibition reminded me to read it, and appreciate the great volume that it is. Ilse Noor was commissioned by Shell Malaysia in...
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