This is the first of a two-part essay on origins and rise of biennales within the context of Malaysia’s aspirations for a world-class international visual art mega-exhibition. Read Part II here. Part I News that Kuala Lumpur will stage its first biennale in November this year have been circulating amongst Malaysian art insiders since 2015.
To Biennale or Not To Biennale (Part I) Read More »
This essay is the first in a new series where artists and writers reflect on artworks that were personally important to them. Syria, climate change, Brexit, Trump, the loss of beloved public figures from Prince to Muhammad Ali — my friends and I couldn’t wait for 2016 to end. But the sense of renewal that
Art that Moves: Time and Tuition Read More »
Gaslight Cafe presents Alena Murang, 17 Jan, 9pm Gaslight Cafe at Bukit Damansara shines the spotlight on young Bornean singer-songwriter Alena Murang, whose debut EP, Flight, was released last year. A graduate from the music programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, Alena play folk music of the Kelabit and Kenyah tribes, using the traditional lute instrument
16 – 22 Jan 2017: Malaysia Read More »
2016 was a busy year for theatregoers in Japan, and an especially fruitful one for those with an interest in Malaysia. The Kyoto Experiment 2016 (22 Oct – 13 Nov) featured the documentary theatre work, Baling by Mark Teh as its festival opening piece. It was produced by Five Arts Centre, one of Malaysia’s most
Faith in Tokyo: A review of ‘Nadirah’ and ‘Family’ Read More »
By Azzief Khali for The Wknd Indonesia tends to loom large in the Malaysian cultural imagination, and likely for good reason: the quality and quantity of cultural production coming out of Indonesia tends to dwarf what we can produce ourselves. This perceived gulf in quality and mentalities has been the topic of many a
Scattered Thoughts on Indonesian Music and Romanticism Read More »
RICHARD III 《理查三世》by The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat 22 – 25 Dec Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre In Mandarin with English and Mandarin surtitles, this rendition of Shakespeare’s historical classic about the ruthless and ambitious Richard III celebrates the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. It marks the concluding production of the Shakespeare 400
19 – 25 Dec: Malaysia Read More »
Tags: comedy Harith Iskander
Malaysian Funny Man, Now Funniest in the World Read More »
Axiomatic by Asia Duo Dance Company Damansara Performing Arts Centre, 16 – 18 Dec Two award winning dancer-choreographers Fairul Zahid (from KL, Malaysia) & Yachao Zhu (from Beijing, China) show their work together on this night of contemporary dance. More information. Afterwork, group exhibition at Ilham Gallery 18 Dec 2016 – 16 Apr 2017 Afterwork
12 – 18 Dec 2016: Malaysia Read More »
5 – 12 Decem Kemandirian Seni Persembahan di Pulau Pinang (Independence of the Performing Arts in Penang), 6 De 2016, George Town, Penang. Culture can be defined from various perspectives: it is a way of life that arises from and is shared by a community, and passed on from one generation to the next. This
5 -11 Dec 2016: Malaysia Read More »
Malaysian political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, speaks with the New York Times about the dangers of self-censorship, and continuing make art in the face of possible imprisonment.
NYT: A Malaysian Political Cartoonist on Facing His Fears, and Prison, for Art Read More »
Talk Prof. Dr. Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof: Kelantan Shadow Play: Some Challenges, 29 Nov, KL Following a brief introduction to the Kelantan shadow play, principally in terms of dramatic content, this lecture will touch upon socio-political as well as religious issues surrounding this genre, questions related to State policies and other factors which, in recent decades, have
28 Nov – 4 Dec 2016: Malaysia Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (988 words, 10-minute read) Spoiler Alert: If you want to enjoy Interchange in all its suspenseful glory, watch the film before you read this review. The 27th Singapore International Film Festival opened last week with the Asian premiere of the Malaysian film, Interchange. Dain Iskandar Said’s third feature is a ‘fantasy noir
Don’t Say Cheese: Interchange Read More »
The State of Humanity: An Evening with AC Grayling, 22 Nov 2016, Bobo Kuala Lumpur Our world is in turmoil again: and yet there has also been great progress in the state of humankind over the last four centuries. Can we learn from the past to understand the present, and to solve its problems?
21 – 27 Nov: Malaysia Read More »
Short +Sweet Malaysia 2016, 16 – 19 Nov 2016, Penang Short+Sweet is back with 6 original dance works and 11 short plays. Each runs for 10-minutes and packs a punch! One of the plays is Bakawalee Penang’s production of Hati by Amir Hazril Harith, directed by Yusof Bakar. It’s the moving story of a
14 – 20 Nov 2016: Malaysia Read More »
