Hua (華) Settler Imaginary in Borneo, at Malaysia Design Archive, 19 July 8pm Academic Dr Zhou Hau Liew presents ‘Preliminary Thoughts on the Hua Settler Imaginary in Borneo: Cultural Mapping, Revolutionary Communism, and the Ideas of Chineseness’. This talk rethinks the legacy of communism in Sarawak through cultural mapping. Image: Lanfang Republic Borneo Map, source […]
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (16 – 22 July 2018) Read More »
Click here to read this article in English. Klik di sini untuk baca rencana ini dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Saya harus berjujur, kita ada masalah dengan sastera kita, dan saya jujur sahaja; saya tidak tahu apakah solusinya. Akan tetapi, sebelum kita ke takah untuk menyelesaikan masalah tersebut; ada baiknya kita juga menjujurkan diri untuk mengakui apakah masalah yang ada. Harapannya
Masalah Sastera Di Malaysia Baharu Read More »
Click here to read this article in Bahasa Melayu. Klik di sini untuk baca rencana ini dalam Bahasa Melayu. I have to be honest: we have a problem with our literature, and frankly, I do not have the solution. However, before we attempt to address the issue, it is essential that we openly acknowledge what the problem
The Problem with Literature in New Malaysia Read More »
As with any thought-provoking installation, Latiff Mohidin’s “Langkawi” series, on show at Chan+Hori Contemporary, evokes a large range of perceptions from its audience. A cursory survey of his arca dinding will bring to mind many different things for different people. Some have compared them to rice, the life-giving grain so important to the region. Others
Latiff Mohidin’s “Langkawi”: The Within and Beyond Read More »
Sesi Diskusi Buku KAOS NOL, Lit Books, 11 July 7pm This book club meets every two weeks to discuss books that focus on theatre and the performing arts. This time, the group will be examining In Praise of Shadows (1933) by Junichiro Tanizaki. Session moderated by Juno HF & Ridhwan Saidi. Do purchase drinks at
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (9 – 15 July 2018) Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (2145 words, 8 minute read) 2 July 2018 – The receding brown moon on millions of Malaysians’ fingernails are a biological marker of the eight weeks since the end of the Najib administration. These past 55 days have seen stunning institutional changes, monitored by an activist public that almost, almost, makes the
What the Arts in Malaysia Needs: More Transparency, Less Intermediaries Read More »
Damansara International Arts Festival (DIAF), DPAC, 3–15 July In conjunction with the fifth anniversary of performing arts space DPAC, DIAF features two weeks of music, puppetry, dance, theatre and more. Many shows feature international performers. I recommend Malaysia’s Adab Berguru by BaiZam Generation, featuring three generations of dynamic wayang kulit tok dalang performers in one
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (2–8 July 2018) Read More »
GEORGE TOWN, Malaysia — On any given weekend, a 15-meter-long queue of international tourists materializes at the upper corner of Armenian Street, an atmospheric road packed with tourist shops and cafes at the heart of George Town, capital of Malaysia’s Penang State. Selfie-stick-toting visitors wait patiently to snare shots next to George Town’s most iconic
George Town marks UNESCO anniversary amid debate (via Nikkei Asian Review) Read More »
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Petani Semasa is a significant exhibition on contemporary art about the Patani region of Southern Thailand, that privileges local artists. Currently on display at the Ilham gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the works are deeply complicated, and largely unsettling. Featuring 27 artists, the show never resolves into a unified voice, but showcases the diversity of practice and experience of the
27 Artists Grapple with the Fractious Politics of Malaysia (via Hyperallergic) Read More »
The Rainforest Fringe Festival started in 2017 to spotlight Sawarak’s distinct jungle heritage. The second edition this year (July 6 to 15) promises to unveil an even wider spectrum of both traditional and contemporary expressions. Presented in the heart of Kuching, the festival’s slate is an eclectic and vibrant mix of dance, music, photography, design,
Malam Sayu Berpuisi, at klpac, 27 June, 8:30pm A night performance held outdoors on klpac’s grounds, by the banyan tree. Poets will be accompanied with improvised music by duo Feel Tu Penting. Poets for the night feature a mix of spoken word poets and theatre people — but all will be performing, and not reading, their
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (25 June – 1 July 2018) Read More »
By Nur Athirah Abdullah The Rainforest Fringe Festival 2018 (RFF 2018) is less than a month away! Not to be mistaken for the Rainforest World Music Festival, one of the region’s best world music festivals, the Fringe is a cool combo of the very best of Sarawak’s music, art, craft, film, photography, and food. Helmed
Rainforest Fringe Festival 2018: Top 8 Picks Read More »
Surveillance and censorship are becoming part and parcel of daily life around the world, and yet many citizens seem content to turn a blind eye to it. A new exhibition at Wei-Ling Gallery in Kuala Lumpur called Seen is addressing that issue. Curator Line Dalile brings together ten leading international and Malaysian artists, hoping that through documentary, photography
ILHAM Gallery sits like a secret jewel box in the black-ice exterior of Menara ILHAM, where it has played host to celebrated artists and conceptual experimenters since it opened its doors in August 2015. Today, it is working at the frontline of arts education through an eclectic selection of multimedia exhibitions and public programming. The
ILHAM Gallery is a trailblazer in the Malaysian art scene (via Luxuo) Read More »
Live Fact Presents: Protomartyr, at Live Fact, 20 June, 8pm American rock band Protomartyr is performing in Live Fact this Wednesday. The band features Joe Casey on vocals, Greg Ahee on guitar, Alex Leonard on drums and Scott Davidson on bass guitar. Their latest album is Relatives in Descent. Admission is RM40 at the door
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (18 – 24 June 2018) Read More »
Feedback Open Mic: feat Jumero & Josiah Tay, at The Bee, 12 June, 8pm Jumero’s hippie and happy beach music is always a great choice for a pick-me-up. They’ll be featured alongside Josiah Tay, who does covers of songs you know. Feedback Open Mic is also a reliable place for spotting the next rising star
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (11 – 17 June 2018) Read More »
Zalila Lee at Merdekarya, 6 June, 9pm Singer-songwriter Zalila Lee returns to Merdekarya. This performer is a versatile talent, but for her solo performances, you can generally expect folk-blues with a boom voice and soul cutting lyrics. The show starts at 9pm, but open mic may begin before. There is no cover charge at Merdekarya,
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (4–10 June 2018) Read More »
Lim Chin Huat shares about his journey of learning one artistic discipline after another, his approach to creating work, his struggle with calling himself an artist, and how his current project In Her Hands traces its origins back to more than ten years ago. He currently teaches movement full-time at the Intercultural Theatre Institute. CH: I was a science
Lim Chin Huat and Negotiating Positionalities across Time (via Talking Circles) Read More »
By Lainie Yeoh The Narrow Bridge (film screening), at HELP College, 28 May, 8pm Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia and Wayang Budiman are presenting a screening of Indonesian drama The Narrow Bridge. The film is directed by Chaerul Umam, and follows the story of a young Islamic teacher sent to work in a village full of
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (28 May – 3 June 2018) Read More »
Seven-piece band The Venopian Solitude is set to become the first Malaysian band ever to perform at Sónar! For those who’re in the dark, Sónar is a three-day electronic and advanced music festival which was started in Barcelona, Spain in 1994 by music journalist Ricard Robles and musicians cum visual artists Enric Palau and Sergio Caballero.
Malaysian Band To Perform At Europe’s Biggest Electronic Music Fest! (via Eksentrika) Read More »
By Lainie Yeoh NINE Theatre Festival, at Sunway University Rooftop Theatre, 21 & 22 May The students from the Diploma in Performing Arts 2016 of Sunway University offer a wide selection of staged performances, readings, and site-specific installations in this festival. The themes explored are Love, Time & Death. Individual shows are RM15, a festival
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (21 – 27 May 2018) Read More »
By Nabilah Said (2,220 words, 11-minute read) Had Malaysian artist-poet Latiff Mohidin been French, he might perhaps strongly identify with the idea of the flâneur. Coined by French poet Charles Baudelaire, the French word for someone who strolls in the city found cachet as a description of the artist-poet who drew inspiration from the city
Making Our Own Centres (Of) Ourselves: Latiff Mohidin’s “Pago Pago (1960-1969)” Read More »
By Lainie Yeoh Majlis Himpunan Warga Seni PH (Pakatan Harapan), Auditorium MATIC, 15 May 3pm Despite the name (Assembly of Artists PH), this is not officially sanctioned by Pakatan Harapan, nor does it seem to be organised by Pakatan Harapan supporters (although political allegiances in the arts have been tenuous lately, so who knows). This
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (14 May – 20 May 2018) Read More »
Hasanul Isyraf Idris is a Malaysian artist who works with a variety of different materials to present his often intricate and surreal ideas, inspired by his home country’s colourful history. Hasanul Isyraf Idris’s fourth solo feature with Richard Koh Fine Art took place last week, showing at VOLTA art fair, New York. Titled Environment of
How one artist is exploring his roots through vibrant, surreal artworks (via SEA Globe) Read More »
By Lainie Yeoh GE14 Results Night at Merdekarya 9 May, 5pm until all GE14 results are announced Things get inevitably political this week as Malaysia holds its 14th General Election. Merdekarya will be making an event out of it, with live crowdsourced GE14 results and election-night shenanigans. There’ll be a big screen scoreboard, and
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (7–13 May 2018) Read More »
Oleh Fasyali Fadzly (1075 patah kata, 9-minit bacaan) Saya mengambil masa yang lama untuk menyiapkan tulisan mengenai teater Version 2020 yang diarahkan oleh Mark Teh. Ia sebuah teater yang memerlukan pengamatan yang tajam, pengetahuan yang luas dan pemahaman terhadap konteks keseluruhan pementasan ini. Kajian teater ini turut mengambil masa yang lama dan penuh kritikal –
By Lainie Yeoh If Walls Could Talk at The Gaslight KL, 8pm 30 April Fondly known as Walls, this poetry open mic show is a must-try event in KL. Many wonderful poetry acts have been discovered in Walls, and the energy from the audience is always warm and generous. Each volume has a feature act —
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (30 April – 6 May 2018) Read More »
A Malaysian artist and prominent opposition activist was jailed for a month on Tuesday for publishing a caricature of Prime Minister Najib Razak looking like a clown, a ruling likely to exacerbate concern about free speech. Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy recently announced plans to amend a law to stamp out fake news, the latest step
Malaysian court jails, fines artist for clown caricature of PM (via Reuters) Read More »
1969’s Woodstock is probably one of the most iconic and influential music festivals to ever take place, with its 32 acts and 400,000 attendees making it not just the zenith of the whole counterculture movement that was such a big part of 1960s America, but also one of the most iconic events in the history of popular music.
There’s no denying that at some point, all of us have dreamed of having an entire cinema all to ourselves, along with the freedom to scream, shout and blabber all we want without anyone telling us to tone it down. It’s great to know that AMENIC Film Space is that dream now made real. Founded in late
