KL Biennale: Concepts of love and artistic discourses

A visitor gets a close-up view of Tetriana Ahmed Fauzi's plant-based work 'What Lies Beneath' (mixed media, 2017), which is about loving nature. She scanned micro images of seeds, pollen, pistil and stamen from her parents' house. Photo: Bernama

At the recent launch of the inaugural KL Biennale, banners were unfurled and balloons released into the grey sky that rained down upon on all the visitors present. Inside the National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG), however, were bright colours and eager faces, soaking up the images and stories told by the artwork displayed in this space.

With its theme of Belas (Be Loved), this KL Biennale radiates love, compassion and positivity in spades. Anchored in the five pillars of love for humanity, animals, nature, heritage and spirituality, the main exhibition at the NVAG weaves a feelgood narrative with 114 paintings and installations from local and international artists.