Kanta Studio at GMBB KL presents a Raya portrait session series, featuring black-and-white silverprint photography and hand-tinting ('Warna-Warni Malaysia'), a nostalgic art of colouring monochrome photos. Photo: Kanta Studio
PHOTOGRAPHY: HARI RAYA SPECIALS - INSTANT PORTRAITS
Venue: Kanta Studio, 6th floor, GMBB creative mall, Kuala Lumpur
Date: March 29 and 30, April 5 and 6
Kanta Studio, the newly opened space by box-camera photographer/researcher Jeffrey Lim, is hosting instant portrait sessions for the festive season over the next two weekends.
This weekend, for those still in Kuala Lumpur, Lim’s studio welcomes you to experience photography at a slower pace. Kanta Studio's speciality is traditional black-and-white silverprint portraits, hand-printed in the darkroom.
For Hari Raya, Lim is also reviving a lost art: hand-tinting, or "Warna-Warni Malaysia" - the meticulous craft of adding colour to black-and-white photographs. Once a treasured tradition in family albums, this technique restores warmth and vibrancy, blending history with a personal touch.
More than just a portrait, it’s a timeless keepsake - an heirloom for generations to come.
Bookings and walk-ins are welcome. WhatsApp: 010-292-6765 to reserve a slot.
More info here.
A view of the Chung Chen Sun archive exhibition at the National Art Gallery in KL. Photo: The Star/Azhar Mahfof
EXHIBITION: CHUNG CHEN SUN ARCHIVE PROJECT
Venue: National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 1
The National Art Gallery Archives Project returns with its third installment, featuring an exhibition that honours the legacy of Chung Chen Sun (1935–2024), a visionary Chinese ink painter and a pivotal figure in Malaysian art.
As a founding member of the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA), Chung made a lasting impact not only in painting but also in shaping Malaysia’s art education landscape.
The exhibition, accompanied by a soon-to-be-released book, presents a collection of archival materials - including photographs, sketches, catalogues, and video interviews - offering a deeper understanding of the artist’s creative process. It also showcases a series of ink paintings and artworks from both the National Art Gallery collection and his estate.
While Chinese ink painting remains central to Chung's legacy, the exhibition also showcases rarely seen oil and pastel works, tracing the evolution of his artistic style over the years.
Free admission exhibition.
The exhibition will be closed on the Raya public holidays.
More info here.
A view of CC Kua's new exhibition 'I See, I See', which is currently showing at The Back Room gallery in KL. Photo: The Star/Izzrafiq Alias
EXHIBITION: CC KUA’S ‘I SEE, I SEE’
Venue: The Back Room, Zhongshan building, KL
Date: ends April 13
After a five-year hiatus, artist, educator, and graphic designer CC Kua steps back into the gallery spotlight with her solo exhibition, I See, I See. Known for her understated wit and distinctive visual language, the Taiwan-trained artist presents a body of work spanning three years (2022–2025) and multiple mediums, marking a thoughtful evolution in her practice.
Divided into three sections - paintings on canvas, coloured drawings on paper, and black-and-white drawings - the exhibition juxtaposes Kua’s signature pastel-hued whimsy with a descent into deeper, more introspective territories. While her work retains its playful, almost childlike curiosity, there is an undeniable shift - an undercurrent of shadowy subconscious musings emerging through her lines and forms.
At once lighthearted and unsettling, I See, I See invites viewers to peer beyond the surface, to see and be seen, and to navigate the delicate interplay between innocence and introspection in Kua’s ever-evolving visual world.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
A video still from Ekin Kee Charles' 'Meet Us At The Ridge: 6.0753º N, 166.5588º E'. Photo: Han Nefkens Foundation
EXHIBITION: ‘MEET US AT THE RIDGE”
Venue: Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends March 30
If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time to make plans. This weekend marks the final chance to experience Meet Us At The Ridge, a film installation by Ekin Kee Charles, an indigenous filmmaker-writer from Kota Marudu, Sabah, at Ilham Gallery.
A deeply personal and poetic work, the installation weaves together memory, landscape, and indigenous identity, offering a window into narratives often left on the margins. Don’t miss this last opportunity to immerse yourself in Charles’ evocative storytelling before the exhibition closes.
The (free admission) show is presented in collaboration with the Han Nefkens Foundation, a Barcelona-based organisation that supports emerging international video artists.
Charles, from the Kimaragang ethnic group, received the Han Nefkens Foundation-Loop Barcelona Video Art Production Award in 2022. For the Ilham Gallery showcase, she is showcasing Meet Us At The Ridge : 6.0753° N, 116.5588° E and Peaceland, both single-channel video works produced last year.
In Meet Us At The Ridge, an eight-minute film, Charles, presents an intimate dialogue about a woman’s growing disconnect from her roots. Peaceland (12-minutes), a comedy drama, follows three best friends in their 60s – hitchhiking an illegal truck from their remote village to town.
More info here.
Australian artist Nigel Sense posing with an artwork at the 'Rojak' exhibition at Zhan Art Space in Petaling Jaya. Photo: The Star/Samuel Ong
EXHIBITION: NIGEL SENSE AND JEAN TONG'S 'ROJAK'
Venue: Zhan Art Space, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends April 27
Zhan Art Space's latest exhibition, Rojak, bridges cultures through the dialogue between two artists: Australian painter Nigel Sense, who lives in Malaysia, and Malaysian sound artist Jean Tong, based in Australia.
Sense’s acrylic paintings celebrate the thrill of travel - its unpredictability, joy, and transformative power. His bold strokes and textures capture the sensory overload of new experiences, embracing imperfection and spontaneity.
Tong complements Sense’s visuals with a soundscape woven from snippets of overheard conversations - banal, intimate, and profound.
Together, they craft an immersive space where the unfamiliar feels like home, reflecting the shared search for connection in foreign lands.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
A gallery view of the 'Oceans That Speak' exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Izzrafiq/The Star
EXHIBITION: 'OCEANS THAT SPEAK: ISLAM AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE MALAY WORLD'
Venue: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, KL
Date: ends June 15
Need a sprawling exhibition to add a cultural touch to your festive season? The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) in KL is casting a spotlight on a pivotal chapter of history with its latest exhibition, Oceans That Speak: Islam And The Emergence Of The Malay World.
This exhibition unravels the profound role of maritime trade in shaping the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual landscape of the region. Far more than just a conduit for commerce, the ocean was a highway of ideas, where faith, art, and knowledge flowed across vast distances.
Oceans That Speak, featuring the IAMM collection, traces how Islam, carried on the monsoon winds alongside merchants and scholars, took root in the Malay world - interwoven with local traditions, shaping languages, governance, and artistic expression.
From ancient maps and illuminated manuscripts to artefacts steeped in seafaring history, Oceans That Speak brings to life the dynamic exchanges that defined an era and left an enduring imprint on the identity of the region.
The exhibition will be closed on the Raya public holidays.
More info here.
