As part of the National Day celebrations, the 'Awas! Mawas!' puppet parade will take place outside Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 30 at 3pm. Presented with the participation of Mah Meri and Temuan children, the parade highlights community collaboration and cultural expression through puppetry, music, and performance. Photo: Suraya Jermadi
ARTS EVENT: 'AWAS! MAWAS!' PUPPET PARADE
Venue: Ilham Tower, No.8, Jalan Binjai, off Persiaran KLCC, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Aug 30, 3pm
On Merdeka eve, the streets of KL are set to come alive with a parade of giant handmade puppets and props - a heartwarming celebration powered not by big budgets, but by community spirit.
Tomorrow, local artist collective Awas! Mawas! will bring its puppet parade to Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Joining them are children from the Mah Meri community in Sungai Bumbun, Selangor, and the Temuan community in Pulau Kempas, Selangor. Together, they’ll showcase their larger-than-life puppets in a lively street parade, followed by a theatrical performance.
These puppets and stories were created through community workshops led by Awas! Mawas! last year, shining a light on issues close to the Orang Asli communities. Many of the puppets draw inspiration from folklore—like the Mawas, an ape-like mythical creature said to guard the jungle.
The parade kicks off at 3pm outside Ilham Tower, before heading into the gallery for the performance. Afterwards, audiences can stay on for a post-show discussion with the collective.
This event also ties into Ilham Gallery’s current exhibition, The Plantation Plot, where Awas! Mawas! has an installation on display.
Admission is free - just bring along big smiles and good vibes.
More info here.
Celebrate the spirit and legacy of P. Ramlee this National Day weekend at 'Lagenda Merentas Zaman' in Jalan Negara Kita, Taman Melawati, KL. Photo: The Star/Filepic
ARTS EVENT: 'P. RAMLEE: LAGENDA MERENTAS ZAMAN'
Venue: Jalan Negara Kita, Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur.
Date: Aug 30 to Sept 1
This National Day long holiday weekend, the P. Ramlee: Lagenda Merentas Zaman community-scale festival takes centre stage at Jalan Negara Kita, Taman Melawati in KL.
The three-day event celebrates the timeless legacy of Tan Sri P. Ramlee, blending music, film, and community to honour his role as a cultural icon in the spirit of Merdeka.
From quirky programmes like “Sarapan Tiga Abdul” to the bustling “Pasar Bujang Lapok”, expect plenty of fun, nostalgia, and a heartfelt tribute to the man whose work continues to inspire across generations.
A highlight of P. Ramlee: Lagenda Merentas Zaman is a series of artworks by fine art students from The One Academy, inspired by iconic scenes from his films and displayed along Jalan Negara Kita.
"Merdeka has evolved from a spectacle to be watched into a culture to be shaped. Lagenda is a direct response to this shift,” says Nazura Rahime, co-founder of Manggis Group, one of the event organisers.
“It’s not just a show to watch - it’s an open space for collaboration and opportunity,” she says.
Admission is free for the P. Ramlee: Lagenda Merentas Zaman mini festival.
More info here.
THEATRE: 'FRAGMENTS OF TUAH'
Venue: Pentas 2, KLPac
Date: ends Sept 7
It’s Hang Tuah like you’ve never seen him before - torn apart, remixed, and reimagined. In the spirit of Merdeka, documentary theatre show Fragments Of Tuah dares to question how legends are written, remembered, and retold.
Running at Pentas 2, KLPac, Kuala Lumpur until Sept 7, Five Arts Centre’s most ambitious production of the year isn’t a straightforward retelling - it’s a living archive. Myth collides with memory; the Hikayat Hang Tuah rubs shoulders with personal reflections and cultural echoes.
At its heart is Faiq Syazwan Kuhiri - a one-man theatre and music force whose performance anchors the show with raw energy and emotional heft. He is joined on stage by musician OJ Law and sound designer Shariman Shuhaime, under the direction of Mark Teh.
This work was developed over three years by Teh, Faiq, Syamsul Azhar, and Wong Tay Sy.
After its Kuala Lumpur run, Fragments Of Tuah carries Malaysia’s stories abroad - heading to Japan this October for the Kyoto Experiment festival, one of Asia’s leading showcases of contemporary performance.
More info here.
Eleanor Goroh (left) - a passionate advocate for safeguarding cultural heritage - presents 'Body As Living Archive,' a talk on Borneo’s traditional hand-tapped tattoos on Aug 30. Photo: The Star/Filepic
TALK SERIES: 'ARKIB DI BAWAH ATTAP'
Venue: Rumah Attap Library and Collective, Zhongshan building, KL
Date: Aug 30 and 31
"Arkib di bawah Attap", a collaboration between Malaysia Design and Rumah Attap Library & Collective (both based in the Zhongshan Building), presents a (free admission) series of talks on the politics of visual culture and archival practices.
Marking independence with reflection, the programme examines history, power, and memory through acts of archiving and research. How do we narrate complex lives and events that seem distant yet persist in the items we keep? How is knowledge produced inside and outside institutions, shaped by process, context, and actors?
Speakers from Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Australia address these questions in topics ranging from early 20th-century picture postcards circulating across empire to fabricated images and speculative visions tied to the legacy of the Malayan Emergency.
The weekend programme features Eddie Wong (artist, researcher, educator) with “Spectres of San Ba Lou (Inheriting the Malayan Emergency)” on Aug 30, 11am, followed by Jennifer Yang (PhD candidate in Art History, University of Sydney) on “Re-temporalising Empire: Encounters with a Picture Postcard in the Colonial Port City in the Early 20th Century” at 3pm, and Sabahan artist Eleanor Goroh with “Body As Living Archive,” a talk on Borneo’s traditional hand-tapped tattoos, at 5pm.
On Aug 31, 11am, Michelle Wun Ting Wong (researcher, writer, curator) presents “From Strange to Stranger: Working on Ha Bik Chuen’s Legacy,” before the series concludes at 4pm with Yvonne Tan (researcher, writer) on “The Moral Economy of the Chinese Kongsi and its Undoing in the Larut Wars and Mandor Rebellion.”
More info here.
The 'Ilham Shines Through Rogueish Cloud' - a collab with Ilham Gallery Gift Shop (pic), RogueArt and Cloud Projects - is one of the participants at the Made In KL bazaar at Semua House. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
BOOK AND ARTS FESTIVAL: 'MADE IN KL'
Venue: Semua House, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Aug 30 to Sept 1
Need a book and indie arts fix this Merdeka weekend? Head to the inaugural Made In KL bazaar at Semua House, KL, from Aug 30 to Sept 1.
Organised by the team behind the Kuala Lumpur Alternative Bookfest (KLAB), the bazaar hosts over 40 vendors ranging from local publishers and zine-makers to indie crafters and artists.
Expect publishers like Buku Fixi, Karangkraf, Manes Wordworks, The Biblio Press, Bundusan Books, Rocky Press/Tokosue, Gerakbudaya, JT Publishing and IBDE, alongside arts and crafts names such as Ilham Shines Through Rogueish Cloud (a collab with Ilham Gallery Gift Shop, RogueArt and Cloud Projects), Little Syam, Tan Chee Hon, Howsanne and many more.
“Books remain central, but unlike KLAB it won’t be solely about books. We wanted to revive the spirit of the early KLAB days, when it ran with Art for Grabs (in Central Market),” says Amir Muhammad, Buku Fixi managing director.
The programme, with an indie slant, also includes book launches, panels and readings.
Made In KL is co-organised by the Malaysian Book Publishers Association, Buku Fixi and The Patriots, with support from the National Book Council of Malaysia. Free entry, 10am–8pm.
More info here.
Hamir Shoib’s new artwork '68' is on view at the 'Rasa Merdeka!' group exhibition at the new Ruang Teduh gallery, Exchange 106, Tun Razak Exchange, Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Azlina Abdullah/The Star
EXHIBITION: 'RASA' MERDEKA!
Venue: Ruang Teduh, Exchange 106, Tun Razak Exchange, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 16
In the spirit of Merdeka, Ruang Teduh, a new art gallery in Kuala Lumpur, is presenting ‘Rasa’ Merdeka!, a collaboration between Senimalaya and Galeri Puteh. Featuring works by 31 Malaysian artists, the exhibition explores independence not just as history, but as a living, evolving idea - one that continues to shape identity, belonging, and national pride.
The artists include Masnoor Ramli, Johan Marjonid, Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, Long Thien Shih, Hamir Soib, Rafiee Ghani, Ramlan Abdullah, Bayu Utomo, Kide Baharudin, Ika Sharom, Azizan Paiman, Husin Othman, Umibaizurah Mahir, Azzaha Ibrahim, Lina Tan, Abdullah Jones, and Suddin Lappo.
Through painting, installation, sculpture, and mixed media, the artists - a mix of newcomers and established names - explore Merdeka in different registers: some through everyday rituals and memory, others by reimagining national icons or questioning inherited narratives. Several works also take a critical look at how freedom and unity are negotiated in today’s Malaysia.
Together, these voices create a layered portrait of the nation - nostalgic yet forward-looking, celebratory yet reflective.
Free and open daily, 'Rasa' Merdeka! invites visitors to experience Malaysia’s artistic pulse and engage with curators for deeper insights.
More info here.
This Saturday at 3.30pm, Sanan (pic) will be joined by fellow artists Akid and Ramlan Abdullah for a talk on screen printing at Tali Art Gallery. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
EXHIBITION: 'SOCIETY: WORK-IN-PROGRESS'
Venue: Tali Art Gallery, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends Aug 31
Last call for something bold! Tali Art Gallery closes its edgy duo show Society: WIP this weekend, pairing Balinese punk artist and zine-maker Gilang Propagila with KL printmaker Sanan Anuar. True to Tali’s unconventional streak, the exhibition dives into raw, unfiltered takes on art and society.
Rather than keeping things safely within the “white cube,” Society: WIP opens the gallery up as a place for questions and challenges. Gilang’s raw, DIY energy meets Sanan’s detailed printmaking to explore the many sides of society - its rules and customs, its clashing beliefs, its contradictions, and its quiet moments of beauty.
The gallery space, mapped out by wooden partitions, features an exhibition that brings together old furniture, metal grilles, giant tote bags, silkscreen installations, and cassette tapes.
Here, society is shown not as something fixed, but as a work in progress - messy, complex, and always changing.
This Saturday at 3.30pm, artists Sanan, Akid, and Ramlan Abdullah will lead a talk at Tali Art Gallery on screen printing as a contemporary art medium. Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
