Zulkefli Jais’ collage and acrylic on plywood artwork titled 'Muted Promises' (2025). Photo: Galeri Sasha
EXHIBITION: ZULKEFLI JAIS’ ‘$OMEONE, $OMETHING, $OMEWHERE’
Venue: Galeri Sasha, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur
Date: Sept 27 to Oct 24
Zulkefli Jais has buried a national car in a Perak gallery, taken over Teluk Intan’s Leaning Tower, filled the National Art Gallery’s main lobby, shown in South Korea, and contributed to Galeri Petronas’ comeback show – yet he has not held a proper gallery exhibition.
Opening this weekend at KL's Galeri Sasha, $omeone, $omething, $omewhere is the first solo exhibition by the award-winning Perak-born artist. It brings together new collages and an installation that look at ideas of movement, belonging, and how people adapt when faced with change.
Zulkefli's collages are built from cut-outs collected over the past decade from Newsweek magazines. Arranged into layered scenes, they show groups of faceless figures, people caught in between places, identities, or decisions.
Instead of telling one clear story, the works encourage viewers to think about how narratives can shift when images are re-used and re-imagined. The anonymity of the figures reflects both vulnerability and resilience, raising questions about how people navigate uncertain times.
This upcoming exhibition - free admission - offers audiences a chance to experience a new chapter in Zulkefli's practice up close.
More info here.
POP-UP EXHIBITION: 'SABAH HATS: A COLLECTION OF SIRUNG'
Venue: Sunda Shelves, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Date: Sept 27 and 28
This weekend brings a rare chance to learn about Sabah’s iconic sun hats, or sirung, in a pop-up showcase by Jesse Joy Studio. Sabah Hats: A Collection Of Sirung takes place at the Sunda Shelves bookshop in Petaling Jaya.
Hailing from Kota Kinabalu, Jesse Joy is not only a collector but also the passion behind Bundusan Books, a specialist shop devoted to all things Borneo.
“Nowadays, while sun hats – traditionally known as sirung – are mostly used as decorations, these sun hats serve more than just objects of beauty. They are used in the fields, are a part of ritual regalia, and are seen as status symbols and identity markers. They also reflect the creativity and high skills of the makers, community and economic opportunities,” he says.
The showcase, featuring his personal collection, doubles as a “preview” of a book he is currently working on about the sirung.
To deepen the experience, Joy will also be weaving in storytelling, helping visitors connect the hats to the communities and traditions they come from. The walkthroughs, held throughout the day from 11am, explore how designs differ between tribes, how these hats have evolved over time, and the meanings they carry.
Entry: RM10 (pre-registration), RM20 (walk-ins).
More info here.
BADAN WARISAN MALAYSIA BOOK FAIR 2025
Venue: Badan Warisan Malaysia Heritage Centre, Jalan Stonor, KL
Date: Sept 26 and 27
Here’s your chance to run through the treasure stacks at the Badan Warisan Malaysia (BWM) Book Fair 2025, happening Friday (10am–5pm) and Saturday (10am–1pm) at the Badan Warisan Malaysia Heritage Centre, a beautiful bungalow in the heart of KL.
Think of it as a hunter’s ground for pre-loved gems: novels that have traded hands, travel guides with margin notes, arts and crafts manuals, cookbooks waiting to be stained again, children’s titles with doodles tucked inside. The haul ranges across fiction, architecture, history, biographies, business, wellness and more – all sold as is, which is exactly where the charm lies.
Entry is free, but it’s a bag-free zone, so bring your own tote (the sturdier the better, depending on how ambitious your hunt is).
More info here.
A view of paintings by the late Sabahan artist Inauk S. Gullah at 'The Plantation Plot' exhibition at Ilham Gallery. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
EXHIBITION: 'THE PLANTATION PLOT'
Venue: Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 28
It's the final weekend for art lovers and history seekers to experience The Plantation Plot at Ilham Gallery, an exhibition that has drawn steady audiences since opening in late April.
Presented in collaboration with global arts organisation Kadist, the show brings together 28 artists and collectives from South-East Asia and the Americas to interrogate the plantation – not only as a site of colonial wealth and human exploitation, but also as a structure whose logic continues to define economies, ecologies, and everyday life.
Thoughtfully assembled by Malaysian curator Lim Sheau Yun, the exhibition gathers more than 60 works from Kadist, Ilham, and private collections, alongside a set of new commissions.
Among the local highlights are Coolies Chorus, an archival revival of Tamil folk songs sung by indentured labourers; the starkly moralistic paintings of the late Sabahan artist Inauk S. Gullah; and Pagar & Padi, a moving video installation that reflects on communal life in Sabah through themes of land sovereignty, religious freedom, and the precarious promise of “jamin", or guarantee. New commissions by Izat Arif and Minstrel Kuik add contemporary urgency, probing the intersections of land, labour, and power.
Taken together, these works reveal how homegrown artists and their peers wrestle with the plantation’s legacy – grappling with histories of erasure, while carving out spaces for resilience and memory.
More info here.
With the 'Air Mata Air' exhibition, Nadirah Zakariya creates a gentle space to pause and reflect. Photo: The Star/Azman Ghani
EXHIBITION: NADIRAH ZAKARIYA'S 'AIR MATA AIR'
Venue: The Back Room, Zhongshan building, KL
Date: ends Oct 5
Photographer-artist Nadirah Zakariya presents Air Mata Air, a quiet and contemplative exhibition curated by Eva McGovern, now showing at the Back Room gallery. For art lovers looking for a smaller, more intimate show, this one offers a gentle space to slow down and reflect.
When the world feels overwhelming, Nadirah turns instinctively to water - lakes, rivers, oceans - as places of refuge and renewal. That relationship takes shape here through fabric panels and backlit lightboxes, where images and words merge in a delicate play of shadow, translucence, and memory.
The title carries a layered meaning in Bahasa Malaysia: air mata means “tears,” while mata air refers to natural springs. Tears can hold both joy and sorrow, and Nadirah brings that range to life with phrases pinned to the lightboxes, such as hanyut in tears (“drowning in tears”) and rindu stings like saltwater (“missing someone stings like saltwater”). Each piece becomes a gentle meditation on fragility, resilience, and the emotional tides we carry.
The exhibition also features a night of music on Friday night (Sept 26), with indie outfit The Impatient Sisters performing live at the gallery at 7pm. Free admission.
Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm–6pm.
More info here.
More than 30 local galleries and over 100 artists will come together at this weekend’s CIMB Artober Art & Soul event. Photo: The Star/Izzrafiq Alias
CIMB ARTOBER ART & SOUL
Venue: Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), KL
Date: Sept 26–28
There’s plenty of art to enjoy at this year’s CIMB event, which runs for three days and is free for everyone to attend. More than 30 local galleries and over 100 artists will be taking part, showcasing everything from contemporary paintings and experimental installations to a special exhibition of never-before-seen works by the late Datuk Ibrahim Hussein, one of Malaysia’s most celebrated modern artists.
Participating galleries include G13 Gallery, Richard Koh Projects, Core Design Gallery, Taksu, Sareng, Tali Art Gallery, Galeri Sasha, and Artas Gallery.
Heritage craft will also be in the spotlight through Yayasan Hasanah, which is bringing traditional textile arts such as telepuk, keringkam, kelingkan, kain dastar, and batik to the fair. Visitors can watch master artisans in action and join workshops to learn more about these centuries-old techniques.
An urgent highlight this year is "Art For Humanity," a fundraising auction in solidarity with Gaza. Happening on Sept 28, the auction brings together artists, collectors, and the public to turn creativity into compassion, raising funds for humanitarian support.
More info here.
POETRY: 'SACRED GROUNDS II'
Venue: Ghostbird Coffee Company, Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Sept 27, 6pm
If you love both coffee and poetry, Sacred Grounds II offers the perfect pairing. Happening this Saturday evening at Ghostbird Coffee Company in Seputeh, the event celebrates the art of words and the flavours of Malaysian coffee – timed just right for International Coffee Day.
The evening brings together eight poets – Yashvin Kumar, Jonathan Sim, Chloe Ling, Bethany Luhong Balan, Jack Malik, Samantha Yeoh, Lofrine Layam, and The South East Asian Poet – in a thoughtfully curated line-up, promising a mix of humour, heartfelt reflections, and stirring performances. In preparation, the poets took part in a coffee “cupping” session – a guided tasting of different brews – drawing inspiration from the flavours to craft their poems.
Audiences can expect more than just spoken word. Four distinctive Malaysian coffees will be served alongside the performances, creating a multi-sensory experience that connects taste with storytelling.
Looking ahead, the organisers hope to grow Sacred Grounds into more than a performance night, with future workshops that blend poetry, coffee, and playful learning.
More info here.
