An early 1960s photo of Faridah, a young woman poised to step into Malaysia’s emerging performing arts scene. This Sunday, she joins Jo Kukathas in conversation to reflect on her early theatre roles and the formative years of Malaysian theatre. Photo: Faridah Merican
ARTS FESTIVAL: 'INDEPENDENT WOMEN: MAYANG, ROKIAH, MARIAM, DARA – AND FARIDAH MERICAN'
Venue: Pentas 2, KLPac
Date: Oct 12, 3pm
What The Elders Left Us, a new arts festival by The Instant Cafe Theatre, revisits the Malaysian theatre and arts scene of the 1960s – asking what we can learn from that pioneering generation and what they, in turn, sought from those before them.
Running from this month through November, the festival reconsiders tradition and purpose: Why do we make theatre, dance or perform? What is art for, and who is it for? The main festival – free admission – takes place at DPAC in Petaling Jaya (Oct 31 – Nov 2) with satellite events happening at KLPac, Ilham Gallery and Malaysian Design Archive.
The festival starts off with a satellite event (free admission) titled Independent Women: Mayang, Rokiah, Mariam, Dara – And Faridah Merican at Pentas 2, KLPac this Sunday at 3pm.
In the 1960s, in a newly independent country, Faridah, one of Malaysia’s beloved theatre legends, played some of the most fascinating female leads of the day. She brought to life the iconic characters of Mayang, Rokiah, Mariam and Dara.
Playwrights and writers Syed Alwi, Usman Awang and K. Das were three of the names who wrote her such roles. How did she meet them and what drew her to them? Why were they drawn to writing such strong, independent women? What was that post-independence theatre movement like? Do these female characters have anything to say to us today?
At KLPac, audiences can explore the first event of the What The Elders Left Us festival, featuring readings of iconic characters by Malaysia’s leading contemporary actresses, followed by a conversation between Faridah and Jo Kukathas, founder of Instant Café Theatre, on the local performing arts scene of the turbulent 1960s.
More info here.
DANCE: 'RADHE! RADHE! THE SWEET SURRENDER'
Venue: Shantanand Auditorium, Temple of Fine Arts, KL
Date: Oct 10-12
It’s been an eventful year for Sutra Foundation, filled with performances, collaborations, and creative energy - and this weekend adds another highlight to the list.
Radhe! Radhe! The Sweet Surrender will premiere at the Shantanand Auditorium, Temple of Fine Arts, Kuala Lumpur, This new Sutra production draws inspiration from the folk traditions of Odisha’s Ganjam district and the colourful Patachitra painting style. Performed in the Odissi classical dance form, it celebrates Radha, the eternal companion of Krishna, and the beauty of divine love.
Created by veteran dance masters Datuk Ramli Ibrahim and Gajendra Panda, the production blends classical grace with the vitality of folk art - a hallmark of their long creative partnership.
Audiences can expect an enchanting evening of dance, music, and imagery that brings the spirit of Radha Prema Leela to life. Radhe! Radhe! The Sweet Surrender also marks another step in Sutra’s journey of keeping classical dance alive and connected to its roots. The production will tour India later in October.
More info here.
A view of Cheng Yen Pheng's new exhibition 'Salt Of The Land' at Wei-Ling Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Wei-Ling Gallery
EXHIBITION: CHENG YEN PHENG'S 'SALT OF THE LAND'
Venue: Wei-Ling Gallery, Brickfields, KL
Date: ends Nov 8
In Salt of the Land, her fourth solo exhibition, artist Cheng Yen Pheng gives new life to the classical Chinese phrase “salt of the earth”, reimagining it through a lens that feels both ecological and deeply personal. With a series of immersive installations, she transforms the main gallery into a quiet space for reflection - and for sensing the delicate balance between people and the land they inhabit.
Working from Batu Arang, Selangor, a former mining town shaped by its industrial past and ongoing struggles over land, Cheng gathers materials from her surroundings to create works that speak of continuity, transformation, and care. Through the four elements - water, fire, earth, and air - she explores the natural cycles that sustain life: pulp becomes paper, ash purifies, clay hardens into brick, and air gives breath to the whole.
Her process mirrors a kind of resistance - a gentle but firm insistence on renewal and resilience in the face of change. By merging traditional craft with contemporary concerns, Cheng roots her art in the politics of place, honouring the fragile ecosystems and communities that continue to nurture life. Salt Of The Land reminds us that, like salt itself, renewal is essential - a small but powerful element that sustains both land and spirit.
More info here.
A view of Bancon's solo exhibition 'Nature In Exile 2.0', which opens this Sunday at Kokopelli At Templar in Petaling Jaya. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
EXHIBITION: FRANCOIS BANCON'S 'NATURE IN EXILE 2.0'
Venue: Centre of Photographic Arts, Kokopelli At Templer, Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya
Date: Oct 12 to Nov 16
Frenchman Francois Bancon’s first solo exhibition in Malaysia, which opens this Sunday, stands as a powerful meditation on humanity’s uneasy relationship with the natural world - and a warning of what is lost when beauty and truth are driven to the margins. Aptly titled Nature In Exile 2.0, the photography exhibition transforms the gallery into an allegory of displacement, where nature’s vitality is rendered fragile, almost spectral.
Having lived across Asia for over two decades, Bancon, who now calls Kuala Lumpur home, brings a global consciousness and a deeply reflective sensibility to his work. His background in art, philosophy, and futurism, coupled with his influential career in automotive design at Renault-Nissan, informs a practice that merges precision with poetry, and concept with emotion.
In Nature In Exile 2.0, Bancon’s images remind us that the beauty we so readily consume is also what we endanger. His vision challenges the viewer to see beyond form and colour, to recognise the urgency of coexistence in a world that often chooses domination over harmony.
More info here.
Kide and his wife, Ika Sharom, pose beside their joint artwork 'Mato-Mata' at his latest solo exhibition, which marks his 10th year in the art scene. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin
EXHIBITION: KIDE BAHARUDIN’S ‘MATO-MATA’
Venue: Galeri Puteh, KL Eco City Mall, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Oct 23
Artist Kide Baharudin returns for his third solo exhibition, Mato-Mata, which fills up the sizeable space at Galeri Puteh. It also marks his 10th year in the art scene, making the exhibition especially meaningful for collectors, art lovers, and the simply curious.
This Saturday (Oct 11), filmmaker U-Wei Saari will launch the exhibition at 3pm, alongside other activities put together by the gallery (a music jam session by Kide could be on the cards).
Mato-Mata features 42 acrylic paintings that depict lively scenes from Malaysia’s small towns, such as Seremban and his hometown of Kuala Pilah, to busy cities like Kuala Lumpur, as well as the colourful characters that reside in them.
The exhibition doubles as a retrospective of Kide’s decade-long journey as a full-time artist - beginning in 2015 as a fresh graduate selling works at pop art nostalgia shops and art markets, and now celebrated as a homegrown favourite with global collaborations to his name.
“At the core of my art practice, I’m always looking to tell stories, especially those of everyday Malaysians,” says Kide.
The exhibition also offers visitors a peek at Kide’s creative process, including the sketches that he used to plan out the composition and perspectives of the pieces on display, as well as odds and ends from his home studio in Seremban, like a table he fashioned himself from an old window, paint-splattered clothes that he wears while working, and one of his works-in-progress.
Free admission. Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10.30am-5pm.
More info here.
Zulkefli Jais explores painting and collage in '$omeone, $omething, $omewhere', his debut solo exhibition. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
EXHIBITION: ZULKEFLI JAIS’ ‘$OMEONE, $OMETHING, $OMEWHERE’
Venue: Galeri Sasha, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends 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.
KL's Galeri Sasha is filling up that gap with $omeone, $omething, $omewhere, 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 exhibition - free admission - offers audiences a chance to experience a new chapter in Zulkefli's practice up close.
More info here.
