A publicity still from Lee’s video installation 'Colorless, Odorless', which opens at Ilham Gallery in KL on Jan 18. Photo: Handout
VIDEO ART EXHIBITION: 'COLORLESS, ODORLESS'
Venue: Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Jan 18 to March 15
This weekend, Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur opens its calendar with Colorless, Odorless, a single-channel video installation exhibition by South Korean artist Eunhee Lee.
The work is set to be shown in Ilham Gallery’s Level 3 space.
The German-trained Lee, 35, creates experimental and documentary videos and films which explore the relation between individual, image and technology in a social context.
Technology is not only a product of science, but a complex compound of different political and economic interests. The practice of observing these phenomena is an ongoing attempt to understand the strange and absurd world we live in.
Her Colorless, Odorless, a 54-minute video, follows the work records and archival materials of victims of semiconductor biohazards to trace the smells and actions of substances that cameras cannot capture.
“To this end, the voices of Asian women and migrant workers, who are exposed to vulnerability, are heard. Testimonies of the past are overlaid on current symptoms, and the disaster repeats itself in other bodies and places.
“As multinational corporations move manufacturing plants to developing countries to lower not only labour costs but also the costs of safety standards and regulatory responses, industrial disasters are also globally transferred,” reads the exhibition notes.
Lee’s video was realised with support from the Han Nefkens Foundation-Loop Barcelona Video Art Production Grant 2023.
More info here.
Hoo Kiew Hang's painting 'The Crying Man' (acrylic on cardboard, 2021). Photo: The Back Room
EXHIBITION: HOO KIEW HANG'S 'ECSTASY'
Venue: The Back Room, Zhongshan building, KL
Date: Jan 17 to Feb 8
The Back Room opens its year with Ecstasy, a solo exhibition by Malaysian painter Hoo Kiew Hang, marking his return to the local art scene after a near-decade hiatus since 2017. While absent from exhibitions, Hoo never stopped painting, and this new body of work signals not a resumption but a reinvention.
Known for his long-standing fascination with American pop art and pop culture, Hoo now loosens his grip on the movement’s trademark cool detachment. In Ecstasy, he frees the brush from pop art’s formal restraint, reworking its visual language through a more intuitive, expressive approach. The result is a practice that feels less about precision and irony, and more about impulse, emotion, and release.
Colour, symbols and cultural icons spill freely across the exhibition, which comprises several large-scale works on canvas and rice paper, alongside a substantial selection of smaller paintings on cardboard.
Together, they form a vivid, unguarded return - one that suggests an artist rediscovering both his materials and himself, with renewed urgency and confidence.
An opening reception will be held at the gallery tomorrow (Jan 17) from 3pm.
More info here.
Head to MRT Pasar Seni and follow the signs to Exit A, where the Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival activities will be taking place. Photo: The Star/Filepic
KUALA LUMPUR ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL
Venue: MRT Pasar Seni (Exit A), REXKL
Date: Jan 16, 10am
Festival season begins in the capital with the Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival, taking place this Saturday from 10am in the city centre. Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Architects, the festival aims to make architecture and urban design more engaging and accessible to the public.
Anchored by the theme “Future Culture,” the programme explores the intersections between art, design and community life, and how these elements shape the city we inhabit.
Activities are spread across two main locations. At MRT Pasar Seni (Exit A), a pop-up market brings together local makers and community groups, including Lain Main Lab, Seni Kanji and the Klang River Festival team. Visitors can browse handcrafted goods while learning more about grassroots creative and cultural initiatives
Further programming takes place at REXKL, which hosts a range of performances and exhibitions. Highlights include sets by Orang-Orang Drum Theatre and dancer Bee Hung, the immersive Hanya Batik installation at RXP, a wayang kulit display, and an architecture exhibition. The afternoon programme also features a coffee rave for those seeking a more relaxed, social atmosphere.
The Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival marks the first edition of a travelling series, which will continue in four other locations later in the year.
More info here.
The 'Secret Kuala Lumpur' book by Lam Seng Fatt. Photo: Handout
BOOK TALK: 'SECRET KUALA LUMPUR'
Venue: Tsutaya Books (in-store cafe), Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Jan 17, 2.30pm
Think you know Kuala Lumpur? Think again. This Saturday, look deeper beyond the towering skyscrapers, modern shopping malls filled with designer brands, and the usual touristy sites to discover a different side of the city with Lam Seng Fatt, author of Secret Kuala Lumpur.
The easy-to-carry guidebook is filled with more than 100 intriguing facts and stories behind the parts of Kuala Lumpur that often go unnoticed, from little-known shrines and back lanes to hidden temples and monuments that you won't find in mainstream guidebooks.
We're talking unusual statues of Thai hermits that have become deities for gamblers praying for lucky lottery numbers, the mysterious tomb of a Muslim missionary couple from Baghdad that became a shrine, the colonial crest of Kuala Lumpur that's only found on the portico of an old building, a priceless and secret relic from the German bombing of London during World War II, and more.
Lam will also shares insights on the process of putting together the book and answer any questions you may have. Free admission. No registration required.
More info here.
Soraya Yusof Talismail's 'Malay Girl I' (digital print on fabric, 2009). Photo: Handout
EXHIBITION: 'RUPA' PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW
Venue: ArtVoice Gallery, Jalan Kovil Hilir, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Jan 30
ArtVoice Gallery opens the year with Rupa, a group photography exhibition that elevates portraiture beyond mere documentation, revealing the complex layers of human identity. From carefully composed studio sessions to spontaneous candid shots, each portrait explores personality, mood, and essence, transforming images into narratives rich with meaning.
A highlight of Rupa is its inventive use of contemporary photographic techniques.
Artists including Eric Peris, KF Choy, Soraya Yusof Talismail, Puah Chin Kok, Flora, Lim Siang Jin, Stephen Menon, Mohd Azlan Mam, Jagan Ragunathan, and others push traditional boundaries, incorporating mixed media, digital enhancements, and painterly touches.
The result is a multi-dimensional collection where artistry and authentic likeness meet, inviting viewers to look past appearances and discover personal stories that resonate universally.
More info here.
