THEATRE: 'MATI-MATI (J'AIME MA MERE)'
Venue: Indicine, KLPac
Date: ends March 8
Kicking off The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat’s 2026 season is the new English play Mati-mati (J’aime Ma Mère), running at Indicine at KLPac this weekend.
The production, which opened on Wednesday to an enthusiastic reception, reunites director Christopher Ling and playwright Arsyad Azrai as they continue their theatrical exploration of family ties.
Following their 2022 play Saccharine, which examined a father–son relationship, this new work shifts its gaze to the fraught bond between brothers, weaving folklore figures locked in conflict with two modern-day siblings grappling with their past – and with each other.
In the show, Muhammad Ibrahim plays Luqman/Temenggung, while Daniel Arzman takes on the Hakimi/Hang Tuah role. Fight choreographer Hazzy Alzeeq adds to the production’s visceral tone with tightly staged combat sequences.
At the centre is a startling proposal: one brother wants to resurrect their late mother using artificial intelligence, a plan the other cannot accept. The result is a poignant meditation on grief, memory, and the forces that can pull families apart.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: NOOR ‘AISHAH ABDUL RAHMAN'S 'HIKAYAT'
Venue: Harta Space, Ampang, Selangor
Date: ends March 31
This month, Harta Space presents Hikayat, an autobiographical exhibition by Noor ‘Aishah Abdul Rahman (aka Noura Ar), marking her return to the art scene. Drawing from her own experiences, spiritual reflection, and a poetic sensibility, the show is both a visual and performative journey - a voice shaped by life itself.
Described by the artist as “a performance of voices and stories,” Hikayat's paintings bring memory and history to life through the eyes, the heart, and hands that dance across clusters of colours and elements of nature. Across the exhibition space, the works speak openly of laughter, joy, hope, fear, anxiety, wounds, and the quiet resilience of a soul finding its strength.
Each canvas acts as a page in life’s book, reflecting trials, devotion, love, and spiritual awakening. Through textured layers and expressive gestures, the artist invites viewers into an intimate conversation between vulnerability and strength.
More info here.
DIGITAL ART: CERIKAPAK’S ‘NEAR-DEPTH EXPERIENCE’
Venue: Galeri Filamen, Level 4, GMBB creative mall, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends March 8
Last call to catch this exhibition, which revives the traditional red-cyan 3D glasses, repurposed for an art installation by KL new media artist Naqib Idris, aka Cerikapak. Using the anaglyph, long associated with stereoscopic imagery, he deconstructs and recombines forms into a five-minute video display.
Having previously designed live visuals for music events and featured in last year’s Tekka Festival at KLPac, Cerikapak adopts a more reflective approach at this Galeri Filamen showcase, crafting an experience that fully engages the eye.
Centred on a main screen with three smaller TVs, the exhibition invites visitors to explore "anaglyphic 3D projection mapping." The main piece features a reflective metallic sphere that continuously morphs into complex geometric forms before transitioning into volumetric video fragments.
Fluid motion is paired with ambient, meditative music composed by the artist, adding an audio dimension and evoking a nostalgic vision of futurism.
This show (free admission) is part of Galeri Filamen's residency programme at GMBB.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: XEEM NOOR’S 'BALAI DI BALAI” (TATEMONOLOGUE 2.0)
Venue: National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends April 8
Artist Xeem Noor brings a piece of Japan back to Kuala Lumpur with her installation Balai Di Balai (Tatemonologue 2.0), which kickstarts the Hanya Satu (Singles) spotlight series in the foyer of the National Art Gallery this year.
The work is a life-sized, soft recreation of the apartment she lived in during an artist residency in Yokohama. Constructed from knitted poles and printed fabric, it offers a cozy, walk-in memory of her time abroad, accompanied by photos and personal letters.
But the installation isn’t just a display. Xeem will host live crochet sessions every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11am to 3pm throughout the exhibition, demonstrating her craft and gradually building a large collaborative crochet that grows layer by layer over time.
Visitors are invited to join in: the artist will provide needles and yarn, encouraging hands-on participation alongside the artist.
Ideal for lovers of textile art and "craftivism", this interactive exhibition blends memory, material, and community into a tactile experience.
More info here.
GONG XI BEATS
Venue: Reuben's Damansara, Kuala Lumpur
Date: March 7
If you’re still riding the festive wave of Chinese New Year, “Gong Xi Beats” happening today (11am to 5pm) offers a celebration with a playful cultural twist.
Organised by Beats N Bru at Reuben's Damansara, the collective spices up the familiar coffee-rave format with a local flavour – pairing deejay sets with live performances on traditional instruments. The result is a festive soundscape where heritage rhythms meet contemporary beats.
The all-ages event leans into Malaysia’s easy cultural crossovers, spotlighting the “Chindian” (Chinese-Indian) experience – a reminder of how traditions here often overlap, remix and evolve together. It’s designed as an open, friendly space where you can dance a little, learn a little, and meet people along the way.
Your ticket includes access to the day’s line-up of music and activities. Beyond the deejay sets, there’s a Lion Dance and drum showcase, a hands-on workshop with the Diabolo (Chinese yo-yo), and a calming tea ceremony corner if you’re in the mood for a quieter moment between beats.
More info here.
THEATRE: 'NO PARTICULAR ORDER'
Venue: Indicine, KLPac
Date: March 12-15
Tickets are moving fast for Theatresauce’s 10th anniversary rollout, featuring the Malaysian premiere of No Particular Order, an experimental play by Singaporean Joel Tan.
The show, which opens week, will be directed by Theatresauce founder Kelvin Wong, back from Britain while on a break from his doctoral studies.
True to its title, the performance doesn’t follow a linear story. Instead, it unfolds through modular, event-based scenes, with a talented ensemble of six – Anne James, Alfred Loh, Putrina Rafie, Kamini Senthilathiban, Nabil Zakaria, and Dexter Zhen – playing different characters in every vignette, constantly reconfiguring the performance space.
The effect mirrors how we consume information in the digital age: a constant stream of posts, clips and stories delivered in no particular order. The result is a clever, engaging exploration of our modern, media-saturated lives.
More info here.
THEATRE: 'YEL! OR A COMPENDIOUS LECTURE ON THE REIGN OF SULTAN PADUKA SERI MAHADEWA RAHMATULLAH AL-BARA’ III (1784-1834)'
Venue: pangkin@ejklsseni, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Date 13–15
Another show to plan ahead for, Yel! offers a bold and challenging piece of theatre for local history buffs. The final installment of EJKLS Seni’s in-house programme, The Young Blood Experiment (TYBE), it runs at pangkin@ejklssen from March 13–15.
Written and directed by Yuthes Umadevi Navarathinam, the production stars Luqman Sharul, Hazwan Azman, Myrra Baity Khan, Han Royani, and Ais Isaac.
Yel! is a fictional history, a mythic fever-dream set in an alternate universe, following two men who enter a palace at the world’s end to rescue their women, taken as concubines.
What unfolds is a nightmare of riddles and ritualised abuse. The play confronts a dark, unrecorded period when indigenous communities were enslaved by nobles.
Its second title, A Compendious Lecture on the Reign of Sultan Paduka Seri Mahadewa Rahmatullah Al-Bara’ III (1784–1834), comes to life as the characters shift into a modern-day university lecture, merging history, myth, and critique in a startling, immersive way.
More info here.
