PHOTOGRAPHY: DINESH PUSHPARANI'S 'ARAM'
Venue: ArtVoice Gallery, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends March 21
Photography rarely makes it to art galleries in Kuala Lumpur, so each show is worth celebrating. This month, ArtVoice Gallery presents Aram, the second solo exhibition by contemporary photographer Dinesh Pushparani, opening March 15 at 7.30pm and officiated by filmmaker Sun-J Perumal.
The exhibition explores the quiet power of faith, memory and moral strength through striking 13 photographs of Tamil folk deities, ancient rituals and lesser-known sacred spaces.
Rather than grand architecture, Aram turns the lens on devotion as an inner, sustaining force for individuals and communities.
The exhibition, as a whole, reflects virtue and resilience, portraying faith not by race or religion, but as a universal human need to remain grounded and disciplined in times of uncertainty.
Through his monochromatic works, Dinesh invites viewers to look beyond the visible, to consider the invisible strength that supports us. What sustains your inner world?
Artvoice Gallery, led by artist-curator Stephen Menon, is a contemporary art space in Sentul dedicated to authentic storytelling and Malaysian narratives.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'NANYANG NEW FRONTIERS'
Venue: Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM), Kuala Lumpur
Date: March 14 to April 12
The Cao Tang Men Eastern Arts Society, a Chinese ink painting community in Malaysia, marks its 20th anniversary with the themed exhibition Nanyang New Frontiers, opening tomorrow.
The exhibition, curated by calligrapher Ong Chia Koon, highlights the society’s commitment to advancing ink painting and calligraphy and includes a commemorative catalogue showcasing members’ works in celebration of its milestone.
The month-long show at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM brings together 54 artists presenting 134 works – 81 ink paintings and 53 seal carvings – reflecting the diversity and creativity of its members.
Founded by the late Dr Cheah Thien Soong and now led by Chong Choy, Cao Tang Men has become a notable presence in Malaysia’s art community.
Over the years, the society has organised exhibitions, workshops, overseas sketching programmes, seal-carving sessions and lectures, significantly contributing to the advocacy, education, and development of traditional and contemporary Nanyang art forms.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
THEATRE: 'NO PARTICULAR ORDER'
Venue: Indicine, KLPac
Date: ends March 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 plays through the weekend, is directed by Theatresauce founder Kelvin Wong.
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
Here's an indie theatre offering for the weekend. Yel! offers a bold and challenging piece of theatre and it is the final installment of EJKLS Seni’s in-house programme, The Young Blood Experiment (TYBE). It runs at the pangkin@ejklssen venue through the weekend.
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.
DANCE: 'HUA WUTAI 2026'
Venue: Stage 1 Theatre, Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC)
Date: March 15, 6.30pm
Celebrate the elegance and technical skill of Chinese dance with the "Hua WuTai 2026" dance showcase.
Returning for its second edition this Sunday evening, Hua WuTai brings together award-winning school teams from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and local creators with original works, highlighting the diverse faces of Malaysian Chinese dance in today’s context.
According to producer and choregrapher-dancer Mew Chang Tsing, Malaysia is often internationally recognised through Malay traditional dance forms.
"However, Malaysian Chinese dance has also developed its own distinctive creative language and aesthetic expression. Hua WuTai was created to support these works through professional staging and a systematic approach, gradually building stronger contemporary visibility over time," said Mew.
In addition to the performance, a “Dance + Sharing Session” at 3pm on the same day will bring together performing arts professionals Zhong Jing, Kenzo De Tuan, Justin Wong and Mew for an in-depth dialogue on cross-disciplinary collaboration and creative practice in dance-making.
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 and ceramic works 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.
GALLERY TOUR: ILHAM KIDS' ART DISCOVERY TOURS
Venue: Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: March 15, 10.30am
For over a decade, Ilham Gallery has been all about bringing quality art and hands-on learning to Malaysians. This year, the gallery is taking it up a notch with youth-focused initiatives that make art fun, accessible, and inspiring for the next generation.
Don’t miss the Ilham Kids’ Art Discovery Tours, running through March and early April - a perfect chance for little explorers to dive into the world of art.
Designed for children aged 7–12, these play-date–style tours have been part of Ilham Gallery’s outreach since 2015.
The third tour of the new season runs this Sunday, 10.30am to 1 pm, alongside The Ilham Art Show 2025, with Art Tour Mums facilitators Li-Hsian Choo and Michelle Lim highlighting selected works, their mediums and the artists behind them.
More than a typical art class, it offers a gentle introduction to contemporary art, combining guided discussion with a hands-on activity. Fees are RM65 per child (with a parent) or RM60 with a sibling.
For bookings or enquiries, email: ilhamgallerykids@gmail.com.
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.
