EXHIBITION: 'MIMPI JERNANG'
Venue: Rissim Contemporary, Bangsar, KL
Date: ends Aug 31
The Orang Asli community-inspired Mimpi Jernang project is set to travel to South Korea next month, where it will be presented as part of the Stateless Mind Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale 2026.
Before its international presentation, audiences in Kuala Lumpur will have the opportunity to encounter the project closer to home through an exhibition that invites visitors to learn, reflect and discover the cultural knowledge embedded within the work.
Based on an original story and field research by Semai activist Yahya Torek, Mimpi Jernang explores dream interpretation as a form of guidance and knowledge - one that informs decisions, ethics and relationships between people, the natural world and the unseen. Rather than treating dreams simply as personal experiences, the project considers them as part of a broader system of understanding and navigating the world.
Curated by Azzad Diah and produced by Saiful Razman, Mimpi Jernang has currently taken over the Rissim Contemporary space in Kuala Lumpur.
Drawing from the lived experiences and cultural perspectives of the Semai community of Pos Jernang, Sungkai, Perak, the exhibition brings together a documentary-meets-art approach to explore the community, its stories and its relationship with knowledge, memory and place.
In Perak, Pos Jernang has a long history of struggle over customary land. Established in the 1940s and later incorporated into the Resettlement Scheme, the community has advocated since the 1970s for an end to logging on its customary territory.
The presentation offers audiences an opportunity to look beyond the surface of the work - to learn from the stories it carries, discover a different way of understanding the world, and consider how indigenous knowledge continues to shape contemporary artistic practice.
The exhibition brings together video, cyanotype and installations - a hunting hut, Orang Asli carry baskets, a wall weaving - alongside field recordings, interview transcripts, sketches and documentation.
A free admission exhibition. Open on weekends (noon to 7pm) and weekdays by appointment.
A limited edition zine and cassette tape release accompanying the exhibition will also be on sale at the gallery.
More info here.
EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC: JONI MUSTAF'S 'LANGLANG' SHOWCASE
Venue: Live Fact, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya
Date: Aug 21, 8pm
Experimental musician and multidisciplinary artiste Joni Mustaf (aka Mohd Jayzuan) will present a special showcase celebrating the album release of langlang, a limited-edition vinyl (10-inch) published by Soundscape Records. The showcase tonight at Live Fact will bring the Ipoh-based artiste's distinctive approach to avant garde sound, experimental music and live performance to the stage.
The five-track mini album, released last year, features sondak, nyelap sador and pukah on its first side, while the second side contains ilam-ilam and lingsir. The full recording and more will be presented tonight.
Known for his work with art collective Projek Rabak and his boundary-pushing solo practice, Joni Mustaf explores the intersections of voice, guitar, noise, improvisation and unconventional sound-making.
His performances - as seen at the recent Deefhoof concert in Petaling Jaya in June - embrace spontaneity and experimentation, creating an immersive sonic experience that resists conventional genre boundaries.
The showcase will also feature Fictions as the supporting act.
The pairing offers an intergenerational meeting point within the independent music scene, highlighting the continuity of experimentation, collaboration and artistic expression across generations.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: CALVIN CHUA'S 'FORESTBORN'
Venue: AweGallery, Petaling Jaya
Date: Aug 21 to Sept 3
In Forestborn, veteran painter Calvin Chua explores the enduring relationship between people and the rainforests of Borneo.
Through depictions of children immersed in rivers, communal gatherings, ceremonial dancers and intimate portraits, the Kedah-born artist looks beyond everyday scenes to consider belonging, heritage and the ties that bind communities to place.
The exhibition features 30 works of varying scales, showcasing Chua’s distinctive brushwork, tonal range, washes and layered use of colour.
Throughout the gallery, the paintings in Forestborn honour communities whose lives are deeply rooted in the forest - not simply as those who inhabit it, but as inheritors of its knowledge, custodians of its stories and keepers of its living memory.
Regarded as one of the nation’s leading watercolour artists, Chua is also known for works that explore identity, memory and histories passed down through generations.
Set against Merdeka, this timely exhibition offers visitors a journey through evocative paintings and narratives that extend beyond the canvas.
More info here.
BOOK EVENT: SPIRIT OF THE FOREST BY DAVID LOK
Venue: Sunda Shelves, Petaling Jaya
Date: Aug 23, 3pm
David Lok’s evocative photography has shaped Malaysia’s visual landscape for more than four decades, appearing across billboards, film posters and publications.
His six-year collaboration with the late master woodcarver Nik Rashiddin Nik Hussein, documenting monumental wooden works from the ancient states (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pattani) of the Malay Peninsula, deepened his appreciation of Nusantara traditions and their connection to the natural world.
His photography features prominently in the much-sought-after Spirit Of Wood: The Art Of Malay Woodcarving book (2003), which remains out of print, accompanying texts by Farish A. Noor and Eddin Khoo.
These influences led Lok to document the spirit of the forest while restoring a 20ha tract of land at Sungai Buaya in Hulu Selangor. Moving beyond conventional photography, he allows nature to guide the creation of artworks using paint, tree bark, mud, rain, stream water and other natural materials.
Following his recent Forest Speaks exhibition at his photo studio in Petaling Jaya, Lok’s show-and-tell at Sunda Shelves will share the stories behind the works and reflect on the urgent need to safeguard the future of our forests.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: G13 GALLERY - 16th ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Venue: G13 Gallery, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends Aug 29
One of the Klang Valley’s busiest and most active galleries, G13 Gallery marks its 16th anniversary this month with the G13 Gallery 16th Anniversary Show, bringing together more than 40 artists whose practices have shaped the gallery’s journey, alongside emerging voices reflecting the continued evolution of its artistic programme.
The exhibition presents a diverse selection of contemporary works and mediums, highlighting the creativity, perspectives and collaborations that have defined G13 Gallery over the past 16 years.
Participating artists - many with new works - include Chong Ai Lei, Datuk Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir, Fadilah Karim, Faizal Suhif, Fawwaz Sukri, Gan Sze Hooi, Gan Tee Sheng, Haziq Syawal, Hisyamuddin Abdullah, Hug Yin Wan, Juhari Said, Khairudin Zainudin, Najib Ahmad Bamadhaj, Nik M Shazmie, Nik Mohd Shahfiz, Noor Zahran, Prem Buachum, Rafiee Ghani, Shafiq Nordin, Syed Fakarddin, Tajuddin Ismail, Yuki Tham, Gabriel Eva, Greens, Johan Marjonid, Mubarak Jamil, Tiong Chai Heing and Yiji Lee Sou Ven.
The exhibition also pays tribute to the late Khoo Sui Hoe, (1939-2026) the pioneering Kedah-born painter who made the United States his home while maintaining a strong connection to Malaysia, with a special showcase of his works.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'THE POETRY OF LIGHT: A RETROSPECTIVE OF CHONG HON FATT'
Venue: Harmoni Soka Gallery, Wisma Kebudayaan SGM, KL
Date: ends Sept 20
Few Malaysian artists have painted the country's landscapes as memorably as Datuk Chong Hon Fatt.
Born in Penang, the veteran artist has spent more than six decades painting outdoors, capturing the changing light, colours and character of his home state and places across Malaysia. His impressionist works have earned him recognition at home and abroad.
Long before heritage conservation gained wider attention, Chong documented Penang’s streets, pre-war buildings, clan jetties, fishing villages and neighbourhoods – many of which have since disappeared or transformed. His paintings - including his China heritage buildings and Penang Second Bridge series - now serve as a valuable visual archive.
Now, Kuala Lumpur audiences have a rare chance to experience Chong's journey. The Poetry Of Light: A Retrospective Of Chong Hon Fatt at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM features 99 paintings created between 1959 and 2026.
Divided into three sections – "Walking Through the Alleys of Penang", "Witnessing the Second Penang Bridge" and "A Journey Through the World in Pursuit of Light" – the exhibition, curated by Vicky Ho, is an open welcome to rediscover familiar places and witness how light can transform ordinary moments into timeless works of art.
The Poetry Of Light is a free admission exhibition.
More info here.
