As visitors begin exploring the newly opened Ombak KLCC, Galeri PETRONAS stands out as one of its most anticipated additions.
While the gallery’s full four-floor space is set to open next year, visitors can already preview what lies ahead.
Open daily from 10am to 10pm, it is currently presenting The First Glimpse, an introduction to the gallery’s future programme and collection.
This Merdeka weekend, visitors can also take part in a range of activities at Galeri PETRONAS, including batik painting, wire hibiscus-making, a 3D workshop inspired by Malaysian architecture, and a storytelling session.
"Starting with The First Glimpse, step inside and get a preview of our new home at Ombak KLCC. From a curated prologue exploring Galeri PETRONAS' journey since 1992, to becoming an artist yourself through a digital art experience, discovering our first-ever Galeri Shop merchandise, and exploring a mini art exhibition, there's plenty to see, experience and connect with," reads a social media post by the gallery.
Currently on display is Memory And The Malaysian Identity: Selected Artworks from PETRONAS art collection and the AFK Collection, which brings together works by five artists, each offering a distinct interpretation of what it means to be Malaysian. Some draw on familiar symbols of nationhood, such as flags and traditional clothing, while others take more imaginative approaches, blending surreal imagery with personal memories.
Among the featured works is Ahmad Shukri's The Wall (Negaraku), created to commemorate 50 years of Malaysian independence. The work incorporates the national anthem's sheet music and lyrics as its foundation, showcasing Shukri's skill in combining different materials and techniques.
Ahmad Fuad Osman's Bima Sakti reflects on the moon landing as a symbol of human possibility, drawing from the artist's childhood memories of gazing at the night sky and wondering about his own path in life.
Jalaini Abu Hassan's Halal combines familiar Malaysian imagery with discoveries from his first trip to Beijing. The work features a self-portrait as a traditional healer alongside a cow inspired by a Chinese halal restaurant sign.
Elsewhere, Abdul Multhalib Musa's Twist: Gold And Twist: Red explores the relationship between geometry and sculpture. He developed a set of rules that transform flat shapes into three-dimensional forms, creating sculptures that appear to unfold into space with surprising grace.
The late Anthony Lau (1933-2016), one of the nation's pioneering artists, is also represented through his 1959 artwork Gotong Royong, a steel sculpture, which takes its name from the traditional Malaysian practice of community cooperation.
"Through imagery associated with notions of nationhood, such as flags, ones grounded in Malay cultural identifiers such as a man wearing a checked sarong or wooden kampung houses in a field, and others derived from personal imaginings such as the Surrealism of a flock of doves taking flight by an astronaut, the artworks on exhibit offer multiple threads that describe what notions of Malaysianness might be," outlines the curatorial statement.
The First Glimpse at Galeri PETRONAS is a free admission exhibition.
