EXHIBITION: RAFIEE GHANI'S 'DUSUN LAUT'
Venue: Galeri Puteh, KL Eco City, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Oct 11 to Nov 7
Rafiee Ghani has a way of transporting viewers to faraway places through his art.
The veteran artist returns to the gallery scene this week with Dusun Laut, an exhibition at KL’s Galeri Puteh featuring more than 50 mixed media works, including charcoal drawings on paper.
In Dusun Laut, Rafiee’s works go beyond geographical locations to become repositories of memories of seas, islands, coastlines, forests, villages and cities, and the people he encounters.
He is equally interested in the customs, traditions, arts and cultural practices that shape communities and define their identities.
“Dusun Laut is an exhibition of abstract paintings born from experiences of travelling, sailing and moving through the landscapes and spaces of the Nusantara," says Rafiee in the exhibition notes.
Like a wanderer charting the contours of memory, Rafiee draws on the environments, cultures and traditions of the wider Malay Archipelago and South-East Asia, tracing a path from Indonesia and Borneo to Myanmar, Thailand and Papua New Guinea.
Dusun Laut will be launched at Galeri Puteh this Sunday at 3pm. Free admission.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: LEE ENG BENG'S 'HARI-HARI'
Venue: AweGallery, Petaling Jaya
Date: ends Oct 14
In Hari-Hari, which artist-educator Lee Eng Beng regards as his first proper solo exhibition, watercolour and acrylic paintings offer glimpses of the places, people and everyday moments that have shaped his practice.
The nearly 40 works at AweGallery range from the streets of his hometown, George Town, to a series on fatherhood, Sarawak’s village houses and traditional craftsmen, reflecting an artist attentive to the rhythms of daily life and the details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
From memories of George Town’s old street corners and forgotten food stalls to muscular male figures and traditional craftsmen, including wau-makers and wayang kulit puppet-makers, Lee’s works reveal an attentive eye for place, form and the human figure.
It is the final weekend to catch Lee’s exhibition, a rare showing in the Klang Valley for the Penang-based artist. Judging by the enthusiastic response, a return visit may not be far off.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'BOLA MERDEKA: AN INSPIRATION'
Venue: Galeri 1, Muzium Negara, KL
Date: ends Dec 31
Malaysian football history takes centre stage at Bola Merdeka, an exhibition at Muzium Negara that traces the sport’s evolution from the 1950s onwards.
The 140 exhibits include trophies, photographs, football programmes and historical documents, offering visitors an introduction to the people and milestones that shaped the national game.
Among the highlights are the HMS Malaya trophy and displays on early stars Abdul Ghani Minhat (aka "Raja Bola") and Robert Choe. The exhibition also charts Tunku Abdul Rahman’s role in developing football from the Malaya years into the 1970s.
The 1970s and 1980s get their share of the spotlight, with standees of national greats such as Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, R. Arumugam and Hassan Sani giving visitors a chance to pose alongside the legends.
While the exhibition is not a comprehensive account of Malaysian football history, it offers a useful starting point for younger visitors to discover the sport’s past and the figures who helped shape it.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'IN SEARCH OF LOST HUMANITY'
Venue: Ilham Gallery Gift Shop, KL
Date: Oct 10-17
In Search Of Lost Humanity is the latest project by Italian artist Cynthia Ciaramicoli, who founded Kuunganisha in 2024, an arts programme engaging isolated rural communities in Tanzania through collaborations with international artists.
Ciaramicoli, who used to be based in Malaysia, has also collaborated with her artist friends here. This pop-up project includes Shanthini Venugopal, Sushila Kukathas and Mary Maguire.
The opening event this Saturday at 3pm will feature a talk on Kuunganisha and its arts activities in Tanzania over the past three years, alongside the launch of Now And Then, a children’s book written by Maguire and illustrated by Ciaramicoli. The story explores environmental conservation and reducing waste.
The programme will also present plans for a sustainable arts village in Dodoma, Tanzania, designed by an international team of architects that includes young Malaysian architects Maximilian Lim and Viktor Lim.
A performance of Nina: The Tea Lady will round out the event. All proceeds from the exhibition and book sales will go towards the Kuunganisha project.
Ciaramicoli's artworks will be on display at the Ilham Gallery Gift Shop until Oct 17. Free admission.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'THE LINE: BEYOND THE FOREST'S EDGE'
Venue: Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery (BNM MAG), KL
Date: ends April 4, 2027
Photography has rarely been given much space in major exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur, so The Line: Beyond The Forest’s Edge is a welcome change.
This exhibition at Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery features award-winning photographer Ian Teh’s acclaimed The Line series, which won the Sagamihara Photography Asia Award this year.
His photographs look at Greater Kuala Lumpur through the shifting boundary between the city and the forests around it – documenting not just how the landscape looks, but how the two are increasingly connected.
The exhibition brings together 51 photographs, an audio piece and a video documentary shown in an immersive dark room.
A 360° virtual reality experience takes visitors further into the landscape, offering another way to explore what lies beyond the forest’s edge.
Nature enthusiasts, curious gallery hoppers and content creators can all take a leisurely stroll through the exhibition, exploring Teh’s striking views of Greater KL and the changing landscape where the city meets the forest.
Free admission exhibition.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'BOTANY OF BELONGING: FORESTS OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA'
Venue: Forest Learning Centre, Perdana Botanical Gardens, KL
Date: ends November 20 (Fridays to Sundays)
For an informative and inspiring weekend outing, head to the Forest Learning Centre at Perdana Botanical Gardens in KL for Botany Of Belonging, a botanical art exhibition celebrating the beauty of South-East Asian forests.
The exhibition features detailed botanical illustrations (prints) by 45 artists from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei and Japan. Blending art and science, the works offer a closer look at forest plants and their intricate details.
Visitors can also explore the tools and techniques artists use to capture plant anatomy and colour. Once an important way to document and study forest flora, botanical illustration demands artistic skill, scientific knowledge and patience.
Even with today’s cameras and macro lenses, these hand-drawn works offer a more personal connection to nature and a rare chance to appreciate the craft up close.
Workshops, journalling tours and other activities are held throughout the exhibition. Free admission. Open Fridays to Sundays, 10am–4pm.
More info here.
