EXHIBITIONS: 'KERINGAT' AND 'RASA'
Venue:Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends March 31, 2027 (Keringat) and ends June 27, 2027 (Rasa)
The year-end brings a fresh flurry of activity to Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery (BNM MAG). Alongside Ian Teh's ongoing photography exhibition, The Line: Beyond The Forest's Edge, the museum has opened two interconnected shows: Keringat: The Tales Of Our Forefathers (Level 3) and Rasa: Food For Thought (Level 2).
Together, they trace how generations of labour, resilience and enterprise have shaped Malaysia's economic heritage, food culture and shared identity.
Keringat features more than 100 paintings, photographs, sculptures and mixed-media works, tracing the nation's socio-economic landscape from the colonial era to the 1980s. Featuring artists such as Yong Mun Sen, Abdullah Ariff, Hoessein Enas, Ismail Hashim, Yee I-Lann and Jalaini Abu Hassan, the exhibition examines work, economic transformation and nation-building across generations.
Rasaexplores more than 50 heritage foods, looking beyond flavours and recipes to examine the traditions, memories, cultural exchanges and livelihoods behind Malaysia's food culture.
Both exhibitions - free admission - highlight how generations of workers, farmers, fishermen, miners and traders have contributed to the nation's economic and cultural development.
More info here.
ART FAIR: A4 ART FAIR - THE RETURNING #2
Venue: Level 4 and 5, GMBB, KL
Date: Nov 6-8
The second edition of A4 Art Fair, which opens today at GMBB creative mall in KL,brings together more than 50 artists and creative practitioners from Malaysia and across Asia, covering art, design, craftsmanship and contemporary culture.
Organised by A4 Art Gallery, the fair is divided into six categories: Brand, Living, Sustainable, Prints, Artisan & New Media, and Pop Sculpture.
Among the highlights is Malaysian artist Lao Wang's installation based on a 1980s Malaysian kopitiam. Having developed his career in Shanghai, Lao Wang draws on his local roots to revisit a chapter of the country's cultural history.
Malaysian singer-songwriter and radio personality Danny One presents his original character, Banana Man, through music and visual art in a recording room. Japanese illustrator COTOH presents a solo exhibition spanning minimalist, cartoon-like illustrations, oil paintings and screen prints.
Analogue photography studio Zontiga will also set up a Polaroid portrait space and CD listening corner, focusing on instant photography and physical music formats.
The range of exhibits reflects A4 Art Gallery founder Ng Si Juan's approach to art as part of everyday life, rather than something confined to galleries and collectors.
“When we started the A4 Art Fair, we wanted to challenge the idea that art belongs only on gallery walls or in the hands of collectors. Art is already part of our lives, in the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, the objects we surround ourselves with and the memories we carry,” says Ng.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'A-Z OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN ART: A CRITICAL DICTIONARY'
Venue: Muara Arts Gallery, Medan Pasar, KL
Date: ends April 4, 2027
Muara Arts Gallery in Medan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur, is gearing up for its first full weekend, welcoming art lovers to a new visual arts space in the heart of the capital.
Housed in six restored early 20th-century shophouses, the gallery spans approximately 1,858sq m and aims to broaden access to contemporary art and encourage cultural exchange. A viewing area offers views of the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers.
Its inaugural exhibition takes its cue from Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen’s ongoing generative work, The Critical Dictionary Of Southeast Asia (2017–ongoing). Featuring more than 40 artists, the regional showcase spans painting, sculpture, textiles, installation, video and works on paper.
Malaysian contributors include Wong Hoy Cheong, Yee I-Lann, Pangrok Sulap, Izat Arif, Anne Samat, Marcos Kueh, Nadiah Bamadhaj, Sharon Chin, Tan Zi Hao and the late Nirmala Dutt (1941–2016).
Regional highlights include Indonesia’s Agus Suwage, Thailand’s Navin Rawanchaikul, Ho Tzu Nyen, Philippines-born Pacita Abad and the Filipino artistic duo Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan.
Beyond its established names, the exhibition offers plenty to discover. Each work engages with a term drawn from the region’s cultural, ecological, geographical, historical or political landscape, building a broad picture of South-East Asia through its many perspectives.
There is also plenty to capture beyond the artworks, from the gallery's imaginative corners and distinctive interiors to its riverside views overlooking the Klang and Gombak confluence.
Muara Arts Gallery is a ticketed venue.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: SIM CHAN’S ‘THE INFINITE-LAND’
Venue: Galeri Filamen, Level 4, GMBB, KL
Date: ends Jan 24, 2027
Hong Kong artist Sim Chan invites visitors to see the world from a miniature perspective.
Much of Sim's practice centres on observing cities and the routines that shape urban life. In his solo exhibition, The Infinite-Land, mirrored interiors turn physically small spaces into seemingly endless worlds, viewed through tiny openings.
Curated by Kobe Ko, the exhibition features 15 works that find humour in everyday habits, behaviours and realities. Each installation functions as an attraction within an unconventional theme park, complete with claw and gachapon machines. Every admission ticket comes with a coin to use inside the exhibition.
The closer visitors look, the more these miniature worlds begin to resemble life beyond the exhibition space.
For its Kuala Lumpur showcase Sim has also collaborated with Filamen on a new live projection work that incorporates visitors into the installation.
First presented in Tainan in Taiwan in 2024, The Infinite-Land made its Malaysian debut at Blank Canvas in Penang in 2025 before arriving in Kuala Lumpur.
The exhibition is ticketed and closed on Mondays.
More info here.
BOOK EVENT: 'DEEPAVALINAL VALTHUKKAL' STORY SESSION
Venue: Ilham Gallery Gift Shop, Level 5, Ilham Gallery, KL
Date: Nov 7
Deepavali is more than a festival of lights. Its stories, customs and rituals offer a window into the beliefs and family practices passed down through generations.
Tomorrow morning (Nov 7), Ilham Gallery Gift Shopis hosting a bilingual storytelling and cultural-sharing session - from 10.30am to 12.30pm - to introduce children to the festival.
Led by Choo Li-Hsian, author of the children’s picture book Deepavali Nal Valthukkal, the session will include a book readingand an exploration of Deepavali’s origins, festive food, kolam artand more.
Conducted in Bahasa Malaysia and English, the programme will also feature a Deepavali-inspired craft activity, allowing children to learn aboutthe festival through a hands-on experience.
Recommended for children aged five to 12, the session offers a family-friendly introduction to Deepavali.Children aged eight and below must be accompanied by a parent.
Entry is by purchasing a copy of Deepavali Nal Valthukkal for RM25. The book is published in Bahasa Malaysia, with English translations available.
Walk-in spaces are limited. For enquiries, call 03-2181 5128.
Deepavali falls on Nov 8 in Malaysia this year.
More info here.
