State of Art: 10 exhibitions to catch in KL this June 2019

The Buddhist Bug project started in 2009, probing the issues of displacement and belonging through the artist Anida Yoeu Ali’s personal spiritual and cultural turmoil as a first-generation Muslim Khmer born in Cambodia yet raised in the United States. The exhibition has been seen internationally, including upcoming ones at the MoMA Warsaw, Haus der Kunst, and MAIIAM Chiang Mai. This exhibition in Wei-Ling Contemporary will be the most extensive one yet, combining live performance, installation, photography, and video art.

“Superstructure” is a term used in the building industry to refer to denote something that is erected on or above the ground. This exhibition aims to open the viewers’ eyes on how they observe the form that is reduced to the simplest of symmetry and shape. By doing so, this merges the thin line between art and architecture.
Two artists will be featured in Superstructure: Nakayama Hitori and Jacky Cheng. Hitori is a Japanese conceptual artist who uses mathematics to formulate his prototype sculptures. One of his notable commissions includes the 26m H ‘One Blue Sky’ Penang 2008. As for Cheng, the paper artist uses hand-cut techniques on stacked archival paper. Both artists are currently represented by Suma Orientalis.

Thanks to the many ethnicities and religions in Malaysia, places of worships are often built close to each other, clustering on a single street. It truly shows off what a melting pot of culture it is here in Malaysia. Thanks to this, many painters use these buildings as a subject of their canvas, sitting under the shade of the trees and capturing the scenes in its entirety—buildings, people, and all. This exhibition celebrates the tireless effort and energy of such artists. The artworks are sourced from the collection of Prof. Dr Krishna Gopal Rampal and Kamla Rampal, as well as participating artists.

Moving on from his previous Sacred River and Lost Soul series, artist Chong Kok Choon extends his photography to the invisible segments of his surroundings. The Species of Spaces provides an oxymoronic glimpse into the unconscious, concerted mark-making in which a unique sense of aesthetics arises, out of spaces open to public access. This is even more apparent with the ever-changing landscape of the world, to the point where its inhabitants don’t even notice it anymore. Chong’s examination of such spaces is not about the void, but the void itself has evolved into a universe of its own.

This exhibition features a collection of students’ researches and measured drawings of the lesser-known buildings—both historically and architecturally—located in smaller towns in Malaysia. These buildings have qualities that meet the criteria to be listed in the National Heritage Register, yet have not been nominated into it.
The aim of this exhibition is to show viewers the richness and diversity of architectural traditions in Malaysia, especially to the younger generations. 20 buildings are featured in the exhibition, most of which are located in small towns in Peninsula Malaysia.

In this exhibition, you’ll find the works of 36 architectural students in postgraduate studies both locally and abroad. Their works speculate the diverse scenarios of the future that influence the environment, envisioning either utopia or dystopia. The privatisation of public spaces, consumerism, disproportional development, and life on other frontiers are just some of the topics being deliberated in the works showcased in this exhibition.

“Recent Malaysian Architecture” is an exhibition to celebrate architectural gems of the past decade, especially those of innovative spatial designs and qualities. As society matures, the focus of the built environment is no longer limited to just grand structures, but also humble entities that are more inclusive and serve a larger portion of the society. This exhibition will reveal the finer architectural details and traits of buildings which are featured in the publication, Malaysian Recent Architecture volume 2, set to be launched concurrently with the exhibition.

This exhibition highlights the craft and contribution of “heroes” in building an architectural vision. The “heroes” refer to those who play an indirect yet critical role in realising this architectural vision, from general workers to drafters, young architects, modellers, and other people from the architecture industry. Works from the “Unsung Heroes” exhibition will be categorised and situated within a timeline of major developments in Malaysia’s architectural history. It charts the journey of local architecture firms classified as mid-life and shines a light on Malaysia’s vibrant architecture industry.

Graduating from Iran with a specialty in carpet design and later studying digital movie and media in Malaysia, KL-based artist Shirin Rouzegari’s latest exhibition combines both digital art and mixed media to create a unique sense of Malaysian nostalgia.

The term “membawang” stems from a colloquial slang meaning to gossip in a group. While it generally has a negative connotation, it refers to an activity of togetherness that the womenfolk in villages usually do when they gather to cook meals for the village. In this photography series led by Gentle Rice Project, “Membawang” takes on tangible personification of the confluence of names and faces that have come into the life of photographer Judy Farland. This series is a homage to camaraderie, kinship, and her friends, in a nod to their roots as Malaysian creatives.