By RIO ROSE RIBAYA
As the original was published on 4 October 2017
If October isn’t the most creative month, then it definitely is the most colourful time of the year in Malaysia. In case your office desks aren’t full of mooncakes (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone!) in different shades and colours yet, you’re sure to pass by bright and intricate style of floor painting using rice flour on your way home for families to mark Deepavali.
And it’s more than just decorations, paintings or similar Chinese art exhibitions, and women’s sari draperies that you see in malls and office building lobbies. In the last few days, you might have noticed KL exploding with arts, dance and musical performances, public shows, and specially-curated bazaars lined up all month long — putting us in a merry, festive mood.
There is also the 11th Edition of Art Expo Malaysia Plus happening this year, of course. Running from 12 to 14 October, the four-day annual event will be putting paintings, sculptures, installations, and photography available for display and sale at the Matrade Exhibition & Convention Centre (MECC).
But if you’re not into the mainstream forms of art, we’re happy to compile a list of art exhibitions that you can check out from today till end of October, perhaps even until November for your monthly dose of fine arts. This include a rare art exhibition of oil and 24-karat gold on canvas and souvenir-laded sculptures.
Oil & Gold on Canvas by Kim Il Tae
The power and grandeur of gold has captivated the world since ancient times. While this precious metal has long been an object of obsession, painting using 24k gold mixed with natural oils on canvas is certainly rare. It took South Korean artist Kim Il Tae seven long years to perfect this unique art. These flashy pieces may not be everyone’s cup for tea but see it for yourself at the 11th Edition of Art Expo Malaysia Plus.
See the world’s first gold and oil on canvas masterpieces at Booth 36 at Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre beginning 12 until 15 October,
Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre, Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Kompleks Kerajaan, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, +60 3-6203 7032
Look This Way by Vallette Gallery Group Exhibition
In another much-awaited series, Vallette Gallery brings together four artists, who articulate their contrasting styles in one harmonious group display. Artists Anniketyni Madian, Faizal Suhif, Khairudin Zainudin, and Ain Rahman use the mediums of charcoal and acrylic as well as oil on canvas and installations to strip audiences of any insecurities in a retrospective display. The show hopes to inspire gallery visitors to inspect and reflect while discovering each of the artwork’s unique story.
If you’re into black and white art work, you might eat to drop by at The Row from 7 October to 14 November.
Vallette Gallery, The Row, No. 52, Jalan Doraisamy, Bukit Damansara, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, +6019 301 2569
Sculpturing is Meditative by Chin Wan See
This special survey exhibition gives a quick crash course of notable sculptures created by veteran Malaysian artists in the last 20 years. Handpicked by sculptor and educator Chin Wan See, the selected works offer a unique look at the human form, which also reveals the sculptors’ thoughts on life and humanity and the direction it has headed throughout the years.
This show will open on 7 October and lasts till the end of the month.
Balai Seni Negara, No. 2, Jalan Temerloh, Off Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, +603-4026 7000
Migratory Objects by Haffendi Anuar
Watch a novice mask collector turn a pile of souvenirs collected over years of constant travelling into a compelling pieces of art. In his fourth solo exhibition, Haffendi Anuar returns to Malaysia to present his 28-piece collection of colourful, free-standing panels and wall-mounted tribal masks. Aiming to extend his feature in the New York contemporary art fair Volta, “Migratory Objects” is inspired by the cultural discoveries Haffendi encountered during his travels. Irregular silhouettes of wooden sculptures of souvenirs accompany the pieces, which survey the symbolic mutations of cultural objects.
An Australian Odyssey by Miranda Free
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