Kuala Lumpur has been blessed with an abundance of world-class art recently, the five-month KL Biennale offering a multitude of exhibitions from both international and local talent. There’s still a chance to catch the tail end of the Biennale’s programme which wraps up at the end of this month, along with a few other exhibitions in respected galleries this March.
Swedish Dads
In Sweden, parents are entitled to take 480 days of paid parental leave when they have or adopt a child. Statistics reveal that fathers take up to 25% of those days. In this revealing exhibition, photographer Johan Bävman set out to explore how the experience of being a primary caregiver changed their lives and what effect it had on their relationships with both children and partner.
A father himself, Bävman found it difficult to acquire information on parenting from a father’s perspective, and so wanted to help others in the same position by gaining insight from other fathers. He interviewed them and photographed them in everyday situations, and decided to present this to the world in the form of this photo project. Shown around the world, Swedish Dads has made a huge impact and helped in making more men consider their roles as father and partner. Swedish Dads WHERE National Visual Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur WHEN 10am-6pm (1-31 March) ADMISSION Free TEL 03 4026 7000 artgallery.gov.my
Roots, Emerging Malaysia Highlighting new works from Afiq Faris, Alena Murang and Shaq Kyok, this exhibition presents a variety of mediums including batik block print, painting on fabric and on hand weaves. Through vivid imagery and storytelling, each artist created works focussing on cultural identity, heritage, ethnicity and traditional artisan practises. Afiq explores traditional Kelantanese batik styles merged with mixed media, while Shak honours his Temuan ancestry by working with woven pandeneous leaves. Elsewhere, the Sarawak-born Murang presents fascinating canvas portraits made with acrylic, charcoal and chalk – her main aim was to attach identity to the often nameless portraits and pictures that originate from her home town.
At the heart of it lies the need to preserve one’s roots to maintain one’s self. A visual treat as much as it touches the soul. Roots, Emerging Malaysia WHERE Shalini Ganendra Fine Art @ Gallery Residence WHEN 11am-7pm (1-13 March) ADMISSION Free TEL 03 7932 4740 shaliniganendra.com
Immaterial; a Compilation of the Unconventionals From discarded e-waste covered with epoxy epocast, to embroidery on gauze, you’ll find a motley collection of unusual materials being used to make art here. Far from simply highlighting these materials, the artwork aims to reveal the creative process that went into each piece, with style and technique heavily influenced by each medium.
A total of 20 innovative pieces by 10 aspiring local artists are on display, including Agnes Lau, Anisa Abdullah, Azizi Latif, Azrin Mohd, Bakir Baharom, Fazrin Abd Rahman, Haafiz Shahimi, Jamil Zakaria, Nor Tijan Firdaus and Yen Sum. If you like your art with a twist, we highly recommend you check this one out. Immaterial; a Compilation of the Unconventionals WHERE G13 Gallery, Kuala Lumpur WHEN 11am-5pm (10-24 March, closed Sun, Mon and public holiday) ADMISSION Free TEL 03 7880 0991 g13gallery.com
A father himself, Bävman found it difficult to acquire information on parenting from a father’s perspective, and so wanted to help others in the same position by gaining insight from other fathers. He interviewed them and photographed them in everyday situations, and decided to present this to the world in the form of this photo project. Shown around the world, Swedish Dads has made a huge impact and helped in making more men consider their roles as father and partner. Swedish Dads WHERE National Visual Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur WHEN 10am-6pm (1-31 March) ADMISSION Free TEL 03 4026 7000 artgallery.gov.my
Roots, Emerging Malaysia Highlighting new works from Afiq Faris, Alena Murang and Shaq Kyok, this exhibition presents a variety of mediums including batik block print, painting on fabric and on hand weaves. Through vivid imagery and storytelling, each artist created works focussing on cultural identity, heritage, ethnicity and traditional artisan practises. Afiq explores traditional Kelantanese batik styles merged with mixed media, while Shak honours his Temuan ancestry by working with woven pandeneous leaves. Elsewhere, the Sarawak-born Murang presents fascinating canvas portraits made with acrylic, charcoal and chalk – her main aim was to attach identity to the often nameless portraits and pictures that originate from her home town.
At the heart of it lies the need to preserve one’s roots to maintain one’s self. A visual treat as much as it touches the soul. Roots, Emerging Malaysia WHERE Shalini Ganendra Fine Art @ Gallery Residence WHEN 11am-7pm (1-13 March) ADMISSION Free TEL 03 7932 4740 shaliniganendra.com
Immaterial; a Compilation of the Unconventionals From discarded e-waste covered with epoxy epocast, to embroidery on gauze, you’ll find a motley collection of unusual materials being used to make art here. Far from simply highlighting these materials, the artwork aims to reveal the creative process that went into each piece, with style and technique heavily influenced by each medium.
A total of 20 innovative pieces by 10 aspiring local artists are on display, including Agnes Lau, Anisa Abdullah, Azizi Latif, Azrin Mohd, Bakir Baharom, Fazrin Abd Rahman, Haafiz Shahimi, Jamil Zakaria, Nor Tijan Firdaus and Yen Sum. If you like your art with a twist, we highly recommend you check this one out. Immaterial; a Compilation of the Unconventionals WHERE G13 Gallery, Kuala Lumpur WHEN 11am-5pm (10-24 March, closed Sun, Mon and public holiday) ADMISSION Free TEL 03 7880 0991 g13gallery.com