by Yin Shao Loong

In conjunction with last weekend’s Art for Grabs fair at the Central Market Annexe political scientist and historian Farish Noor delivered another of his occasional lectures on Southeast Asian history. This time on ‘Batik as a Trans-Cultural Signifier.’

by Zedeck Siew

Finding myself at a loss one afternoon during the Umno general assembly, I decided to take a stroll through PWTC. I passed the entrance to Merdeka Hall, where speeches and sycophancy continued, rounded the corner – and, lo and behold, discovered a painting exhibition.

by Simon Soon

Marion D’Cruz’s lecture performance takes a new generation of arts supporters back into the heyday of theatre/dance/visual art/literary/education collaboration, reliving the Five Arts recipe that was borne from a sincere drive towards a multidisciplinary approach in art practice.

by Tan Zi Hao

I’ve been in Serdang since I was a toddler.

Serdang didn’t spare much democracy in aesthetic sensation. The basic spatial structure was either moulded by the past colonist or the insensitive modern developers. It is called forced architectural identity, also a malady of creativity. But it hasn’t been an issue; artists Perng Fey and Wing are both creative persons from Serdang. This was pretty new to me two years ago, I was delighted.

by ARTERI

ARTERI is all excited about the upcoming Arts For Grabs + KL Alternative Book Festival, running from 9 – 10 May 2009 at the Annexe Gallery.

by Bilqis Hijjas

Most dance productions have to be seen in person. No video, no matter how accurately captured and carefully edited, can compare with the ability of the human eye to encompass the width of the stage in one instant, then hone in to focus on the swivel of an eyeball in the next. That said, there are a few occasions when watching a dance production in person is so frustrating and uncomfortable that a video comes as a welcome blessing. ”Seven Skins’ at the launch of The Light Show at the Annexe Central Market was one such instance.

by Yin Shao Loong

Amir Muhammad’s Malaysian Gods (MG) offers an amalgam of two strands of Malaysian life. The first being a history of the genesis of Malaysian reformasi relayed in English text. The second is interviews in Tamil or Tamil creole with a variety of Tamil speakers. Like an amalgam these two strands have different properties but are nonetheless juxtaposed in the hopes of exerting a useful effect on each other. Street politics is matched with life from the streets.

by ARTERI

Two Southeast Asian new media artists + filmmakers’ debut feature films will be screened at this year’s Cannes’s Directors’ Fortnight. Sabah-born Chris Chong’s elegiac KARAOKE will be the first Malaysian feature film in 14 years to be screened on the Directors’ Fortnight platform, while Singapore makes its fifth year of consecutive presence in the Cannes Film Festival with Ho Tzu-Nyen’s poignantly surreal feature, HERE.

by ARTERI x The Fairly Current Show

It seems that the by-election fever has not subsided! With five by-elections done and one more (possibly?) to come, it’s pretty safe to say that some kind of a democracy is definitely in action in this country. Looks like we all have to work overtime, phantom voters notwithstanding.

by Simon Soon

I’m convinced that the fascination with kitsch is driven by a complex feeling that displays just as much affection as repulsion for the subject. Liew Kung Yew’s one man show in Petronas gallery, Cadangan-cadangan untuk Negara Ku, is no exception – and I was trying to get this out of the artist.

By Eva McGovern

I love super heroes. As a child, instead of your average imaginary friends, I had the League of Justice. Superman, Wonderwoman and Batman were my closest allies in fighting crime in the living room. Good times.

by ARTERI

20 slides x 20 seconds. Photos from Pecha Kucha Vol.6 at Urbanattic, Capsquare.

by Simon Soon

In our attempt at profiling some of the more unusual spaces around the region, and in the spirit of looking beyond the four walls of the gallery and museum (though not exactly beyond), I thought of bringing Thomas Kinkade’s Signature Gallery in Malaysia to our readers’ attention. I’m not entirely sure when the gallery opened in Malaysia, but I’m quite positive it has been around for more than a few years, having discovered it on one of my summer holidays back in Malaysia during my university days.

by Sharon Chin

Pecha Kucha Night Vol. 6 last Tuesday (31 Mar 09) was great. The fun vibe and enthusiastic crowd were especially welcome coming straight from the relative sombreness of Galeri Petronas’ Art Appreciation Series. Of course, the two events are not to be compared, since Pecha Kucha was held at cute new hotspot Urbanattic, and featured two words so dear to people’s hearts: free beer.

by Sharon Chin

I trickled in late, but still managed to catch the better part of Beverly Yong’s introductory talk on contemporary art in Malaysia at Galeri Petronas on Tuesday. The turn out was pretty good. I mean, all the seats were filled. This was 6.30pm on a weekday so… kudos to you fellow die-hards.