MUSICAL DOCUMENTARY/CROWDFUNDING: 'ARARO ARIRARO'
Venue: The Grey Box, GMBB creative mall, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Aug 3, 3pm
Here’s something special for the weekend — a beautiful crowdfunding project that weaves history, memory, and community into song.
Araro Ariraro is a musical documentary that revives forgotten Tamil folk songs once sung by indentured Indian labourers on Malayan plantations - lullabies, work chants, and resistance anthems shaped by ancient traditions and the brutal realities of colonial Malaya. Passed down orally and rarely recorded, most of these melodies were lost - surviving only in a rare 1980s transcription by the late Professor Dr R. Dhandayutham.
The project began in 2021 with the Krishen Jit Fund, documenting plantation memory through interviews with over 60 Malaysian Indian elders. Its most significant find: Malaysian Folk Songs, a posthumous book by Dhandayutham with over 500 Tamil plantation song lyrics - none ever recorded.
In 2023–2024, the team worked with folk musicians in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, to revive these lost melodies, first presented at the Plantation Plot exhibition at Ilham Gallery in KL. The film traces the emotional journey of rediscovering and restoring these songs, guided by folk musicians in Tamil Nadu and Malaysia.
This Sunday's event (free admission) will see the launch of the crowdfunding teaser video and feature director Gogularaajan Rajendran sharing the film’s story. A mini-exhibition will showcase lyrics, photos, archival materials, and installations.
More info here.
FESTIVAL: KUALA LUMPUR ZINE ETC
Venue: Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Kuala Lumpur
Date: Aug 1-3, 11am-7pm
Kuala Lumpur's newest creative festival, Kuala Lumpur Zine Etc (KLZE), makes its debut this weekend, celebrating the independent culture of self-publishing and grassroots creativity, featuring zine-makers and collectives from across Malaysia and beyond.
KLZE is also a new initiative led by Rumah Attap Library and Collective, Otter Is Reading, Tokosue, and supporters of the original KL Zine Fest.
With over 30 vendors, booksellers and artists - including CC Kua, Lostgens’ Artspace, Gerimis Art, Mythologie, and Pipit Press - KLZE offers zine-makers a space to share work, engage the public, and exchange ideas on art, identity, and independent media.
Visitors can browse the zine market, featuring local and international zinesters, including creators from Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
There will also be talks, exhibitions, open mics, workshops and film screenings highlighting the beauty and importance of independent and self-produced media. Admission: RM10, which includes a RM5 voucher to use at the festival.
More info here.
A view of the Ryoko Kui and 'Delicious In Dungeon' exhibition at Incubase Arena, Fahrenheit88, Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Azman Ghani
EXHIBITION: RYOKO KUI AND 'DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON'
Venue: Incubase Arena, Level 2, Fahrenheit88, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 28
This Japanese pop culture exhibition brings together the imaginative world of Delicious In Dungeon and its creator, manga artist Ryoko Kui.
The story follows adventurer Laios and his companions as they explore dungeons and cook the monsters they find. Adapted into a TV anime, it premiered in 2024.
Now in Kuala Lumpur after stops in Japan and Hong Kong, the exhibition at KL features over 150 artworks and concept pieces, giving fans a peek into Ryoko’s creative process.
Step into immersive sets from the anime and check out the artist spotlight zone with interview clips and drawing videos.
After exploring, you can even eat like Laios and his party at the themed café serving monster-inspired dishes.
More info here.
EXHIBITION: 'KEMBARA HIKAYAT HANG TUAH'
Venue: Galeri Puteh, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Aug 16
In KL, Galeri Puteh's new show Kembara Hikayat Hang Tuah shines a spotlight on the legendary warrior through the eyes of 12 renowned Malaysian artists: Ahmad Fuad Osman, Ariff Fauzan, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Haslin Ismail, Hisyamuddin Abdullah, Husin Othman, Jalaini Abu Hassan, Kow Leong Kiang, M. Nasir, Masnoor Ramli Mahmud, Sharmiza Abu Hassan, and Tengku Sabri Ibrahim.
Rather than retelling the familiar tale, their works explore Hang Tuah’s cultural, social, political, and psychological legacy - offering fresh interpretations across diverse styles and mediums.
The exhibition also draws from National Laureate Mohammad Haji Salleh’s book Deru Angin Dan Ombak: Sajak-Sajak Kembara Hikayat Hang Tuah, with copies available for visitors to discover the poetry that inspired these visual responses.
More info here.
Traditional opera robes on display at the 'Chinese Opera' exhibition at Muzium Negara, Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Art Chen
CHINESE OPERA EXHIBITION: AN INTRODUCTION AND A REMEMBRANCE
Venue: Galeri 1, Muzium Negara, Kuala Lumpur
Date: ends Sept 8
The Chinese Opera Exhibition: An Introduction And A Remembrance at Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur takes visitors into the vivid world of traditional Chinese opera – with its legendary tales, striking costumes, delicate props, and timeless music.
This showcase is a collaboration between Muzium Negara and the Pat Woh Association Malaysia, a KL-based group known for preserving and promoting Cantonese opera.
It also how Malaysian Chinese opera draws from the Xiqu tradition, blending stylised acting, singing, graceful movement, and symbolic props.
Visitors can also learn about Malaysia’s own opera legends – Siew Chan Wan (1919–2022) and Choo Sau Ying (1927–2003) – whose dedication kept the art form alive for future generations. Choy Him Heong, now 92, continues to be a living link to this enduring tradition.
From ornate headgear to hand-painted backdrops, intricate musical instruments to archival photographs, each display – there are more than 90 exhibits – reminds us how Chinese opera has long served as both entertainment and living heritage for generations of local communities.
More info here.
For the Galeri Petronas reopening show, Zulkefli Jais presents a new installation, 'Anything But Prison', paired with a five-minute video. Photo: Surekha Revindran
EXHIBITION: 'OLD SCHOOL X NEW RULES'
Venue: Galeri PETRONAS, Level 3, Suria KLCC
Date: ends Sept 28
Curious about the new wave of Malaysian artists reshaping the scene? Old School X New Rules at the newly reopened Level 3 gallery in Suria KLCC is a great starting point.
Spanning installations, video works, paintings, and found objects, the show gathers diverse emerging voices exploring shifting perspectives and the balance between tradition and experimentation.
Featured artists include Zulkefli Jais, Aimman Hafizal, Azim Rodi, Yong Hui Lin, Chong Yan Chuah, Yuki Mun, Burhanuddin Bakri, Foong Yeng Yeng (with Lim Soon Hock), Afiq Romi, Haziq Syawal, Husni Osman, Syazwan Jehan, Syuhada Yaacob, and Akif Azmi.
After a pandemic-era pause since May 2021, Galeri PETRONAS marks its return with this exhibition and a series of public programmes.
Free admission. Closed on Mondays.
More info here.
