We will be celebrating the country’s 61st independence day very soon. As a nation that just experienced a momentous political shift, Malaysians are clearly more willing to change now. A particularly aptly-themed art exhibition this month is ‘Teh Tarik with The Flag’ by Wei-Ling Gallery, UOB Malaysia, and the National Visual Arts Gallery of Malaysia. Other showcases to check out include a luminous watercolour painting collection, mixed medium creations, and drawings that aim to refocus attention on the medium choice. Here’s a list of art exhibitions in KL happening in August 2018.

They Say I Can’t Paint by Suma Orientalis

This group exhibition features five master graduates in fine art and is themed around ‘They Say I Can’t Paint.’ They aim to open alternative frontiers for extended contemplation into artists’ preferred medium and to broaden the spectrum of audience acceptance. The artists are Shahariah Mohamed Roshdi, Bakir Baharom, Zulkifli Lee, Arif Fauzan Othman, and Anwar Suhaimi.

Dates: 21 July – 5 August 2018
Hours: 11am – 7pm on Wednesdays to Mondays, closed on Tuesdays and public holidays
Address: Suma Orientalis, 11, Lorong 11/4F, Seksyen 11, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Website: sumaorientalis.com

Sun Xun by Richard Koh Fine Art

Artist Sun Xun’s first solo exhibition in Malaysia is now running at Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA). The artworks will showcase an intimate display of luminous watercolour drawings and stop motion animation films. Sun Xun is recognised as one of China’s most talented rising young artists. His practice combines the spirit of meticulous craftsmanship in traditional artistic expression with forward thinking. He is a master of weaving traditional visual formats of drawing, painting, and woodcut into sequences of digital stop-motion animation.

Dates: 24 July – 14 August 2018
Hours: 10am – 7pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays, closed on Sundays, Mondays, and public holidays
Address: Richard Koh Fine Art, 229, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Website: rkfineart.com

Nick Leary’s Art Collection by King Living

In collaboration with King Living, Australia’s leading furnishing design house, Nick Leary is showcasing his works at the King Living showroom in IPC beginning this month. The partnership of the two resulted in a stunning bespoke art series inspired by a history of innovation mixed with Leary’s air for fashion and art. The elegant pieces are released in a numbered series that are made to order, and available for purchase.

Dates: July 2018 onwards
Hours: 10am – 10pm daily
Address: King Living, L1.06, Level 1 IPC Shopping Centre No. 2, Jalan PJU 7/2 Mutiara Damansara 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Website: kingliving.my

Teh Tarik with The Flag by Wei-Ling Gallery, UOB Malaysia, and the National Visual Arts Gallery

Just in time for Merdeka, Wei-Ling Gallery, UOB Malaysia, and the National Visual Arts Gallery of Malaysia are collaborating for a group exhibition called Teh Tarik with The Flag. 14 prominent Malaysian artists have been selected to explore the symbolic power of the flag and extend the story of our Jalur Gemilang as a potent symbol and a marker of identity, unity, belief, and division.

Dates: 23 July – 17 September 2018
Hours: 10am – 6pm daily
Address: National Visual Arts Gallery, 2, Jalan Temerloh, Titiwangsa, 53200, Kuala Lumpur
Website: weiling-gallery.com

Against the Day by Our ArtProject

This group exhibition will feature Malaysian artists Chong Siew Ying, Gan Sze Hooi, Jalaini Abu Hassan, Kow Leong Kiang, Minstrel Kuik, and Nirmala Dutt. Their practice offers new possibilities of drawings that are often rich in narrative, performative, processual, and sometimes monumental in scale.

Dates: 3 August – 1 September 2018
Hours: 11am – 7pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays, Sundays by appointment only, closed on Mondays and public holidays
Address: OUR ArtProjects, No. 80, Jalan Rotan, Off Jalan Kampung Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur
Website: ourartprojects.com

Every month, we put up a list of art exhibitions that take place in Kuala Lumpur. Check if there are any you might still be able to catch of these art exhibitions in July 2018. If you would like to share about an upcoming art exhibition in KL, drop me an email at [email protected].