It’s a good month for art in KL and even if’s not a habit of yours to visit an exhibition, now would be best to develop one. Whether you’re buying or viewing, art galleries are buzzing with sculptures, paintings and photographs. Here are seven of the best art exhibitions in KL this month.

17th Rimbun Dahan Residency
Yes, Kuang may be a drive away but we suggest you sacrifice one of your mall-loitering Saturdays to attend this. One year in the works, Haslin Ismail (artwork pictured above) and Rob Gutteridge have quite a show for you. As justification, our art editor speaks to the artists about the processes involved in getting the show together.

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Two words: Ceramic sculptures. Sculptor Umibaizurah Mahir used quirky items as moulds for her works, cloaked her ceramic pieces with digitally-transformed patterns and a kalaidescopic palette and much latter, added bits and bobs, confirming that her kilns would never see the likes of the stereotypical bowl ever again. Trust us when we say this, no one does ceramics better than this lady.



Pool Party!
Artist Dodit Artawan’s oil-on-canvas pieces portray Barbie dolls and alcohol bottles. Yes, we read the stark contrast but this concept is to promote issues of culture, liberalism, and the pursuit of pleasure as an embodiment of the fact that sex sells.

Capturing Twilight
Observers of Nirmala Karuppiah’s photography are split between two camps: those troubled by her unwavering choice of subject matter, and those enamoured by the romanticism and classical qualities of her images. This month, however, will see the former camp changing their minds as Nirmala showcases a body of work centred on Chinese opera performers. 

Sri Lanka’s Contemporary
The exhibition explores the contemporary art practices of the country, arguably lesser known than its large neighbour’s art scene at the moment (yes you, India), which is a shame really as the country’s unique history has offered its artists ample fodder to work with.



A Golden Era by New Tai Tong
His paintings largely revolving around women, prominent artist New Tai Tong presents yet another series of paintings portraying the toiling of Asian women admist a colourful setting. His paintings often depict a combination of Oriental charm and Parisian elegance where watercolour is used to bring out these themes.

Golden Gate
After a creaking silence since 2008, Ahmad Shukri Momamed becomes the first of the MATAHATI group to reappear on the scene. The title bears absolutely no relation to the namesake bridge in San Francisco but instead, is a metaphor for nature, a recurring subject in the artist’s range of works.

For more on the art scene in KL, visit our art section.