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The Star
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Weekend for the arts: Plantation songs, KL Zine Fest, 'Delicious In Dungeon'
MUSICAL DOCUMENTARY/CROWDFUNDING: 'ARARO ARIRARO' Venue: The Grey Box, GMBB creative mall, Kuala Lumpur Date: Aug 3, 3pm Here's something extra special for the weekend — a crowdfunding project that blurs history, memory, and community. 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. 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.
The Star
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Trace/Us' reflects on family and the imprints left by loved ones
Everyone grieves over the loss of their loved ones in different ways. For arts practitioners Leysha Al-yahya and Theyvapaalan S. Jayaratnam, they came together to produce a touching and nostalgic video essay series. Made as a tribute to Leysha's late grandfather, Abu Bakar Mohd Noor, and Theyvapaalan's late father, Jayaratnam Seevaratnam, the Trace/Us video project weaves together journal entries, love letters, photographs and personal stories to bring their loved ones back to life as they explore grief, identity, loss and life. Thanks to a grant from the Krishen Jit Fund awarded last year, the two artists and their crew spent a week in George Town, Penang working on the project. Leysha retraced the footsteps of the man who would one day become her grandfather, while Theyvapaalan searched for the ghost of her father long gone. Both men had roots in Penang. The resulting 20-minute video essays, which were screened in at Narrow Marrow in George Town last month, will be played concurrently on a loop at Triptyk in Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur from May 16-18. The 'Trace/Us' team – (from left) Leysha, Iwaz, Armanzaki, Theyvapaalan, and Ng – will be presenting its video essay series in KL from May 16-18. Photo: Handout Leysha and Theyvapaalan will join an artist talk on May 18. In a recent interview about Trace/Us and its origins, Leysha shared that she discovered her grandfather's journal while clearing out his old house in Kulim, Kedah after his passing in 2009. 'It had these important dates from his life jotted down between the 1950s and the 1970s in Penang, and for the longest time, I was just holding on to it, wondering what I should do with it, because it was so interesting that what seemed like random dates to me were significant events in his life,' shares Leysha, 32, a playwright and theatre producer. This project unfolded through a series of serendipitous discoveries and unexpected coincidences, each one weaving together in a way that felt perfectly timed. For Theyvapaalan, 33, everything came together when it needed to. A screenshot from Theyvapaalan's video essay. Photo: Handout 'I was rummaging around my parents' room looking for a car grant when I found these letters stashed away. I immediately recognised the writing as my father's, but the format was really odd; I never knew he wrote letters like this. 'I posted about them on social media and Leysha reached out to suggest that we work together on something,' says the multi-disciplinary artist. Same people, different sides Through the journal and letters, Leysha and Theyvapaalan were able to see different sides of the people they knew and loved. 'It was fascinating to explore the remnants of these people that we knew, because I knew him as my grandfather, but to learn about him as this young man coming out of school, someone who had just lost their father, someone who was trying to make ends meet, someone who fell in love, it was a powerful experience,' says Leysha. 'Working on Trace/Us has been such a beautiful experience that I think this is one of those defining projects of my life,' she adds. A young Leysha as a toddler seen with her grandfather Abu Bakar Mohd Noor. Photo: Handout Creating something so personal and cathartic was deeply exciting for Theyvapaalan – especially in a moment from the video essay that reveals her father's quiet, often overlooked poetry, even as her mother was long seen as the artistic one. It was a classic case of discovering a man's softer side – a heartwarming find. 'But in his letters, he was writing high poetry, full of yearning and love, so I'm glad I got the chance to see my father through this lens and show a side of him that others have never seen before. I made sure to get my mum's permission, though!' says Theyvapaalan. While working on the project, both artists felt they came to understand each other's loved ones and uncovered parallels that seemed almost destined. 'There was a strong sense that they were with us throughout this project,' says Theyvapaalan. A still from Leysha's video essay. Photo: Handout The Trace/Us team included Kenny Ng as producer, Iwaz as sound artist, Armanzaki Amirolzakri as producer/technical coordinator, and Ghali Foster as graphic designer. Iwaz brought a thoughtful and innovative touch to the project with his unique soundscape, which accompanies the video essays. 'He took snippets from the journal and letters and input them into software that can produce notes and keys from the written samples, so it's literally music from their handwriting,' says Leysha. Through this project, Leysha and Theyvapaalan hope to highlight the contributions that one single person can make towards a community, a society, and in turn, their country. Trace/Us will be screened at Triptyk in Kampung Attap, KL from May 16-18 (noon to 7pm). Entry by donation: RM25. There will also be an artist talk with Leysha Al-yahya and Theyvapaalan S. Jayaratnam on May 18 at 8pm.
