Everyone’s A Critic

The REKA2021 virtual art exhibition, organised by the School of the Arts at Universiti Sains Malaysia, features 104 artists from multiple countries. Themed “Embracing Change”, the exhibition engages with themes and ideas that revolve around the pandemic and the “new normal”. We review the huge variety of works on show, and discuss the merits of virtual art exhibitions particularly within the context of arts education.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

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Taman Pesona is the culmination of artist Mastura Abdul Rahman’s dive into the life of Kelantan’s legendary queen Cik Siti Wan Kembang. The paintings in this online exhibition bring together history and stories around the warrior queen, and interpret them through various visual ideas, including traditional Malaysian practices like batik, songket and wood-carving. We review the exhibition, and discuss how the paintings provide an interesting way to engage with folklore and history.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

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Two different artists with different styles come together in Between Spaces to reflect on their experiences and emotions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Caryn Koh’s paintings display a pervasive sense of loneliness by using the figure of a woman in soft, pastel tones, while Wong Ming Hao uses his face and figure with acrylic paint-skins to depict an isolated world where people often present a version of themselves. We review the exhibition, and discuss how art has been representing the pandemic.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

Image Source: Between Spaces by Caryn Koh and Wong Ming Hao

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The VIRTUE(AL) 2.0 online group exhibition by ARTO Movement features 170 artworks by 80 different artists. We review the show, and discuss the diversity of art on display, and what these might say about our current times.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

The VIRTUE(AL) Exhibition: Part 1, Part 2

Image Source: Amy Syakilla, Lucid Dream I

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The FreedomFilmFest has been platforming documentary films on human rights in Malaysia since 2003. This year, the Freedom Film Network are releasing specially curated film playlists called Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest on their YouTube channel, for free viewing. The films highlight a variety of socially relevant issues, from indigenous rights to urban poverty to deaths in custody. We review the films on offer, and discuss the importance of efforts like these in highlighting human rights challenges in the country.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

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Art can be a powerful tool to highlight issues of social justice and human rights; the Human Rights in ASEAN - The Cartoonists Perspective online exhibition brings together works from cartoonists and illustrators around Southeast Asia to comment on pressing issues such as the state of emergency in Malaysia; the Lèse-majesté law in Thailand; the murderous war on drugs in the Philippines; the coup in Myanmar and religious extremism in Indonesia. Curated by Malaysian cartoonist Zunar, the exhibition provides valuable perspective on the state of human rights in the region, as well as highlights the crucial role of art.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

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Could you discover a whole new imaginative universe just through sound, while sitting in your bedroom? That’s what Imaginarium, an online audio-immersive theatre performance, aims to do - by both building on the feelings of isolation we’ve all been going through, while also suggesting ways in which freedom can still be found within that space. We review the show and discuss how it reflects on our experiences of the pandemic.The show is a part of the George Town Festival.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

Image Source: Georgetown Festival

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The setting: A neighbourhood kopitiam in the 1980s. The situation: An old patron found dead early one morning, with a whole group of potential suspects. BODY X The Culprit presents a participative digital theatre production which allows the audience into this murder-mystery setting. We review the performance, and discuss if it succeeds in immersing us in its story. The show is a part of the George Town Festival.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit them on Facebook and Instagram.

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A collaboration between bookmaker cloud projects and the Malaysia Design Archive, this book examines one postcard from every decade in Malaysia’s history, from the 1880s to the 2020s. Contrasting the visual artifacts with historical context, Banned in KL, Astro Boy Rides the Great Wave to Sky Kingdom provides a unique way to understand Malaysia’s past and present. We review the volume and discuss how art, artifacts, and narratives come together.

Image Source: Cloud Projects

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A collaboration between bookmaker cloud projects and the Malaysia Design Archive, this book examines one postcard from every decade in Malaysia’s history, from the 1880s to the 2020s. Contrasting the visual artifacts with historical context, Banned in KL, Astro Boy Rides the Great Wave to Sky Kingdom provides a unique way to understand Malaysia’s past and present. We review the volume and discuss how art, artifacts, and narratives come together.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.