Malaysia's National Visual Arts Gallery Announces First Kuala Lumpur Biennale for November
The first-ever Kuala Lumpur Biennale is set to take place at Malaysia's National Visual Arts Gallery from November 1 to March 31, with events scattered across the city. This exhibition will feature a blend of contemporary and modern art, focusing on five themes: love for nature (belas alam), love for heritage (belas warisan), love for people (belas insan), love for animals (belas haiwan), and love for legendary icons (belasungkawa). The list of artists participating hasn’t been announced yet. However, concerns have been raised about the event's importance, given the restrictions on freedom of expression and human rights in Kuala Lumpur. Sunitha Janamohanan, a lecturer from Lasalle College of Arts, criticized the biennale as a 'biennial-as-collage' lacking meaningful dialogue in an essay for Arts Equator. ArtReview covered the launch on June 9, 2017.
Key facts
- The inaugural Kuala Lumpur Biennale runs from 1 November to 31 March.
- It is organized by Malaysia's National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG).
- Works will be displayed across various venues in Kuala Lumpur.
- The exhibition is structured around five Belas themes focusing on love for nature, heritage, people, animals, and legendary icons.
- Participating artists have not been announced.
- Concerns exist about the event's value due to limitations on freedoms in Kuala Lumpur.
- Sunitha Janamohanan, a Lasalle College of Arts lecturer, criticized the biennial in an Arts Equator essay.
- She described it as a 'biennial-as-collage' and argued it is wasteful without contributing to arts development.
Entities
Artists
- Sunitha Janamohanan
Institutions
- National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG)
- Arts Equator
- Lasalle College of Arts
- ArtReview
Locations
- Kuala Lumpur
- Malaysia