Good news to art lovers! For a period of five weeks from August 31 to October 2, 2016, Kuala Lumpur International Arts Festival 2016 aka DiverseCity 2016 is serving up an array of visual arts, crafts, music, dance and literature, around the Klang Valley – that you can enjoy free of charge!
The big kick-off
31 August 2016, 230pm, Centre Court, Lower Ground Floor, Berjaya Times Square
Come on over on National Day to witness the Official Festival Launch Ceremony! Enjoy a variety of performances including a mobile phone orchestra with Ng Chor Guan of Toccata on the theremin, syair singing, high-energy exuberant street dancing by Alam-ak as well as the opening day of the Dirgahayu photography exhibition.
For the visual arts and crafts lover
- Dirgahayu Photography Exhibition
31 August 2016, 1000am to 1000pm, Lower Ground Floor, Berjaya Times Square
1 September to 2 October 2016, 1000am to 1000pm, Level 3, Avenue K
Featuring the works of acclaimed Malaysian photographers Rahman Roslan, Ahmad Yusni and Hasnoor Hussein and curated by Rahman himself, the photographs exhibited are linked by the theme Dirgahayu – a wish for longevity.
- Festival Hub at Shalini Ganendra Fine Art
1 to 30 September (Tues to Sat only), 1100am to 700pm, Shalini Ganendra Fine Art @ Gallery Residence
Serving as a festival hub for the first time, Shalini Ganendra Fine Art hosts a variety of exhibitions, including the works of mixed medium artist Zac Lee, sculptor Anniketyni Madian and the PavillionNOW 2016 – Shadow Garden installation by Ar. Eleena Jamil, an introductory exhibition to crafts from East Malaysia, alongside workshops, talks and more.
- Andy Warhol: Social Circus by The Ryan Foundation
2 to 19 September 2016, 1200pm to 900pm, Slate@The Row
For the first time in Malaysia, a rare collection of Andy Warhol polaroids of the world’s biggest actors, artists and fashion designers from the 70s and 80s, will be on display during DiverseCity 2016.
- The Enchanted Forest by Sandra Lee
3 to 25 September 2016, 1000am to 500pm, Ruang by ThinkCity, 3rd Floor, OCBC Building
Step into The Enchanted Forest, a new commission by Sandra Lee. Look out for characters such as Little Red Riding Hood clad in a sarong kebaya (traditional dress worn in Singapore and Malaysia) with a basket of ang ku kueh (red tortoise cakes), and Hansel and Gretel dressed in traditional Malay costumes.
- Meraki (Moghul Miniatures) by Ami
31 August – 2 September 2016, 11am – 7:30pm, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indian Cultural Centre, Menara Sentral Vista
Meraki is a unique collection of painstakingly created miniature paintings on paper and faux ivory exploring the themes of love. Indian Miniature Paintings present to us a layered world of meaning. They can vary greatly in size—from being smaller than postcards or, in some cases, not appreciably larger than outsized postage stamp to being close to a metre in height!
For the dance and music aficionado
- Sarawak Borneo Exotica
2 September 2016, 830pm
3 September 2016, 230pm and 830pm
4 September 2016, 1100am
Dataran DBKL (near the Kuala Lumpur Food Truck Feast)
Enjoy Sarawakian music and dance performances, featuring culture from communities such as the Kenyah, Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Melanau and Sarawak Malays, as well as modern and world music played with traditional Sarawakian musical instruments.
- The 4 of Us
16 September 2016, 800pm-900pm, Shalini Ganendra Fine Art @ Gallery Residence
In an hour of a cappella singing, The 4 of Us Vocal Quartet will present a performance showcasing the versatility and power of the human voice. Comprising four young Malaysian friends with a common passion for choral singing – Kathleen Roshene (Soprano), Jacqueline Teng (Alto), Andrew Sanjay George (Tenor) and Wilson Tan (Bass), the quartet has been delighting fans of choral music around the region since 2012.
- Live in Kuala Lumpur! Dmitry Maloletov
19-20 September 2016, 830pm, Experimental Theatre, ASWARA
Russian guitarist, composer, writer and producer Dmitry Ivanovich Maloletov is one of the few guitarists in Russia who has mastered the unusual “independent two-handed tapping” guitar technique.
- Main Zapin
1 October 2016, 830pm, Panggung Anniversary
The National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy (ASWARA)’s ever-popular Main Zapin showcase with styles representing many of the states in Malaysia, including Zapin Putar Alam, Pekajang, Sebat, Terengganu, Salor and more, danced by a cast of 12 highly trained and professional dancers.
For the literature and drama buff
- Jual Ubat: Dari Stesen ke Stesen Monodrama Tour
4 September 2016, 830pm to 1000pm, KTM Kuala Lumpur
The powerful monologue “Jual Ubat” is performed and directed by multi award winning actor Khalid Salleh, who is one of only two Malaysians to have won the Best Actor award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. This nationwide tour makes its stop in Kuala Lumpur as part of DiverseCity 2016. The drama delivers multiple critiques from the viewpoint of an insignificant person – a street medicine vendor – who is observant not only of the social issues, but also the political deprivation, racial struggles, as well as the subsistence of Malay-Muslims. This performance features a rendition of songs inspired by poems (Lagu Puisi) by Adinda Amiro and Sani Sudin as the opening act.
For the buffet fan
- KL Le Park
24 September 2016, 900am to 700pm, Panggung Anniversary
Come on over to KL LePark – an event organised to create a closer connection between the arts and society by making the arts appear more upbeat, contemporary, urban and leisurely, with the aim of entrenching the arts into the lifestyle of Malaysians. KL LePark gathers various art forms into one single event including literature (book trucks and poetry performances), music (alternative and indie bands), visual arts (paintings and caricatures) and design (t-shirts, DIY).
Attractive group discounts are on offer until 25 August 2016, and there are also concession tickets for eligible groups. To find out more, visit diversecity.my.
