Front Row

Satish Gupta is one of India’s most celebrated artists, known for, among others, his monumental sculptures that often engage with “mysticism and the Zen spirit”. His works have been shown all over the world, including at the Beijing Olympics, and back home, his works are on display at the New Delhi International Airport and the Bengaluru Airport. With Satish down in Kuala Lumpur...

This community choir, founded in 1958, brings Christmas cheer with songs from France, Austria and Broadway in its seasonal end-of-year concert. The choir conductor and the general manager, tell about its offering of a relaxed performance which is open (but not limited) to those on the autism spectrum, anyone with sensory and communication disorders or learning impairments. They also share on the p...

“Art in the City” brings art out galleries and museums, and onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Initiated by the Cultural Economy Development Agency, or Cendana, the project sees the works of 13 Malaysian artists being shown in larger-than-life displays around the city for six months, and aims to create interest and accessibility when it comes to the visual arts. We speak to two of the s...

The aliens have invaded Earth… except that, in this stage adaptation of a bestselling children’s book, the little outer-space visitors are here because they’re out to steal everyone’s underpants! We speak to three of the performers from “Aliens Love Underpants” - Kate McKeown, Natalie Simone, Tom Allenby - about how they have been bringing the beloved book by C...

Award-winning artist and photographer Liz Fernando, who was born and raised in Germany, created “Trincomalee – My Father’s Stories and the Lost Photographs” from reconstructions of Sri Lanka’s collective memory and oral histories told to her by her father. Intertwining historical narratives with personal stories, the work has been acquired for the private collection o...

Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini is one of the most popular operas in the world. Set in Japan in the early 1900s, it tells the story of a young Japanese girl who marries an American naval officer, only to be later faced with heartbreak. We speak to the cast members Cecilia Yap and Samantha Chong, and conductor Juan Montoya, about a local staging of the opera by the Kuala Lumpur City Opera, and...

There is a strong history of printmaking in Malaysia, which includes techniques both traditional and modern. An exhibition at the Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery explores this legacy by bringing together 29 prominent local printmakers, to trace the history of the art here over the last 80 years. We speak to the museum’s deputy director Noreen Zulkepli, and assistant curator Nur Z...

The artist who has done much of her work on the road now brings them back for her solo exhibition. She tells why the need for this event and the need to engage with local collectors. Poesy also shares on how technology is playing a crucial part in the world of art. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For his latest exhibition, Malaysia artist Ajim Juxta moves away from the typical solo show format in favour of a more collaborative approach, working with other artists and writers. The result is “Tugu|Ugut”, an exhibition that uses text, specifically anagrams, to reflect on the world around us. We speak to Ajim about the works in the show, and the process of creating them. See omnyst...

An art exhibition called “Editions” brings various artists together to examine the idea of multiples, both from the perspective of technique as well as the artwork itself. We speak to three of the creatives being shown, about how they each interpreted this theme into their works, and why it can produce some unexpected results. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two men wake up on the 43rd floor of a building, where they are being held captive by a demon - this is the premise of Floor 43, Kudos Productions’ latest play. We speak to performers Josh Blake, Nabil Musawir, and Jazz Yap, about scaling the heights of this psychological thriller. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia (NSO) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a concert in Istana Budaya. We speak to music director and conductor, Datuk Mustafa Fuzer Nawi, about how the NSO has evolved over the past 25 years, and what the future holds for it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The interview guest was first on BFM four years ago. And more recently, two years ago when he performed in a show of excerpts from West End and Broadway musicals. In that production, he also assisted as a vocal coach. Because he sung in West End performances of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, he is back in the Klang Valley to perform a one-night-only concert-version of that same musical. O...

What is halal, what is haram, and how to define these terms, are questions that come up frequently in Malaysian public discourse. An art exhibition by Sisters in Islam (SIS), themed “Halal Haram”, aims to examine these questions and break down some preconceived notions about the Islamic faith. The show, which is part of the SISArt initiative - now in its second year - features the work...

There have been so many interpretations and versions of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, yet artists continue to find new ways to engage with this timeless tale of tragic love. The latest offering, called “A Tale of Star-Crossed Lovers”, is a collaboration between the KL Shakespeare Players and butoh dance group Nyoba Kan, where butoh is used to break down and reinte...

Over the past decade or so, local spoken word artists have gone from having to search and share spaces at open mic gigs, to making ones at public areas and now, as seen in the variety of monthly poetry events happening in KL and other cities in Malaysia, establishing their own spaces both online and offline. This month, Sheena Baharudin speaks with Umar Azizi about the creative space to reflect, c...

It’s Deepavali season, and sarees are everywhere. The saree, however, is much more than just something to wear. As a garment with a history of about 5,000 years, it also carries with it many of the Indian subcontinent’s artistic traditions. So we take the opportunity to talk about the saree as a living, wearable work of art, with Sumitra Selvaraj, founder of Sarees And Stories ( @saree...

Artist Yim Yen Sum uses fabric and embroidery to create works that reflect on the rapidly-disappearing historical buildings in Malaysia. The intricacy of the work and their delicate appearance evoke thoughts of impermanence and memory. We speak to Yen Sum and gallery director Lim Wei-Ling, about the artist’s latest exhibition: “The Further You Stand, the Clearer You See”. See omn...

The Young Choral Academy, beyond running classes on choral singing and voice lessons, also organizes choral festivals. Earlier this year, it ran a national choir competition and the first Malaysian Men’s Choir Festival. In the coming week, a festival with a Gaelic flavour, the 16th Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod 2018. Susanna Saw talks about singing for the young and the efficacy of such festiv...

“we will have been young” is a contemporary photography exhibition that brings together 12 emerging Southeast Asian photographers to examine the fragility of youth and the transience of the future. The works featured were developed over 12 months through a photography masterclass, and take a visual anthropological approach, and highlight the unique visual language of the Southeast Asia...

A visual arts exhibition called #ReimagineUs, happening at the Urbanscapes 2018 festival, brings together different artists and collectives to reimagine and recreate Kuala Lumpur’s people, communities, and spaces. These interpretations will be presented as nine alternate realities in nine different rooms. We speak to the exhibition’s curator Sharmin Parameswaran about putting the show...

The Picha Project is a social enterprise that works on empowering marginalised communities in Malaysia through food catering. At the upcoming Urbanscapes festival, The Picha Project is presenting an immersive experience called “This Is Home”, which highlights the life journey of refugees and puts us momentarily in their shoes by showing us what their homes - both before and now - might...

Thejomaye Menon is an artist from Chennai, India who uses her art to explore the sense of being between cultures, from a uniquely female point of view. She’s having her first solo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, called “Transitional Identity”, at the Sutra Gallery. We speak to Thejomaye about how her cultural experiences and attachment to Kerala have shaped her art. See omnystudio.co...

As part of Urbanscapes 2018, MyDance Alliance is bringing its “Dancing in Place” initiative - which features outdoor site-specific dance works - to the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Four different stops around KL will feature different dance works while simultaneously engaging with historical sites like Medan Pasar and The River of Life. The works redefine the relationship between dance and...

The Embassy of Italy in Kuala Lumpur and the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro collaborated with local institutions to celebrate the composer’s--Gioachino Rossini--birthday. Chi Hoe educates us on Rossini and on the process of collaborating with two visiting artists from a Rossini academy in Italy. He shares on performing Rossini’s music and tells a little about the stories of the four...