Until 10 September 2025, the Cultural Foundation is hosting To Know Malaysia is to Love Malaysia: Highlights from The AFK Collection, an exhibition that traces the evolution of Malaysia’s contemporary art from the 1980s to the present. The show displays works drawn from the Aliya and Farouk Khan (AFK) Collection, one of the most comprehensive compilations of Malaysian contemporary art.
Organised into five thematic sections, the exhibition reflects on historical and socio-political narratives and explores the country’s cultural and environmental transformations. It also considers early expressionist and surrealist tendencies, offering a multidimensional perspective on the creative, intellectual, and societal shifts that have shaped modern Malaysia.
The exhibition features ten pioneering first-generation contemporary Malaysian artists whose practices have helped define the nation’s visual identity. Ahmad Shukri Mohammed is known for his conceptually rich works that often engage with social and ecological themes. Ahmad Fuad Osman’s art explores issues of history, politics, culture, and the shifting nature of truth and memory. Ali Nurazmal creates figurative, layered, often provocative paintings which merge classical Western art references with Malaysian cultural motifs.
Anniketyni Madian produces intricate wooden sculptures, deeply rooted in Sarawak’s indigenous traditions yet strikingly contemporary in form. Fauzan Omar pushes the boundaries of painting through mixed media, transforming his canvases into textured, sculptural compositions. Hamir Soib creates large-scale, symbol-laden art pieces that confront social and political realities. Masnoor Ramli employs a full range of mediums, including drawing, painting, print, video, installation, and performance, to investigate identity, nationhood, and collective memory.
Susyilawati (Shooshie) Sulaiman’s practice, which encompasses painting, drawing, writing, collage, and using found objects, often draws from the social and artistic histories of Malaysia as well as her experiences, emotions, and memories. Yusof Ghani is famous for his expressive, abstract artworks that blend gesture with narrative. Zulkifli Yusoff’s art, meanwhile, delves into Malaysian history, politics, and folklore through installations and bold, graphic compositions.
Together, these artists present a compelling portrait of a nation’s transformation, from a newly independent, largely agrarian society to a dynamic, modern state, captured through painting, sculpture, installation, mixed media, and drawing. Their works embody personal expression and broader cultural dialogue, offering insight into the complexities and aspirations of Malaysian identity.
To get more information about To Know Malaysia is to Love Malaysia, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
Additionally, you might be interested in visiting Elysian Awakening of Powerful Spring and Between Metamorphosis and Reality by Maitha Abdalla.
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