Entering the exhibition space, a grand table full of Chinese and Malay dishes warmly welcomes us into ILHAM Art Show 2025—but this isn’t a dinner for the guests. Upon getting closer, it’s clear that the mouth-watering foods are entirely made of ceramic. It is Kimberley Boudville’s “and here we sit, in the weight of silence”, an installation set to transform the act of dining into a meditation on love and loss of her family members.
ILHAM Art Show is a triennial exhibition platform initiated by ILHAM Gallery to encourage innovation and risk-taking by giving artists in Malaysia the opportunity and resources to make new work, and to experiment with form, medium, and concept. 20 contemporary artists and collectives participate in this second edition show that also marks ILHAM’s 10 years journey, with works ranging across a broad array of mediums from painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography to installation, textile, film and video. Since there is no specific theme, each artwork freely displays its creator’s soul and characteristic under the guidance of the gallery’s curatorial team.
To the very right end of the gallery, Tiga Tawai’s immersive installation invites us to see how Kenyah Lepo’ Tao, a traditional community of Long Moh in Ulu Baram, Sarawak, protect their forest home by building a deep connection between land, culture, and collective survival. Syarifah Nadhirah also presents her approach towards nature with “No Roads Without Trees”, criticising Malaysia’s urban landscaping that prefers aesthetics over a more sustainable native ecosystem.
In “Da Bo Gong Book”, Ong Hieng Fuong reminisces into his childhood memory growing up in Tanjung Sepat through playful images, inspired by the encyclopedic compilation of different images from the everyday lives of Malaysians that one might encounter in a dream, with each image corresponding to a lucky number, known as the dreams booklet.
“Operation Cabinet” is Arikwibowo Amril’s simple yet thorough presentation on a 1960s style wooden cabinet with 19 pieces of charcoal-drawn instruction manual of its assembly like what we’d see on those Swedish-made furniture. Through deft lines, Arikwibowo blurs the boundary between function and creativity, revealing the craftsmanship and unseen labour behind a seemingly simple form.
Exploring the exhibition reveals several shared topics among the artists, from the increasing precariousness of our natural world, the fluidity of identity, our interactions with society, family, and each other, to the mining of history as a way to reflect on our present and envision our future.
Alongside the main show, ILHAM will continue to offer a variety of public programmes that not only attract more visitors but also serve an educational purpose. This approach, which appeals to a wide audience and provides a resource for both those already involved in the arts and those encountering it for the first time, aligns with ILHAM’s mission as a non-profit foundation that believes art should be accessible to everyone.
ILHAM Art Show
Participating artists:
Afiza Abubakar
Ang Xia Yi
Anwar
Arikwibowo Amril
Dr Kendy Mitot x Studio 1914 x Joey Lee
Eddie Choo Wen Yi
Eiffel Chong
Emran Beams Shaqif
Gan Chin Lee
Joshua Kane Gomes
Kim Ng
Kimberley Boudville
Marcos Kueh
Ong Hieng Fuong (Hieng)
Roopesh Sitharan
Syarifah Nadhirah
Tiga Tawai
Umar Sharif
Wong Perng Fey
Yvonne Tan
Curated by:
Gridthiya Gaweewong (Artistic Director of the Jim Thompson Art Centre, Bangkok)
Sharmini Pereira (Chief Curator of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Sri Lanka)
Wong Hoy Cheong (Artist)
Rahel Joseph (Gallery Director, ILHAM Gallery)
2 November 2025 – 5 April 2026
ILHAM Gallery
Level 5, ILHAM Tower
No 8, Jalan Binjai
50450 Kuala Lumpur
