IMMERSIO 2026 Reimagines Southeast Asia’s Pasar Through Art and Technology

Someone is

calling out prices. Handwritten signs sit among the goods. Conversations switch between different languages and dialects, and if you came with your grandparents as a child, chances are you held tightly to their hands so you wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.

This September, that world becomes the starting point for IMMERSIO 2026: PASAR, the seventh edition of the new media art festival by Filamen. Taking place from 11 – 27 September 2026 at GMBB, Muzium Telekom and REXKL in Kuala Lumpur, the festival brings together over 100 artists and creative technologists from Asia, with more than 70 artworks spanning digital and interactive installations, projection, visual works and sculptures.

Across Southeast Asia, pasar, or markets, have long been places where more than goods change hands. People bargain and run into familiar faces; raw ingredients sit alongside cooked food; sellers call out from every direction and uncles linger over kopi talking about the latest stories in town. For some, the pasar holds childhood memories; for others, it is simply part of the daily routine. The experience may be shared across the region, but what stays with each person and what each artist sees in it can be remarkably different.

At IMMERSIO 2026, those interpretations take some unexpected turns. Indonesia’s once-booming batu akik gemstone trade becomes a playable video game; memories of Singapore’s disappearing wet markets resurface in a digital world populated by fish-headed vendors; while in Malaysia, the unmistakable ikat tepi - the familiar knot securing a plastic bag of kopi or teh - becomes an artwork in its own right.

The perspectives extend further with participating artists and collectives from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hong Kong, turning PASAR into a meeting point for different experiences, observations and ways of seeing.

“When we say something looks ‘too pasar’, it is usually not meant as a compliment, but what if the colours, handwritten signs, sounds and even the chaos are exactly what make it interesting? We see these things so often that we hardly give them a second look. With PASAR, we want people to look

again, because something you have walked past a hundred times might surprise you when someone else sees it differently,” said Abdul Shakir, Co-Founder of Filamen.

The heart of IMMERSIO 2026 sits at GMBB, where PASAR takes over Level 5 with approximately 45 artworks by established and emerging artists and collectives. Curated by Koh Kai Ting, the exhibition invites visitors to wander through one interpretation after another, almost like making their way through a pasar of visual cues, objects, sounds and unexpected encounters from across Southeast Asia.

The experience continues beyond GMBB. Muzium Telekom turns the spotlight on emerging new media practices, including student works from MMU, UNIMAS and The One Academy, while REXKL hosts performances and artist sharing sessions during IMMERSIO’s final weekend.

IMMERSIO also extends into a separate family-friendly experience at Ombak KLCC, where children are invited to create imaginary dinosaurs before watching their creatures come to life through projection and digital technology.

First launched in 2017, IMMERSIO has grown into a platform for Southeast Asia’s digital and new media art scene, bringing emerging and established artists together to experiment, create and connect their works with audiences. Now in its latest edition, IMMERSIO is turning its attention to something that has been around us all along.

After all, you already know the pasar. Come curious anyway.

MAIN EXHIBITION @ GMBB

DATE

: 11 – 27 September 2026 (Closed on Mondays)

TIME

: 11:00AM – 8:00PM

VENUE

: GMBB, Level 5

ADMISSION DETAILS

• Early Bird: RM6 (early bird price till 2 September)
• General Admission: RM15
• Group Ticket (5 pax): RM55
• Multiple Entry + Exclusive Gift: RM65
• Senior Citizens, PWD & Children under 12: Free

Tickets can be purchased via CloudJoi at IMMERSIO 2026

PASAR BEYOND GMBB

Muzium Telekom

(Level 1 & Level 2)

11th - 27th September

Free Admission

OMBAK KLCC

27th August - 30th October

Ticketed Event

REXKL

25th - 27th September

Artist sharing sessions are free; performances are ticketed

IMMERSIO 2026: PASAR is organised by Filamen, with the support of Alight ASEAN, Blackbody Emission, Digital Tech Incubator (DTI), FabU, GMBB, Green Room, iNYALA, KLABF, Ombak KLCC, Pixel World, Wildwonder Works, Yayasan TM and RUBIX Communications.

For programme updates, follow Filamen on Instagram and Facebook at @wearefilamen.