Kenyalang Circus: Marcos Kueh in conversation with Lim Sheau Yun
Schedule
Sat Feb 11 2023 at 11:00 am to 01:00 pm
Location
Malaysia Design Archive | Kuala Lumpur, KL
Advertisement
Organised by Malaysia Design Archive in collaboration with The BackroomKenyalang Circus: Marcos Kueh in conversation with Lim Sheau Yun
Date & Time: 11am, 11 February 2023
Venue: 84C, Rumah Attap Library & Collective, The Zhongshan Building
The exhibition “Kenyalang Circus”, on show at @thebackroomkl from 4–19 February 2023, will be Marcos Kueh’s first solo showcase in his native Malaysia. The graphic designer and textile artist has spent the past few years completing his studies at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, and building his artist profile throughout Europe. In recent years, he has shown in museums and galleries across The Netherlands, including the Voorlinden Museum in Wassenaar, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and Ron Mandos Gallery in Amsterdam.
Translated as “Hornbill Circus” from Sarawak Malay, Kenyalang Circus interrogates the possibility of an authentic identity in a neoliberal culture of icons, taking a satirical eye to the commercialisation of Borneo as “Malaysia’s exotic unknown.” For Marcos, who is deeply invested in the cultures of Borneo, having been born in Sarawak, yet who built his artistic career in Europe, this project is also personal: it traces the fault line of heritage between inherited past and internalised exotification.
Come and join this talk to learn more about Marcos's art-making practice, how he weaves between the disciplines of graphic design and textiles, and the sentiments behind Kenyalang Circus. The talk will be moderated by Lim Sheau Yun, who also contributed the essay for the exhibition.
About the Artist
Marcos Kueh (b. 1995, Sarawak) is a designer who has always had a desire to better understand his place and identity as a Malaysian. He graduated with his Bachelor’s in Graphic and Textile Design from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague in 2022. His works reflect his belief in the power of storytelling and in the many things we can learn from the past, be it an hour ago or a decade ago.
In 2022, he was awarded the Ron Mandos Young Blood prize for emerging artists, and his work was acquired by Museum Voorlinden in Amsterdam. His work has been included in exhibitions all around the world, including in Three Contemporary Prosperities at Galerie Ron Mandos, Amsterdam (2022); When Things Are Beings at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2022); This Far and Further at Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar, Netherlands (2022); Common Threads at The Back Room, Kuala Lumpur (2017); and the Osaka International Art Fair, Japan (2017). He currently lives and works in Amsterdam.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Malaysia Design Archive, 2nd Floor, No. 84, Jalan Rotan, Off Jalan Kg Attap,Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
