Co-curator, UNITY, group exhibition, Kongsi KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

In 2021, KongsiKL in Kuala Lumpur hosted the UNITY project, conceptualized by Filamen. This initiative centered around the concept of monuments as entities responsible for holding and preserving memories and how art can serve as a medium for such purposes in modern society. The UNITY project invited artists to reinterpret the traditional notion of monuments, encouraging them to create works that reflect contemporary narratives and collective experiences.

In this particular project, they aim to shed light on how Covid-19 has underlined the conditions of being isolated, separated, and segregated from one another. Through brainstorming ways in which creative individuals could initiate a monument that serves as a shared experience, it also questions what it means to be a part of and collaborate in a creative community during these strange times, and how the power of the internet and the digital contribute to it.

About Filamen

Filamen is a new media art community dedicated to growing Malaysia’s digital arts ecosystem by providing platforms for artists to create, showcase, and connect. It organises various events and projects to engage local and regional communities. Filamen also operates creative spaces like Filamen Hub and Filamen Gallery for exhibitions and production. Its activations include residencies, incubators, workshops, and talks to foster collaboration, while professional services in media art handling and immersive installations support artists’ sustainability. Additionally, Filamen is developing a database to enhance connectivity within Malaysia and the broader Southeast Asian digital arts scene. Visit @wearefilamen on Instagram to learn more about them.

About KongsiKL

July 2017 marked the birth of KongsiKL, where a site-specific work, ‘Dances in Ruins’ was made on this experimental ground located at the Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur. Embracing the spirit of ‘kongsi’ - ‘sharing’ in Bahasa Malaysia and ‘collaboration’ in Chinese - while developing social and artistic projects as well as experiments, KongsiKL believes in the ripple effects of sharing time, talent, space and resources. Sharing a compound with several other warehouses at Gudang Yee Seng 2, it is a space entrusted by a local developer, EXSIM Group, to cultivate creative and cultural vitality which they do by regularly organising and offering a space for creative and community-based activities such as performances, exhibition, discussions, community gathering, and many more. Learn more about KongsiKL on www.kongsikl.co.