Curator, MY WORDS WON(T) CHANGE THE WORLD, group video-mapping exhibition, Digital Art Gallery (DAG) at Muzium Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MY WORDS WON(T) CHANGE THE WORLD was an immersive, digital art exhibition held at the Digital Art Gallery (DAG) within Muzium Telekom in Kuala Lumpur from September 8 to December 8, 2023. Exploring the power of language through various visual forms featured a collection of video-mapped artworks that explored the power and limitations of language in effecting change. Participating artists employed innovative techniques to project their narratives onto various surfaces, creating immersive experiences that challenged viewers to reflect on the impact of words in contemporary society.

Through the medium of video mapping, the exhibition invited viewers to engage with the artworks on multiple sensory levels, encouraging contemplation on how language shapes and is shaped by societal forces. The exhibition invited visitors to engage with the dynamic interplay of letters, words, and phrases, transformed through motion, sound design, graphic art, and typography, offering a unique perspective on the significance of language in contemporary art.

About James Ly

James Ly is a Kuala Lumpur-based artist, curator, and academic with a BA in multimedia design and an MSc in 3D animation from RMIT (Aus) and Dundee University (UK). In 2010, he co-founded Minut Init, an artist run gallery dedicated to the diversification of the artistic climate in Malaysia. He is also the co-founder of Anthology of Metaverses in 2020, an online initiative virtual exhibition space and digital preservation project that aims to encourage critical conversations in contemporary art and screen culture. With interests spanning across philosophy, anthropology, technology, internet, games, and language, his art practice contemplates the events that unfold in our realities, and investigates conventions within the cultural systems of our time.

About Muzium Telekom

Muzium Telekom, also known as the Telekom Museum, is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Established in 1994, the museum is housed in a neo-classical building constructed in 1928, which originally served as a manual telephone exchange before being upgraded to a mechanical exchange in 1938. The museum showcases the evolution of Malaysia's telecommunications industry, featuring a collection of devices and exhibits that trace the development of communication technologies in the country. The Digital Art Gallery at Muzium Telekom is known for showcasing cutting-edge digital art forms, providing a platform for artists to experiment with technology and new media.