“Kaleidoscope Japan: Online Exhibition” is now launched with works from 13 selected artists reflecting the artists’ personal perceptions and hopes of Japan and its relationship with Malaysia, and this online exhibition will be happening until 24 April 2022! at https://www.jfklevents.my/kaleidoscopejp/!

This exhibition will feature varied conversations surrounding Malaysia-Japan created by ranging disciplines of artists with underlying observations of our social, cultural, political and economical climate.

Beginning with Week 1: Pandang Ke Mana?, Week 2: Identity, Week 3: Myth and Phenomenon to Week 4: Spatial Memory, a series of events is planned on virtual and physical sites to provide space for interactions. Throughout the exhibition period, visitors can dive into each artist’s narrative in small groups during the online Obento Lunch Tour (non-video work) and Oshaberi Supper Tour (video-based work), as well as watch a 12-hour durational hybrid performance by one of the selected artist.

Check out the list of events happening below throughout the exhibition period, together with their registration links too! See you at Kaleidoscope Japan!  EVENT LIST  

Oshaberi Supper Tour with Azzad Diah, Roopesh Sitharan and Katsuyuki Hattori – an intimate screening and chit chat session. Join Roopesh Sitharan and Katsuyuki Hattori as they ‘encounter’ playfully over the internet, and Pandang Timur with Azzad Diah’s gaze at the South China Sea.
Date: 29 March 2022, Tuesday
Time: 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM
Platform: Virtual via Zoom and Facebook Live at JFKL & Kaleidoscope Japan FB Page
(*Limited to 15-20pax only on Zoom. If you prefer to observe the session, please join us on Facebook Live instead.)
> SESSION ENDED <

Oshaberi Supper Tour with Dhan Illiani Yusof and Linus Chung – a casual chit chat session. With a theme in Japanese language and literature, Dhan made a performance art to practise her Japanese & Linus attempted to make a Haiku film.
Date: 1 April 2022, Friday
Time: 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM
Platform: Virtual via Zoom and Facebook Live at JFKL & Kaleidoscope Japan FB Page
> SESSION ENDED <
Limited to 15-20pax only on Zoom. This session will be livestreamed on Facebook, and all responses will be recorded for documentation purposes. We encourage you to watch the films beforehand. (Suggested time: 20 mins).

Obento Lunch Tour with Wong Xiang Yi – an interactive virtual tour to Wong Xiang Yi’s studio. Learn more about Xiang Yi’s process and influence of BL manga in finding her own cultural identity in traditional ink painting.
Date: 6 April 2022, Wednesday
Time: 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Platform: Virtual via Zoom
(*Limited to 15-20pax only on Zoom.)
> SESSION ENDED <

Oshaberi Supper Tour with Jun Ong and Shaman Tearoom – an intimate chit chat session on what it means to be a Japanese, a Malaysian or an outsider via the lens of three individuals in Shaman Tearoom’s work or two lightbulbs in Jun Ong’s work.
Date: 8 April 2022, Friday
Time: 10:00 PM – 10:45 PM
Platform: Virtual via Zoom and Facebook Live at JFKL & Kaleidoscope Japan FB Page
> SESSION ENDED <
Limited to 15-20pax only on Zoom. This session will be livestreamed on Facebook, and all responses will be recorded for documentation purposes. We encourage you to watch the films beforehand (Suggested time: 20 mins).

Obento Lunch Tour with Yvonne Tan – a short reading session with Yvonne Tan. Find out more about the women in myth stories from two different cultures and the ideas behind this adapted work.
Date: 12 April 2022, Tuesday
Time: 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Platform: Virtual via Zoom and Facebook Live at JFKL & Kaleidoscope Japan FB Page
> REGISTRATION <
Limited to 15-20pax only on Zoom. This session will be livestreamed on Facebook, and all responses will be recorded for documentation purposes. We encourage you to watch the films beforehand (Suggested time: 20 mins).

EveryThoughtI’veEverHad: Contemplating the origin of the sun – a 12 hours long performance from sunset till sunrise by the trio Arief Hamizan, Bryan Chang, and Tung Jit Yang who embarked in a curious experiment of endless train of thoughts while exploring their personal relationships to Japan.
Date: 16 – 17 April 2022, Saturday to Sunday
Time: 7:18 PM – 7:07 AM
Venue/Platform: KongsiKL (physical event) and Twitch (virtual event)
(More details to be shared closer to the performance date)

Obento Lunch Tour with Harold Reagan Eswar @ Egn – a casual artist talk with Egn. When we travel to a foreign country, we are often reminded of our own homeland. Egn maps these emotions and experiences into a spatial biography.
Date: 19 April 2022, Tuesday
Time: 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Venue/Platform: Balai Seni Sabah (physical event) and Facebook Live at JFKL & Kaleidoscope Japan FB Page (virtual event)
(*Limited to 15-20pax only at Balai Seni Sabah.)

Oshaberi Supper Tour with Blankmalaysia and Ridhwan Saidi – an intimate screening and chit chat session. Blankmalaysia and Ridhwan both responded to Kaleidoscope Japan by looking inwards at their own locality and memory, which are Setapak and ‘Hankyu Jaya’ respectively.
Date: 22 April 2022, Friday
Time: 10:00 PM – 10:45 PM
Platform: Virtual via Zoom and Facebook Live at JFKL & Kaleidoscope Japan FB Page
> REGISTRATION <
Limited to 15-20pax only on Zoom. This session will be livestreamed on Facebook, and all responses will be recorded for documentation purposes. We encourage you to watch the films beforehand (Suggested time: 20 mins).

The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur (JFKL) is calling for applications to Kaleidoscope Japan, an online exhibition happening in March 2022, for established and emerging artists alike to experiment and make new work.

(Kaleidoscope Japan hopes to provide support for the continuation and production of works by artists, creators, collectives and groups during the public health crisis COVID-19).

  PROJECT CONCEPT  
All across the world, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, our usual social places closed down. Yet, at the same time, we observed a rise in new and reimagined virtual social spaces. Even in times of uncertainty, or maybe because of the uncertainties, we are drawn to stay connected with others; to find the familiar or even new ways to help take it in.

Looking through a kaleidoscope allows us to see things only differently and presents a whole new imagery altogether. In other words, it can also bring in ever-changing and endless possibilities, so as long as you shake it up and hold it to the light.

2022 will mark the 65th year of the diplomatic relationship between Malaysia and Japan and the 40th year of the Look East Policy since it was implemented in 1982. How has our relationship changed or developed over the years? What took place, and what is still in the works? And as we move forward, what does our future hold?

Reflecting your personal encounters, memories, thoughts or hopes on Japan, or through a wider lens when it comes to the connection and relationship between the two countries, we hope to create a kaleidoscope with artworks of all forms in this exhibition and hope to keep being connected while we still cannot physically travel to each other freely.

  JURY PANEL