Malaysia

Low Pey Sien

admin Resident Artist, Southeast Asian Arts Residency ,
Low Pey Sien
Photo: Farahin Fadzlishah.

Malaysian cultural worker Low Pey Sien spent several months in residence at Rimbun Dahan in 2025.

About the Artist

Low Pey Sien (b. 1991) is a Malaysian cultural worker from Kuantan, Pahang. Her architectural background is a major influence – her works observe the relationship between space, place, and people. She often sees herself as an observer rather than a participant, a listener rather than a creator. She enjoys different perspectives and taking time to understand and put things together into a bigger picture.

She mainly works in photography, film, and graphic media, lately actively exploring themes on body, shame and identity. Her works were exhibited in “Kenduri Seni Patani” art festival organised by Patani Art Space , Thailand (2024), “Continuum” exhibition under the “Creative Access in New Media” online residency, organised by In Transit, UK and Filamen (2024), “No Self, Just Body” exhibition under the “ACAC AiR 2023: Starquakes” by Aomori Contemporary Art Center, Aomori, Japan (2023), and “Women in Film & Photography 2023: Bodies” organised by Objectifs, Singapore (2023).

Her recent video works include video art “Wani-Onna” (2024), dance documentary ”Movement: We Are Bodies” (2022), dance film “La La Li Ta Tang Pong” (2020), video art “Keroncong Kuala Lumpur II” (2017), and video art ”Invisible Old Klang Road” (2016).

When she is not creating, she freelances as curator, producer, and graphic designer, mainly working with her friends, to bring their creative works into this world.

https://www.instagram.com/playstesen/

About the Residency

During my residency at Rimbun Dahan in January and March 2025, I was able to revisit a project that was put on hold due to other commitments. Being in this special retreat gave me time and space to rest, and to focus on editing a short documentary, tentatively titled “Summer Camp”. 

Three years ago, My friends and I had the opportunity to document the 4D3N reunion gathering attended by over 100 former Internal Security Act (ISA) political detainees. These former ISA political detainees were mostly detained in the 1960s and 1970s. They shared with us the significant events during their detention, and shared memories of collective resistance in this period of white terror. However, their struggle is not homogenous, they came from diverse backgrounds and political ideals. Even so, they began to understand each other, fostering care, love, support, and resolving conflicts between themselves. Perhaps this is the most important spirit that emerges from the political detention camps—a spirit that is very much needed in our diverse society.

The statement sounds very nice, but actually I’m still at a loss as to how to piece the materials together. At the end of my residency in March, I couldn’t see the form yet. I hope to push the progress a little bit more for this coming open studio in July.

Fauzan Fuad

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Fauzan Fuad

Malaysian visual artist Fauzan Fuad undertook a 3-month residency at Rimbun Dahan under the Southeast Asian Arts Residency, from May to July 2025.

About the Artist

Fauzan Fuad (b. 1987, Kuala Lumpur) is a painter and photographer whose work bridges the raw aesthetics of urban culture with the experimental ethos of Abstract Expressionism. He began his artistic journey in 2012 as an assistant to renowned artist Yusof Ismail (Yusof Gajah) at Universiti Malaya, a formative experience that lasted one and a half years. Since then, he has committed himself fully to a path of self-discovery as a full-time artist.

Fauzan’s artistic vocabulary draws heavily from the worlds of punk, vandalism, skateboarding, and raw urban visuals, blending them with influences from the western Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1950s. This synthesis results in works that are bold, unfiltered, and deeply rooted in contemporary subcultures. He debuted his first solo exhibition at China House, Penang, in 2018. This was followed by his solo photography exhibition, “44”, at Zon Tiga, Kuala Lumpur, in 2020. Most recently, in 2024, he held his third solo show, titled “POV”, at Rissim Contemporary, Kuala Lumpur. Additionally, he has been invited to participate in his debut artist residency program, “SUNYI,” organized by Balai Seni Negara Langkawi, towards the end of the year. Fauzan’s work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions both locally and internationally. Highlights include the Gwangju International Art Fair (by Hin Bus Depot Gallery), Gwangju, South Korea (2020); SH/FT: Contemporary Visual Art organized by CENDANA at White Box MAPKL@ Publika, Kuala Lumpur (2019); “Cannot Be Bo(a)rded” at Espace Commines, Paris, France (2017); Malaysian Art Expo 2015 (represented by A2 Gallery); “CONSTANT PRESENT” organized by FINDARS at FINDARS Art Space, Kuala Lumpur (2021); and the Malaysia Emerging Artist Award 2022 Exhibition by CIMB Foundation & HOM Art Trans Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.

As of 2025, Fauzan continues to live and work in Kuala Lumpur, pushing the boundaries of his creative practice while remaining deeply engaged with the cultural landscapes that inspire him.

Artist Statement

When I arrived on May 1st, 2025, I came with a clear intention: to experiment within my artistic practice—whether through photography, painting, or idea-based work drawn from the experiences of this residency. I wasn’t sure how the site would influence me or what emotions it might stir, but I arrived with an open mind.

One of the first idea-based works that emerged was a performance piece. Something about this place demanded that the work take that form—it had to be performance, and it had to be documented. This piece also became part of my ongoing experimentation with mark-making. It will be my first foray into performance as a medium, and I will be collaborating with an artist I met during my previous residency.

Another early development was a photographic installation, inspired by one of the first images I captured with my phone on the day I arrived, as well as the studio space provided for experimentation. That initial visual response became a point of reflection, helping me to reconsider and refine my own visual language and perspective.

Midway through the residency, I received a new commission that needed to be completed on-site and within a tight deadline. After fulfilling this, I returned to painting—my primary and most familiar practice. This period gave me valuable time and solitude to reflect on both myself and my work. I found myself reconsidering how I approach painting: pushing and pulling within the process, exploring layering, surface, and the materiality of marks. I allowed intuition and instinct to guide me. Often, the environment inspired me in subtle, unconscious ways. The color palette and visual moods in my work shifted, reflecting the surroundings I was immersed in.

Four of the paintings developed during this time are now part of a group exhibition, OUTSIDE-IN, at Galeri Sasha, the gallery that represents me. This show had already been confirmed just before I began the residency.

Beyond the studio, I kept up with my regular physical routine—swimming, running, and, for the first time, trying tennis, which I was introduced to here. These physical activities also became a form of mental grounding, offering balance throughout the creative process.

As I reflect on my time here, I feel deeply grateful—for the space, the solitude, the challenges, and the discoveries. This residency offered me more than just time to work; it gave me a chance to reconnect with my practice, to take creative risks, and to listen closely to my instincts. I leave with new insights, new works, and a renewed sense of direction—both in art and in self.

Fauzan Fuad’s residency at Rimbun Dahan is additionally supported by a grant from Balai Seni Negara.

Tan Choon Ting

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Tan Choon Ting

Malaysian painter Tan Choon Ting undertook a 3-month residency at Rimbun Dahan from March to May 2025.

About the Artist

Tan Choon Ting was born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia in 1992. Graduated from the Fine Arts Department of National Changhua Normal University in Taiwan in 2019. In recent years, he has been focusing on painting as his main creation. In his creation, he is interested in accident, expressiveness of painting and microcosm.

https://www.instagram.com/tanchoonting

About the Residency

At Rimbun Dahan, I created works about nightscapes, portraits, plants, and passive imagination.

What impacted me the most when I first arrived here was the nightscape. I enjoy gazing into the night—it feels mysterious, and at the same time, there’s a strange pleasure in being conquered by it. I tried to find a subjective color that could represent this feeling within the night.

Portraits and plants always seem to “appear” together. My understanding of the plants didn’t come from actively studying them, but rather through the words of speakers during the guided tours here—those moments of “Ah, so that’s what it is.” This way of encountering things is a kind of escape I long for, a way to receive what we often call inspiration.

As for passive imagination—one day, on my way out to buy groceries, I saw some common roadside plants, and suddenly felt a sense of rediscovery. Perhaps this feeling came from the contrast with having stayed in the jungle of Rimbun Dahan for some time. It refreshed and reversed my perception, creating an alternating relationship between subject and object. At one moment, the inside becomes the outside; at another, the outside turns into the inside—pointing freely in either direction.

Bumi Liar (Izuan Shah)

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Bumi Liar (Izuan Shah)

Malaysian musical artist Bumi Liar (real name Izuan Shah) undertook a six-week residency at Rimbun Dahan in April-May 2025.

About the Artist

Izuan Shah is a songwriter/composer and multi-instrumental musician based in Kuala Lumpur. He has a music repertoire stretching back 20 years with his art band Auburn, his pop duo Emmett I, and various other featured appearances. He trained at the Australia Institute of Music in Sydney, majoring in composition. Returning on break in 2013, he was awarded for his music video treatment to Auburn’s song, “Youth”, in the Best Digital Music Video category at the Malaysian Digital Film Awards that year. In 2019, his rock song for Emmett I, “Mogok”, was featured in the Southeast Asian blockbuster film, Polis Evo 2. 

In January 2024, his song “Jiwa Kuala Lumpur”, written for his hometown on a routine LRT commute to the studio, was performed by the Kuala Lumpur’s DBKL Orchestra. At the end of last year, he was made honorary member of London-based collective Bill Dury And The Healers in Camden’s vibrant pub scene.

His songs have arced from the third culture idealism of his youth towards a more seasoned, rustic worldview which expresses his Southeast Asian consciousness while preserving his sense of romanticism for a just world.

A writer at heart, his lifelong journaling and lyrical practice has crystallised over time as one with his musical output, evolving him into an artist striding further into the realm of poeticism. Izuan’s current residency brings him back home full circle to the essence of his creative purpose: storytelling.

https://www.instagram.com/izuanshah.isme/
https://vimeo.com/81976138
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1EK8FMYRp1JT21bAUAjE2D


About the Residency

My tenure at Rimbun Dahan has removed me from the racing machinery of city existence, and opened me up to redirect my musical journey. Here I am given license to pursue a solo album that accepts realist commercial standards, while crucially returning to the beauty and parity of nature and the communal. My main focus here has entailed the sharpening of an artistic style where an East/West fusion serves the universal receiver, ideally sparking a conjunct spectrum of response and activation from both the proud listener and the inspired arts practitioner. The lyrical work meanwhile should speak for a silent majority, beyond the introspection and catharsis of the songwriter. For my current process, I have deliberately eschewed the luxury of modern studio approaches, making do with only voice, guitar, the humble dabruka hand drum, and maracas to shape the harmonic and rhythmic foundations. With a white canvas to express melody lines and inflections to my taste, I am also prompted to record previously suppressed traditional rhythms myself without relying on the touch of specialist players.

Unique synthesis options are also available to me here, such as live gamelan ensemble, prepared piano, and field recordings. Digital treatment has been only necessary for the rendering of these found sounds into the raw song material to complete these album demos, which will be reproduced in Jakarta as a full-length to be mixed and mastered in London. In a concerted move away from the rock band format, the original spirit of my previous ouvre–truth, resistance, rebellion, protest, amplified dissonance–has not been abandoned, but merely augmented with a matured emotional quotient in resilience towards the external chaos of the times. These dramatic elements have not been necessarily softened, but refined with subtler textures and refrained tones in the performance of my present Bumi Liar vessel (a stage name which translates simply to ‘wild world’) and my personal constitution of what could be defined as contemporary Malaysiana. This Bumi Liar aesthetic was conceived with a view towards preserving the musical, literary, visual, and cultural tenets of my birth heritage, descendant of my multi-strained ‘Nusantaran’ lineage, with all its inherent spiritual, mystical, and folklore aspects. The bi-lingual Melodis Pasca Silam (Post-Ancient Melodist) album may be preceded by an EP, entitled Kehalusan (Refinery), and will be made available into physical formats as a touring card along with its requisite digital presence.

M. Sahzy

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M. Sahzy

Malaysia sculpture artist M. Sahzy was in residence at Rimbun Dahan for one month in March 2025.

About the Artist

Born in 1996, M. Sahzy, an artist and sculptor residing in Kuching, Sarawak, draws inspiration from the lush jungle surroundings, crafting surreal sculptures from organic materials found within.

Each artwork is a testament to his deep connection with nature, reflecting the intricate interplay between materials, environment, and his boundless imagination. Spending weeks or even months on each piece, Sahzy infuses his sculptures with personal narratives and experiences, creating a captivating visual journey for the viewer. In addition to natural elements, Sahzy seamlessly incorporates discarded man-made objects, further enriching the storytelling aspect of his creations.

Through his artworks, Sahzy invites people to think about change, strength, and the cycles of life. He also highlights his deep interest in forgotten objects and the spaces they inhabit.

About the Residency

During my one-month art residency at Rimbun Dahan, I embraced the challenge of creating an installation and sculptures that carried a familiar narrative—but using entirely new materials and spaces, far from my usual resources in Sarawak.

The lush forest of Rimbun Dahan became both my muse and my source of materials. I collected discarded objects scattered throughout the woodland, transforming forgotten fragments into something meaningful. With my studio nestled so close to the forest, I was able to fully immerse myself in the creative process.

Each day, the symphony of rustling leaves, the earthy scent of damp soil, the presence of monkeys, birds, and frogs, and the textures of bark and trees guided my hands.

What began as an experiment in adaptation became a month-long dialogue between nature and creation.

Now, Gerbang Alam / Portals stands complete—a testament to the beauty of reinvention and the quiet whispers of the forest that shaped it.

The Otters sculpture, crafted from driftwood and ironwood, will find its place by the lake at Rimbun Dahan—a fitting home for its spirit.

CC Kua

Bilqis Hijjas Resident Artist, Southeast Asian Arts Residency , , ,
CC Kua

CC Kua (b. 1991, Malaysia) is a Kuala Lumpur based artist who focuses on contemporary drawing or painting. Sometimes, she just walks around. Born in Sungai Petani, Kedah, CC obtained her BA (Hons) in Graphic Design and Illustration, The One Academy (degree conferred by the University of Hertfordshire). She then pursued her MFA from the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts, Taiwan.

Through her works, she attempts to make people ‘see’; often like a peeping hole, the viewing experience can be quite exciting, intimate or nothing. Most of the time, she is inspired by daily life happenings including her dreams. She creates casual mise-en-scène by laying out characters, shapes, colors, lines… which is merely to please the eyes and sometimes herself ­– the story comes later, or no story at all. However, when she is very sure of a picture or concept, she transfers it from her mind to a surface precisely. CC Kua views society as a big loaf of bread, while the majority is heading towards totality or meta-narrative (the big bread), her passion as an artist is to pick up the bread crumbs (fragments or values that have been left behind). Of course, it is just a metaphor, she doesn’t eat the bread crumbs…

‘I wander, I wonder.
I observe, I execute.
Sometimes, I just observe and record.’

CC Kua will be our Southeast Asian Arts Residency artist for 3 months starting in January. To learn more about her works, visit her website and her Instagram. You can also read these articles written about her and her works :

 

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2019/06/14/artist-cc-kua-exhibition-painting-lostgens

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/people/2016/08/09/artists-work-to-sting-like-a-mosquito-bite

Deborah Augustin

Bilqis Hijjas Resident Artist, Southeast Asian Arts Residency , ,
Deborah Augustin

Deborah Germaine Augustin is a writer trained in narrative fiction. During her MFA in creative writing, she discovered an affinity with the lyric essay and has been experimenting with the form ever since. She draws inspiration from Hilton Als, Leslie Jamison and Alexander Chee. Her work engages with migration, otherness, hybrid and postcolonial identity, the fantastic, and Southeast Asian myth.

In 2018, her lyric essay about immigration and racism in the United States was shortlisted for the Chautauqua Janus Prize and the Writers at Work competition in the nonfiction category. In 2019, she was admitted to the Orchids Without Attached Thighs writing workshop.

Since returning to Malaysia from the United States, she has taught creative writing and creative nonfiction at the university level. She has also taught and facilitated creative writing outside of academia.

During her 2-month residency, she will be working on creative nonfiction essays about family, truth, and monstrous femininity.

You can find out more about her works here or follow her on Twitter.

Afi Noor

Bilqis Hijjas Resident Artist, Southeast Asian Arts Residency , , ,
Afi Noor

Afi Noor (b. 1990) is a poet based in Kuala Lumpur. She has read and performed in Singapore, London, and participated in 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of KCL’s King’s Players. She ran Spill the Ink Poetry Lab, a monthly poetry workshop as part of SpeakCityAsia’s initiative, connecting established local and international writers with budding homegrown poets. Her poems are published in a chapbook called Ten Poems (2012) and featured in Kisah Journal by PUSAKA, Asian Centre Anthology of Malaysian Poetry in English, Rambutan Literary and When I Say Spoken, You Say Word Anthology.

Her current project, She Brings Monsoon aims to explore ways to capture the multifaceted essence of a Kelantanese Malay woman. By taking on the journey to dig through her own personal and shared narratives, rediscovering the vocabulary of the region, and grappling with the twists and turns between tradition and modernity, her poems took on the role to inform undocumented stories of hijabi and Kelantanese. These poems also try to investigate the possibilities – and limitations – constructed within the two languages: English and Kelantanese. These limitations will be further explored through body articulations as a performance poet. Her choice to don the hijab further enforces her artist statement – how much power does this cloth has, and can that power be depatriarchalized through unconventional states of the body?

Afi Noor is here for 2 weeks as a resident writer in our Southeast Asian Arts Residency program. She intends to use the time away from the city and familiar faces at Rimbun Dahan to write new writings related to her personal history. The natural surroundings and the visceral experience of staying in an actual kampung house may help her to be more aware of her senses and body as a Kelantanese Malay woman.

You may find more of her updates at her Instagram or the hashtag #afinoorwrites

 

Works: 

Sambal in Rambutan Literary (2017) https://www.rambutanliterary.com/issue-three-afi-noor—sambal.html

Mother Prepares the Ritual in Rambutan Literary (2017) https://www.rambutanliterary.com/issue-three-afi-noor—mother-prepares-the-ritual.html

 

 

 

Kim Ng

Bilqis Hijjas Resident Artist, Southeast Asian Arts Residency , ,
Kim Ng

Kim Ng is an artist and art educator based in Kuala Lumpur.  He works with a variety of media and art forms such as mixed media painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, and installation work.  Kim Ng did his Diploma in Fine Art from Kuala Lumpur College of Art, and then pursued his Fine Art BA honours degree at London Guildhall University, London.  He further completed his MA in Design and Media Art from the University of Westminster and MA by Project from London Metropolitan University, both in London, UK.  He has exhibited locally and abroad and taking part in the International art workshop in Southeast Asia countries like Taiwan and Thailand, and also local artist’s residency. Kim Ng currently teaches Printmaking and Sculpture at Dasein Academy of Art, and he is also the Head of the Fine Art department.

Working as a multidisciplinary artist, Kim Ng explores his concern on memory, relocation and dislocation, social phenomenon and human conducts through various materials, methods and artistic style. Through collecting information and material from the place we live, Kim Ng works with the direct fact that happens around us through various resources to define who we are and projecting the issues and questions in the course of the visual language that associates with each individual’s experience. His practice reflects the subjective way of seeing and thinking in the process of art-making, building up a vocabulary of feelings through materials and its visual representation.  Kim Ng’s works never settled into one way making, the variation in materials, art forms and methods of making keeps him stimulated and engaged with his art-making.

Kim Ng is here on a 3-month residency under our Southeast Asian Arts Residencies program. You can find out more about his works at his Instagram.

Charis Loke

Bilqis Hijjas Resident Artist, Southeast Asian Arts Residency , , ,
Charis Loke

Charis Loke (b.1991) is a Malaysian illustrator and educator from Penang that will be joining us for April and May. Drawing upon literature and visual culture, she makes pictures that evoke wonder and curiosity, depicting fictional worlds and current issues with a deft combination of traditional and digital media. She is interested in the relationships between word and image as well as how images communicate, enhance, and subvert narratives.

As an illustrator working in imaginative realism, I have long been aware of the lack of Southeast Asian representation in mainstream science fiction and fantasy, despite the richness of the region’s history and myth. And yet: given that so much imagery in SF&F is based on Western symbols and iconography, how can one make genre art without relying on those tropes? How might we use influences from other cultures in an engaged, respectful manner? How does one deal with the danger of falling into an Orientalist mode of seeing, of exoticising foreign, unfamiliar things?

Beginning from October 2018, Charis has grappled with those questions in the form of a project named Kejora: sketches, stories, and characters from where the stars meet the sea and wandering roots run deep. It is fantasy inspired by the confluence of cultures in contemporary Southeast Asia and informed by current issues. Exploring themes like the resonance and dissonance of characters with their communities and what it means to feel at home, Charis will continue to further develop some of those sketches and vignettes into fully realised paintings during her two-month stay here in Rimbun Dahan.

You can find more of her work on her website here.