Latest news with #Bayu
The Star
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
In Bayu Utomo Radjikin's world, flesh and tension hang quietly in the air
Last year, the Malaysian art scene was jolted by a blast from the past as Bayu Utomo Radjikin's Warbox (1994) installation roared back into view at Ilham Gallery's Boom Boom Bang: Play & Parody In 1990s KL exhibition – offering a new audience a rare glimpse of retro Bayu in full force. That wooden box – an anti-war statement – rekindled memories of a young Bayu, then creating urgent, hard-hitting art in the 1990s as a co-founder of the Matahati Art Group. At the National Art Gallery, Bayu's Bujang Berani – a sculpture of a Dayak warrior – is a favourite among local art lovers. Made from steel and plaster, the piece won the prestigious Bakat Muda Sezaman (Young Contemporaries Award) in 1991, and it is part of the ongoing Nusa exhibition, showing the national collection. In Kuala Lumpur today, there's no shortage of classic Bayu on display – the Pakaruddin Sulaiman collection at private museum UR-MU @ Toffee, Jalan Raja Chulan, features seven of his works, including a sculpture. Bayu, a fine arts graduate from UiTM Shah Alam, majored in sculpture — and has the awards to show for it. Yet it's painting, his minor in art school, that continues to absorb him. A figurative painter at heart, he remains on a quiet quest for answers through the canvas. Emotional landscapes Now 56, the Tawau, Sabah-born artist hasn't lost his appetite for impactful work. At Harta Space in Ampang, Selangor, Bayu is presenting 16 large-scale paintings in Resonance Of Souls, his 15th solo exhibition. In this abstract series, Bayu's artworks express deep, often intense emotions through strong body poses, dark colours, and thick, layered brushstrokes. Each painting features a nameless male figure, painted in black and white, standing out against striking red shapes that grab your attention and stir your feelings. Bayu's acrylic and charcoal work 'The Battle Between Half Full And Half Empty' draws a visitor's attention at Harta Space. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan These are not portraits in the traditional sense. They are emotional landscapes disguised as bodies. Bent, slumped, twisted, or tensed, each figure seems to wrestle with something invisible yet deeply familiar. 'I've always considered myself a figurative artist. But in these recent works, I've become more attuned to how abstract forms and patterns can carry the emotional weight just as much as the body does. That interplay, between form and feeling, muscle and motion, defines the exhibition,' says Bayu in a recent interview at Harta Space. Despite wearing many hats and managing both HOM Art Trans and Chetak 17 galleries, Bayu has made time to return to his own studio practice in Shah Alam. 'Last year, I was very much involved in monthly programming for these collectives, either giving talks or assisting in the curation of gallery shows, which is why I only showcased my works in group exhibitions. This year, I've finally managed to find some time to contemplate and create this series,' he says. In his previous show Kelompok Rasa in 2021, Bayu drew from Van Gogh's Sunflowers, exploring a world of blooms, resilience, and the quiet poetry of survival in the wild. A quiet evolution For those familiar with Bayu's long career, Resonance Of Souls stays true to his roots in painting and charcoal, but brings a new sense of refinement and focus. While past exhibitions included sculpture, installation, or mixed media, this series consists solely of paintings, each work echoing the next in tone, gesture, and emotional weight. "The figures feel solid and real, but the red shapes around them speak in another way – they carry feelings like passion, grief, anger, and memories," says Bayu. Bayu's 'Telus' is one of the few works with partially visible facial features. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan "Together, they create a kind of quiet tension that invites people to feel the artwork, not just look at it." Bayu's paintings often carry a sense of drama – and it's no surprise. While building his name in the visual art scene, he was also deeply involved in Malaysian theatre. From the 1990s to the early 2000s, he worked on stage design in KL. That theatrical background continues to shape the way he tells stories through his art. 'For a good decade, I was deeply involved in theatre productions, designing sets, working with lights, even costuming across venues like Istana Budaya, Five Arts Centre, and Sutra Dance (Theatre),' says Bayu. 'Without realising it, that world left an imprint on me. The dramatic pauses, the way bodies move through emotion on stage, the choreography of tension and release, it all found its way into how I approach my figures now,' he adds. Anatomy and atmosphere In Resonance Of Souls, there is a sense of staging in how each canvas is composed. But these aren't actors, they are warriors, seekers, men in moments of confrontation or surrender. A standout piece, Pasrah Serah (The Grace Of Surrender) shows a lone figure half-kneeling, arms partly raised – caught between surrender and resistance. It set the tone for the show and was the first work Bayu made for this 2025 series. 'That was the first painting I completed for this body of work,' says Bayu. 'And as soon as it came together, I knew it had set the emotional tone. Everything that followed grew out of the energy and balance I found in that moment.' A visitor takes a closer look at 'Pasrah Serah', the first work Bayu completed for the 'Resonance Of Souls' series. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan Though thematically united, each work stirs a different emotion, with titles like Lara (Grief), Api Hati (Fire Of The Heart), and Telus (Transparent) hinting at the series' emotional depth. These days in Kuala Lumpur, painterly shows, arguably, are becoming a rare find. Bayu smiles knowingly when asked about painting shows. 'Younger artists often experiment with different mediums as they grow, shifting directions while searching for their voice,' says Bayu. 'For me, I feel I've found the visual language that expresses what I need to say. It takes time to understand what kind of work truly speaks for you. Don't rush the process. Be honest with yourself, keep creating, and your direction will come – with clarity and conviction,' he adds. Over 30 years on from warboxes and arm-less warriors, Bayu's latest exhibition quietly champions artistic focus – showing that depth in a single medium can speak louder than constant reinvention. Resonance Of Souls is showing at Harta Space, Ampang, Selangor through July 6. Open: 10am-5pm. Free admission.
Daily Express
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Muet fee aid for all Sabah Form Six students
Published on: Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 25, 2025 Text Size: Arifin said the Bayu assistance focuses on funding the Muet examination, which is a compulsory subject for admission into bachelor's degree programmes at public institutions of higher learning (IPTA). - Bernama pic Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government has introduced the University English Test Examination Fee Assistance (Bayu) for all Form Six students, involving a financial allocation of RM918,750. State Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif said the initiative would encourage more students to prepare themselves for higher education. 'All students, not only those from the B40 category, taking Muet (Malaysian University English Test) this year will have their exam fees paid through the Sabah State Education Department (JPNS),' he told reporters after the announcement of the 2024 Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination results by JPNS Director Datuk Raisin Saidin at Menara Kinabalu, Tuesday. Arifin said the Bayu assistance focuses on funding the Muet examination, which is a compulsory subject for admission into bachelor's degree programmes at public institutions of higher learning (IPTA). He added that the State Government also provides RM1,000 in assistance to 146 excellent STPM 2024 students and RM3,000 to one outstanding Sabah student at the national level. Arifin said the State Government has also allocated substantial funds for the implementation of 13 educational aid initiatives for students, schools, parent-teacher associations and Sabah student associations both locally and abroad. Advertisement 'These initiatives aim to ease their financial burdens and empower education in Sabah,' he said.
The Star
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Weekend for the arts: Bayu's 'Resonance Of Souls', Sedar Space's paper trail
EXHIBITION: BAYU UTOMO RADJIKIN'S 'RESONANCE OF SOULS' Venue: Harta Space, Ampang, Selangor Date: ends June 29 It's always a bit of a local art world event when Bayu drops a new exhibition - and true to form, he's painted the town red, crimson, and several shades of existential maroon. In his latest solo outing, Resonance Of Souls, Bayu dives deep beneath the skin, using the human body as a stage for silent emotional dramas. The Harta gallery space is ideal to experience these impactful works. With contorted poses, visceral textures, and colour fields that practically hum with feeling, Bayu's paintings don't just speak - they brood, ache, and occasionally whisper something you can't quite hear but definitely feel. Don't come expecting portraits or personal narratives. These anonymous male figures are stripped of identity to reflect something more universal: the inner battles and unglamorous grit that shape us. It's emotional anatomy class, Bayu-style. This exhibition marks a mature evolution in the Sabah-born artist's style - blending the physical and the abstract, the seen and the sensed - offering a raw, resonant look at what it means to be human, in all our quietly heroic messiness. As a founding member of both the Matahati Collective and Hom Art Trans gallery, Bayu carries over three decades of artistic mileage - and it looks like he's still shifting gears. More info here. A visitor takes a closer look at Haslin Ismail's works at Sedar Space's group exhibition 'On Paper'. Photo: The Star/M. Irsyad EXHIBITION: 'ON PAPER' Venue: Sedar Space, Shah Alam, Selangor Date: ends June 21 There's always a good chance you'll stumble upon an interesting independent artist-run gallery show in Shah Alam - and Sedar Space continues that streak with the second installment of On Paper. This group exhibition brings together 23 artists—including Ahmad Fuad Osman, Haslin Ismail, Gan Chin Lee, Samsudin Wahab, Amron Omar, the late Othman Mansor, Lina Tan, Arif Rafhan Othman, Alice Tan, Haziq Shawal, Anissa Abdullah, and more—who push paper far beyond its traditional role, treating it not merely as a surface, but as a medium to sketch, collage, journal, and explore ideas in inventive ways. Divided into five parts, the show offers a range of approaches to this humble material. Some works feel intimate and autobiographical, touching on memory, culture, and identity. Others are playful, even mischievous - folded, cut, layered, and reinvented into surprising forms. Expect everything from delicate ink studies to bold, spontaneous mark-making and tactile, sculptural compositions. Whether you're drawn to conceptual pieces or visual diaries, On Paper is a reminder of how something as everyday as paper can hold extraordinary weight. A by-appointment exhibition. More info here. A painting by Tong titled 'Blister'. It is part of his solo debut exhibition 'Occurs' in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Tong Fung Chuar EXHIBITION: TONG FUNG CHUAR'S 'OCCURS' Venue: The Changing Room, Zhongshan building, KL Date: June 7-22 It's always encouraging to see emerging artists given the spotlight with solo debuts. Occurs, curated by independent curator Umar Sharif, marks Tong Fung Chuar's first solo painting exhibition - an introspective series that retraces the raw, often unsettling experiences of everyday life. With titles like Blister, Screaming Car, and Bloodletting, Tong's paintings tap into the anxiety and quiet chaos we often overlook. While exaggerated in tone, they reflect the internal melodramas we all carry, reimagined through expressive lines, solitary figures, and soft colourways that contrast with their uneasy themes. The French-trained artist presents pain, fear, and tension through naive, unstructured forms. The absence of recognisable figures leaves space for personal reflection, while the curation favours mood over narrative. More than an introduction to a promising new voice, Occurs also serves as a case study in independent exhibition-making - a reminder that art can thrive in self-created 'third spaces,' where experimentation and expression go hand in hand. Tong, who graduated from the National School of Fine Art in Dijon, eastern France in 2021, now lives and works between Kuala Lumpur and Johor. More info here. At his debut solo exhibition at Wei-Ling Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Khabir presents a striking series of large-scale wall installations. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan EXHIBITION: KHABIR ROSLAN'S 'SUKMA: MEGAH, TUNDOK' Venue: Wei-Ling Gallery, KL Date: ends June 21 After his time in the WLG Incubator Young Artists programme in 2023 under the mentorship of Yau Bee Ling, emerging artist Khabir Roslan presents a solo debut exhibition at Wei-Ling Gallery, exploring time through themes of decomposition, repair, and transformation. Using compost soil mixed with pigments and oil, along with stitched bandages and cloth, Khabir creates large-scale, tactile works layered with care and memory. Hexagonal motifs - echoing Singgora clay roof tiles from Nusantara architecture - repeat across the surfaces, evoking both fragmentation and continuity. Titled from the Bahasa Malaysia words sukma (soul), megah (greatness), and tundok (humility), the show reflects on cyclical rhythms of making. Neither quite painting nor sculpture, the works unfold as soil-stained scrolls that stretch floor to ceiling, anchored by a fragment of a boat's hull - merging gesture, object, and grounded reflection. For those new to his work, Khabir is a transdisciplinary artist whose practice weaves together science, cosmology, and philosophy. A Fine Arts graduate from UiTM Shah Alam, he was awarded "Most Promising Artist" after winning the UOB Painting of the Year 2020 in the Emerging Artist category. More info here. Shinya's artwork titled 'Hyonenzu', which is inspired by a painting by Zen monk-painter Josetsu under the commission of a shogun in 15th century Japan. Photo: Artemis Art EXHIBITION: SHINYA MASUDA'S 'HOJO ZANMAI' Venue: The Drawing Room, Yap Ah Shak House, KL Date: ends June 14 If you're on the hunt for a fresh art space in Kuala Lumpur, The Drawing Room is well worth a visit. Award-winning Japanese artist Shinya Masuda is showing his latest photomontage series, Hojo Zanmai, fresh from its debut at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025. This marks the series' first stop following its premiere at London's Somerset House. The good news is the exhibition has been extended to June 14. Shinya's practice spans a rich, multidisciplinary spectrum - drawing on Buddhist philosophy, Kantian epistemology, Einstein's theory of relativity, and principles of quantum mechanics. His works are at once meditative and intricate, inviting viewers to pause and contemplate the hidden dimensions of existence. Hojo Zanmai marks Artemis Art's third collaboration with Shinya, following his solo debut Katsuko (2016) and the virtual exhibition The Hanafuda Shuzuoko Collection (2020). Free admission. The exhibition is open daily, 10am-8pm. More info here. A close-up view of Wong's artwork 'Pakcik Dan Makcik' (acrylic on wood, 2025). Photo: Galeri Sasha EXHIBITION: WONG PERNG FEY'S ' Venue: Galeri Sasha, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), KL Date: ends June 21 Galeri Sasha is showing a solo exhibition by Wong Perng Fey, through to June 21. Developed between Austria and Malaysia, the show marks a tonal shift from the psychological intensity of his Beijing years toward a language of clarity, wit, and restraint. Featuring painting, sculpture, and a contemporary take on wayang kulit, the exhibition explores presence without performance - being rather than becoming. It signals a moment of arrival for Wong, placing him firmly within ongoing conversations around abstraction and self-representation. Known for his gestural style and evolving material language, the globe-trotting Wong has exhibited across Asia, with works in major collections including Khazanah Nasional, Singapore Art Museum, and Bank Negara Malaysia. He lives and works between Graz and Kuala Lumpur. More info here.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Decline in Indonesian press freedom alarming
Members of the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) with their faces covered with black boxes that read 'a free press is a constitutional mandate' and their wrists linked by a chain, demonstrate on May 17, 2024, outside the Blitar Legislative Council, East Java. -Antara JAKARTA: The press is facing mounting repression, with journalists reporting growing intimidation and attacks, sparking concerns over the state of media freedom as the country transitions into President Prabowo Subianto's administration. According to Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) secretary-general Bayu Wardhana, press freedom and journalist safety in the country this year has reached a 'concerning' level. 'The media are often obstructed when seeking information, directed to cover only what those in power want, banned from covering violent acts of law enforcement when dispersing protesters and pushed to act as a public relations tool for the government,' Bayu told The Jakarta Post on Friday (May 2). National news magazine Tempo has emerged as one of the most targeted media outlets this year. On May 2, a Tempo journalist documenting a police crackdown on May Day demonstrators in Semarang, Central Java, was grabbed by an officer who was attempting to seize his phone. Tempo's website suffered from a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in April following the publication of an investigative report on an online gambling network in Cambodia, allegedly linked to Indonesian political and business elites. But clearer intimidation occurred earlier in March, when the Tempo office in Jakarta received a pig's head and decapitated rats in separate incidents, both addressed to the magazine's political journalists. These cases have been reported to the police, but no visible progress has been made in the investigation. These incidents, according to Tempo editor-in-chief Setri Yasra, could discourage other outlets. 'There is a real concern that media outlets will begin self-censorship. These are clearly acts of terror to stop [media outlets] from reporting,' he said on Tuesday, drawing comparisons to the New Order era, when critical publications were shuttered by the state. AJI recorded 38 cases of violence against journalists in the first five months of the year, more than half of the 73 incidents reported throughout last year. 'We are not even halfway through the year, yet the number has already surpassed more than half of last year's total. It speaks volumes [about the state of press freedom this year],' Bayu said. Police were the leading perpetrators of violence against the press in 2024, responsible for 19 incidents, followed by members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and civilians, with 11 cases each, according to AJI. Among last year's most notable incidents was the fatal arson attack that killed Karo-based journalist Rico Sempurna Pasaribu in North Sumatra, who had received threats following his coverage of a gambling ring in the regency that was allegedly tied to local military personnel. The issue of press freedom is not the only growing concern, as the media industry is also grappling with sustainability and financial problems. A wave of mass layoffs has sparked conversations on social media after many journalists and media workers shared posts on their last day. One closure of note was the recent shuttering of the national television channel Kompas TV's program called Kompas Sport Pagi (Kompas Morning Sport), which was announced by its anchor on Thursday. Layoffs across the beleaguered industry, coupled with low wages, were described by the AJI as a form of 'economic violence' that harms those working as journalists. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) placed Indonesia in the 127th spot out of 180 countries assessed in the Press Freedom Index that was published on Friday, down 16 spots from the previous year thanks to a significant decline in journalist safety and deteriorating economic fragility. In the index, Indonesia scored 44.13, indicating a 'difficult' situation for press freedom. While the latest report was based on last year's data on violence against journalists as well as analysis of the political, legal, economic and sociocultural situation of each country, RSF said it was a reflection of the situation at the time of publication. Amnesty International secretary-general Agnès Callamard described the regressing state of press freedom in Indonesia as a hallmark of authoritarianism that infringed not only on journalists' human rights but also on the public's fundamental right to access information. 'Authoritarians often begin by weakening the media, making it financially unsustainable for independent outlets to survive, and progressively silencing them,' she said on Tuesday. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
