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"Malaysia Hot News"

• The longest-serving former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Tun Mahathir Mohamad, celebrated his 100th birthday on July 10, 2025. The internet is filled with his secrets to a long life. What nobody talks about is that he received a screenprint artwork from a Malaysian screenprinting master, Stephen Menon, as a gift​ ​
• Have you ever heard of "Plantation Life" by Gogularaajan Rajendran? If you haven't, it's time to check out the exhibition at Ilham Gallery (20th July 2025). "Plantation Life" explores the stories, struggles, and Tamil folk songs of Indian Malaysians on plantations
• Have you seen the recently concluded exhibition, Lanna, the third solo show by self-taught Malaysian artist Lim Siang Jin? Stephen Menon curates the 134-page e-catalogue exhibition. If you've missed it, no problem. Check the catalogue here​​
• Sunjay Perumal is making a significant return to mainstream cinema with a bang! He has scheduled a screening of three of his movies, starting with the rescreening of "Jagat," followed by "Macai" and "Blues" (formerly known as "Neer Mel Neruppu")
• ​The Male Odyssey is a solo exhibition by Sanker Ganesh, held at Artas Galleri. He has created a total of 12 paintings for this second solo show. Sanker is a promising self-taught artist from the ArtVoice Collective (AVC). Keep an eye out for his next project!
• In the recent 20th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards (BCAA) held at the Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC), Professor Dr. Tan Sooi Beng was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to dance, music, theatre, and musical theatre since 2002
• Prestine Davekhaw, a prominent name in Malaysia, is actively exploring cultural photography, bringing in inspiring stories to viewers. Check her recent cultural exploration in the Maldives
• ​Bleat! - Malaysian Short Film makes history at Cannes Critics' Week. It scored a historic first, a short film from Malaysia. Kudos to Ananth Subramaniam
• ​'Blue Print - Red Edition is an International Printmaking Exhibition held at Galeri Seni Ilham - UiTM Shah Alam, which held its Curated Talk by Khairul Zikri Abdullah on 12th July 2025
• ​MyThinkCity has launched a grant application to celebrate Heritage Merdeka 118. This grant aims to invite passionate changemakers to develop their ideas within the Merdeka 118 precincts. Dateline is 10 August 2025
• Shi Han from Human Edition has released a pre-order for her brand new book, Human Langkawi, which she worked on for the past six months. Get yours here for MYR119.00

"Singapore & Southeast Asia Hot News"

• Singapore is celebrating its 60th birthday with an exhibition titled "Artist's Proof," curated by Kwok Kian Chow, featuring over 90 works from more than 50 artists. Don't miss the homage by a Singaporean Cartoonist, Sonny Liew, to Singapore's founding fathers.
• A 10-day arts festival, Art SG, part of Singapore Art Week, might have concluded, but it still resonates in an artistic mind. Featuring 130 events across various venues, there were many exciting works to admire, some for your viewing pleasure.​
• Intended to uncover the stories of ordinary people who have come to shape Singapore’s social fabric and collective memory, artist Neo Kim Seng held a show, My Grandfather’s Road – Ten Year Series 2015–2025. More details here​
• National Gallery Singapore has found a new virtual way to engage with art, a technology powered by Azure OpenAI
• Jakarta took as a call to action for the limited art space with Jakarta PROVOKE. In this second year, 19 artists are showcasing works. ​

"Global Hot News"

• ​A breakup letter written by Tupac Shakur to Madonna in 1995 has surfaced. The letter is written while he is jailed at Rikers Island
• Ai Weiwei announced his next project, "Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White," a new artwork about war in Ukraine
• ​Gen Zers are flooding NYC art schools as they see record-high application numbers. Sounds like the future is bright for the art market
• Fan of printmaking? View the drawing and printmaking works from the 15th to the 19th century in Europe