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"Malaysia Hot News"

• ​Vanissa Foo, a local artist and illustrator, made a headline once again with Young Guns 23. She won the title alongside 32 other winners around the world. What a proud moment.
• Perakian, bulk up! ALIM (Art x Law Initiative Malaysia) hosted by Papillon Artelier at French Hotel in Ipoh on 7th February 2026 from 2-4 pm. The program aimed to connect arts advocacies.
• Johor is taking the lead to expand the art industry. Yes, another Johor Bahru Town Festival 2026 (JBTF 2026) is back on 31 January 2026
• A new SEA Illustration Council is in the town. Led by many who run an illustration fair in SEA countries, this council is committed to a resource exchange and bridging communities within.
• It's important to pay attention to wildlife-related events in Malaysia. ‘An Ambush of Tigers’ Paintings by Rebecca Duckett-Wilkinson will be on display at @hikayat_penang from 24th January until 1st March 2026. A visit is a must. ​
• CNN Travel and The New York Times just named Penang as one of the top places to visit in 2026.
• Xeem Noor is putting up a solo show, "Tatemonologue 2.0", at Balai Seni Negara. The show is available public from January to April 2026.
• ​L.I.F.E, a Malaysian film with a low budget of RM100 made for a global stage for powerful storytelling.​

scroll down for Open, Hiring Calls & Opportunities

"Singapore & Southeast Asia Hot News"

• ​SEA countries Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines banned Grok AI over the tool’s “digital undressing”, which facilitates the creation of non-consensual, sexualised nude or near-nude deepfake images, including of children.
• created at least 67,800 years ago, Indonesian cave may be world’s oldest known rock art.
• The Print Show & Symposium Singapore debuted during Singapore Art Week (SAW). Full review here.
• ​(Re)Defining Singapore, a new anthology initiated by National Gallery Singapore a few months ago. The book is offciated by the President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

"Global Hot News"

• World’s biggest comic book convention, San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), has banned A.I. art effective 2026​
• ​50ft long, 10ft tall sand-coloured mural dedicated to children killed in Ga)Za, a homage to the 18,457 children.
• ​U.S. Museums and Galleries join nationwide strike, protesting ICE.

"Open | Hiring Calls & Opportunities"

1. ​Olympia Zine Fest 2026 Applications Open Call - Deadline 01 February 2026
2. ​Jakarta Artket 06 Open Call - Deadline may close earlier
3. ​Bandung Zine Fest 2026 - Deadline 24 January 2026
4. ​MR.DIY Art Competition 2026 is open - Deadline 16 February 2026
5. ​artHAUS Creative Residency Open Call for creatives and researchers from Southeast Asia - Deadline not announced
6. ​Seoul Illustration Fair (SIF) 2026 Open Call - Deadline until booth is reached
7. ​Book Illustrators Gallery (BIG) Open Call for SEA artists - Deadline 22 February 2026
8. ​Ghent Art Book Fair 2026 for Young, Midfield, and established publishers for €20 = €120 on - 15 February 2026
9. ​ILHAM Student Council 2026 Application Open Call - Deadline 08 February 2026
10. ​GAF Shanghai International Illustration Art Expo 2026 - Deadline 31 March 2026
11. ​A Japan's Open Call for Worldwide Creatives & Illustrators by Jinny Street Gallery - Deadline 15 February 2026
12. ​‘2026’ Ruang Teduh Art Fair Open Call at Ruang Teduh Gallery, TRX exchange Deadline - 12 February 2026 ​​
13. Geran TABUNG BANTUAN SENI (TBS) 2026 Open Call, available in three terms - Deadline 16 January, 15 May & 14 August 2026
14. ​Leads Strategy, Development is needed. Pay SGD4,000, Based in Malaysia.
15. ​Ephemere Photobook Grant 2026, Details here - Deadline 31 March 2026
16. A open call for SEA photographers, artists, and image-makers by TRUTH FLUX​​, Tiga Mata Issue 5 - Deadline 08 February 2026
17. Wanna be a Fulfilment Executive, Finance & Accounts Executive, Retail Associate Mosserymy is hiring! Hit your CV to careers@mossery.co - asap
18. ​Fukuoka Asian Art Museum Artist-in-Residence Program 2026 Open Call is out! - Deadline 25 January 2026
19. ​Riso Fan! Open Call 2026 with theme "Fire Horse" Guidelines + submission info in bio link - Deadline 31 January 2026
20. ​ARTJOG 2026 Open Call with theme "SOSIALISASI" - Deadline 31 January 2026
21. Open call 36th World Festival of Animated Film - Deadline 01 February 2026
22. ​Cipta Seni Incubator announced its second edition. It is a development programme for performance artists and collectives in Malaysia. - Deadline 02 February 2026
23. ​Open Call to Malaysian Artists in any medium by Primary Exhibitions - Deadline 31 March 2026
24. ​5th Screenplay Contest TIFF 2026 submissions are now open - Deadline 21 May 2026
25. ​Hiring an host for TV project, more details here - Deadline NA

"Awesome Art Bits"

• The biggest books (approximately 100 x 67cm; 40 x 28 inches) in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. John James Audubon’s immense 4-volume ‘Birds of America’ was made up of 435 hand-coloured prints.
• Tiger for courage and protection, and Xiamen is still making tiger lanterns in tradional way. ​​
• Norway launched the world's first panoramic night train to watch the Northern Lights during autumn and spring.
• Indian miniature painting, which extensively uses Indian Yellow. This is how it is produced.
• ​Tapestries made of LEGO. This large-scale geometric wall installation is very impressive.