We started the day with a fantastic photographic timeline of the history of Malaysia. It featured photos of early settlers, trade, migration and various  leaders throughout Malaysia's early years. Could have spent much longer here but the day was marching on.

Off we went in search of another art gallery,  having double checked it was open before we set off in the heat.  We walked through the local lunch market in our neighborhood. 

So many exotic looking treats and the stall holders were doing a roaring trade.

The little puffed dough balls below looked amazing. The pan has tiny little half rounds and the lady was turning them slowly, I think they had a cheese filling. 

Stir fried noodles anyone? Huge wok/pans. 

Chilli roasted peanuts and buja mix freshly made.

What a feast for the senses!

Right in the downtown business sector is the ILHAM Tower which has the ILHAM Gallery. The building itself is an incredible piece of architecture. 

We were lucky to see the 2022 ILHAM Art Show, one of the few galleries open.  Through Covid lockdowns many artists returned to their villages. Funding was made available through the gallery and a range of artists work selected and exhibited. Pieces explored personal, political and historical experiences of the artists  using traditional and new  technologies. 

Fantastic exhibition! Lots to think about as you walked through the galleries. My favorite was a short film, After Monsoon,  which illustrated  the relationship between the land and sea, specifically, during the monsoon season on the east coast of Kelantan. One scene  was a group of 5 young village lads talking about their dreams. One wanted to be an astronaut, another a doctor, another a driver....they were so delightful. Most will end up fishermen. 

The piece above is batik. The most popular images are leaves and flowers. Apparently it is very rare to show  humans or animals  because Islamic norms forbid animal images as decoration. The batik panels show  the history of cash crop plantations, rubber tapping, invasion, migration and  colonialism. 

When the Land Tortoise Meets the Sea Turtle is about  the relationship between the famous kites of Terengganu and the monsoons, and how they link to the  life of the local people who live there. 

The Mah Meri community lost many family members due to Covid and traditional funeral rites could not be held. Woodcarvers built a sampan carved from wood with small carvings representing those who died during the pandemic. Carvings in the shape of animals and food were  included  as their resource on their ‘return journey’

 This work used a woman’s head (the mother) as a symbol of calm and hope. It's made from coconut coir and has a  natural texture and soft scent.  

This video above takes the ritual at the temple, where believers would kowtow rapidly for a thousand times while counting under their breath,  and adds a modern  context. 

Back to our hotel after a fantastic day in Kuala Lumpur city.  The public transport system is great, super clean, cheap and gets you pretty much wherever you want to venture. 

We were talking to our hotel manager about how we'd noticed KL feeling like it has had a massive spruce up . He confirmed that during lockdown many parts of the city had  a complete overhaul in cleanliness and as many people returned to their villages, businesses closed. Now landlords have dropped prices  for commercial rentals to secure tennants and new tennants are maintaining the new commercial hygiene standards. We've noticed many of the old shop houses being revitalized with groovy young entrepreneurs taking the reins - exciting times for KL.