Malaysia has been described in many literature as a multi–ethnic, multicultural and multilingual society but yet, many ethnic groups retain their distinct cultural identities. Yes, we are really “Asia in miniature”. And among us, we recognise and embrace the importance of our unique religious, cultural and linguistic diversities.

In conjunction with the Merdeka month and Malaysia Day, Galeri Prima proudly presents WANGSA, an exhibition featuring 34 artists from various artistic backgrounds whose works reflect the heterogeneity of Malaysian culture and heritage.

The word Wangsa originates from Sanskrit to mean culture or heredity. And, it is culture and heritage that give people the sense of unity and belonging and allows us to better understand the past generations and also provide the future generations with the story of our history.

Artists Hafiz Sohaimi, Khairul Ehsani Sapari and Nurul Hayati Rohaiza visualised their observation on the richness of the Malaysian ethnicity and the variety of the languages used while Wong Kai Yi emphasised his journey of discovering his identity and the meaning of his name.

Elly Nor Suria, Hazrol Salleh and Taufik Abdullah also showcased the Malaysian identity in their artworks.

Hidawati Amin, Khairulsani Ismail, Nabihah Haiyee and Nadia Nizamudin highlighted the beauty of the woven Tenun and Songket in their works while
works by Nur Syafiqah Sanusi, Rahman Jabbar and Sharina Shahrin appreciated the batik textile.

Hannah Nazamil, however, has a different approach in appreciating the Malaysian textile, where she used the fabric dye as her medium and let it create its own harmony pattern.

Bella Fairuz, Hafizah Rosli, Noorulhuda Ali and Zurin Shaari chose to celebrate the variety of Malaysian cuisine in their artworks.

Malaysian culture also includes the performing arts. We see Azrul Azrai Mohyi celebrating the Mak Yong performance, Grace Cong illustrating the lion dance, Luqman Ismail explaining the Wayang Kulit while Nazwameen stylised the Kuda Kepang through her own interpretation.

Amierul Romiza, Anis Che Mat, Eirdina Nur Suraya, Mifdhal Afkar, Nik Mohd Husyaidie, Nurin Raihana, Umai Abdul Wahab and Zaki Hadri appreciated
Malaysia through their works such wood carving, Chinese ceramics, Baba Nyonya beadwork and also antique households.

The world’s acknowledgement of Malaysia’s nature, making it to the list of the World Heritage Sites, is visualised the artworks by Alex Liong, Noriza Arzain and Sairah Hassan.

Learn more about the exhibition: E-Catalogue