KuArt Festival
In recent years, artist-led festivals
have become increasingly significant within Malaysia’s contemporary art
landscape, offering alternative platforms beyond conventional
institution-centred exhibitions. These initiatives create spaces for
collaboration, experimentation, and community engagement, allowing artists to
develop new forms of interaction with audiences. KuArt Festival reflects this
development by emphasising locality and cultural exchange through its diverse
programmes, positioning itself as an independent contemporary art festival in
Kuantan, Pahang.
Beyond presenting artworks, KuArt
Festival functions as an important platform for emerging artists to maintain visibility within the
art industry. Rather than relying solely on established galleries and
institutions for recognition, artist-led festivals provide alternative spaces
for experimentation, networking, and dialogue between artists and wider
communities. These platforms allow artists to respond more directly to their
surroundings while creating new possibilities for artistic expression.
Although galleries and institutions
continue to play an essential role in preserving and presenting artworks, artist-led festivals such as KuArt
introduce alternative approaches to artistic engagement. They
demonstrate how contemporary art can extend beyond the gallery space by
becoming a medium for exploring relationships between people, places, and
cultural experiences.
Although KuArt Festival encompasses a
wide range of exhibitions, performances, workshops, talks, screenings, and
community programmes, this article focuses specifically on Soft Soft Sands, one of the festival’s central exhibitions. Rather
than examining the festival as a whole, the discussion considers Soft Soft Sands as a curatorial
framework through which themes of memory, place, identity, and transformation
are explored. In this context, KuArt Festival serves as the broader platform
that enables the exhibition to engage with local narratives and contemporary
artistic practices.
KuArt Festival took place over three
days, while Soft Soft Sands remained
on view until 12 July, allowing audiences to revisit the exhibition beyond the
duration of the festival itself. This extended presentation reflects the organisers’ intention to sustain
conversations surrounding memory, place, and community, while providing a
longer period for audiences to engage with the artists’ interpretations of
Kuantan.
Soft Soft Sand Exhibition
Soft Soft Sands was curated by Low Pey Sien, with Lim
Chyn-Yiing serving as the Mui-zai (Project Manager) while also contributing as an English copywriter, proofreader, and transcreator
(CN to EN). The exhibition’s written accessibility was further supported by
Liew KH as English copywriter, proofreader, and transcreator (BM to EN), alongside Mukhlis
Amin as transcreator (EN to BM).
The exhibition Soft Soft Sands brings
together a diverse group of artists, including Khabir Roslan, Mahen Baia, Atittayaporn Saenpo, Tan Chui Mui,
Ugrid Jomyim, Lim Souw
Seng, Nur Khairi Hamidi, Nana Safiana, Kong Siden, and many more. Through their respective practices, these artists explore
personal memories, lived experiences, and nostalgic connections with Kuantan, offering
different perspectives on the relationship between place, identity, and recollection
Idea of Soft Soft Sands Exhibition
The title Soft Soft Sands originates from the image of Pantai Chempaka, evoking the immediate sensation of stepping onto the shore. However, the exhibition moves beyond the physical landscape of the beach, presenting Kuantan as a place shaped by memories, departures, and continuous transformation. The softness of the sand becomes a metaphor for familiarity and belonging, while also reflecting the uncertainty experienced by those who leave in search of opportunities elsewhere.
The spatial realisation of the exhibition was supported by connectors Anna.K, Jessin Wong, Kairul Abas, and Leong Shen Yee, with Evelyn Wong (JUJURWORK) leading the installation, Loke Soh Kim as lighting designer, and Ang Ye Koon as lighting assistant. The exhibition’s visual documentation and communication were developed through the contributions of flyer designer Ikman Amran, videographers adamzaim, camykutip, and ilmishrn, as well as photographers Ahmad Zulfikri and The Expired Film.
The exhibition also reflects on Kuantan’s
ongoing transformation, particularly as the city enters a new phase of development. Historically, Kuantan has developed through its relationship
with the coastal landscape and the Kuantan River, which contributed to its growth
as a centre of trade and local exchange on the East Coast. From its early development as a trading
settlement to its current identity as a growing
urban city, Kuantan
has continuously experienced social and physical
changes. The recognition of Kuantan as a city in 2021 further
reflects this transformation, marking a new chapter
in its development. With the upcoming East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), which
is expected to strengthen connections between the East Coast and other regions, Kuantan is anticipated to undergo
another significant shift. Through this perspective, Soft Soft Sands
encourages audiences to consider not only what Kuantan may become, but also
what histories, memories,
and experiences have shaped the place before its
transformation.
Rather than presenting Kuantan through a
purely nostalgic lens, Soft Soft Sands invites a broader reflection on how individuals negotiate their relationship with a changing environment. The exhibition considers Kuantan not only as a place of memories
but also as a landscape shaped by migration, development, and personal
histories.
Nur Khairi Hamidi : Past and Future (2026)
Among the works presented in Soft Soft Sands, Nur Khairi Hamidi's Present (2026), accompanied by the single-channel video Past and Future (2026), offers a nuanced exploration of memory, temporality, and the enduring significance of place. Through the integration of painting, performance, music, and moving image, the work extends beyond conventional visual representation, positioning memory as an embodied and continuously evolving experience. Rather than treating the past as a fixed historical record, Hamidi constructs memory as a dynamic process in which personal experiences are constantly reinterpreted through the passage of time.
The collaborative performance with
Halimi, who is his brother, further reinforces this conceptual framework.
Drawing upon songs associated with their shared childhood in Kampung Selamat
and Kempadang Perdana, the work employs music as a mnemonic device
that activates recollection and emotional attachment. The accumulation of
layered paint marks functions as a visual metaphor for the gradual formation of
identity, suggesting that memories are not preserved intact but are continually
reshaped as new experiences are superimposed upon earlier ones. Consequently, Present and Past and Future establish a dialogue between personal remembrance
and broader reflections on change, belonging, and the
reconstruction of place.
Hamidi’s exploration of memory and place
can be understood through Maurice Halbwachs’ concept of collective memory,
which suggests that individual memories are not formed in isolation but are
continuously shaped through social relationships and shared experiences. In Present and Past and Future, the memories recalled through childhood
songs and personal experiences with Halimi extend beyond individual
remembrance, becoming a shared
recollection rooted within the community of Kampung Selamat and
Kempadang Perdana. Through this process, Hamidi demonstrates how personal
narratives can transform into collective memories that preserve emotional
connections to a particular place.
In Present (2026), an acrylic painting on sewn canvas measuring 275 cm × 160 cm, Hamidi employs the physical qualities of the canvas itself as an extension of his exploration of memory and time. The use of a sewn canvas introduces a sense of fragmentation and reconstruction, where the visible seams suggest that memories are not preserved as complete and untouched narratives, but are instead continuously assembled through personal experiences and emotional encounters. The layering of acrylic paint further reinforces this idea, creating a surface where traces of previous gestures remain visible, reflecting the accumulation of time and lived experiences.
This exploration is further expanded
through Past and Future (2026), a single-channel video work presented in 1920 × 1080px format.
Unlike the static nature of painting, the moving
image introduces duration and temporality, allowing memory to unfold as an
ongoing process rather than a fixed moment. Through the combination of visual
imagery, sound, and performance, the video creates a dialogue between
recollection and the present, suggesting that memories are constantly
reconstructed through contemporary experiences.
The significance of Hamidi’s work also
lies in its ability to transform private experiences into a collective
encounter. Through the inclusion of his brother Halimi participation and the
reactivation of shared childhood memories, the work creates a space where
audiences can reflect on their own relationships with places they consider
meaningful. Rather than presenting nostalgia as a longing for an unchanged
past, Hamidi positions memory as an active process that connects generations,
individuals, and communities.
Ultimately, Soft Soft Sands demonstrates how contemporary art can become a
medium for reconnecting individuals with their surroundings and histories.
Through Hamidi’s Present and Past and Future, memory is presented not
as a fixed record of the past but as a continuous process shaped by time,
experience, and human relationships. In relation to KuArt Festival’s broader
vision, the exhibition reveals that the identity of Kuantan is not only found
within its physical development, but also within the memories and stories
carried by its communities.
Khabir Roslan: The Weight of What Remains (2025)
Khabir Roslan’s transdisciplinary
practice navigates the intersections between physics, Nusantara cosmology, and
philosophy, guided by recurring concerns surrounding impermanence, humility,
and the cyclical nature of life. A graduate of Universiti Teknologi MARA
(UiTM) Shah Alam and the recipient of the 2020 UOB “Most Promising Artist”
award, Khabir’s artistic
development between 2019 and 2022 centred on notions of
interconnectivity and fitrah (nature),
exploring the relationship between human existence and the wider ecological and
spiritual realms.
His practice is deeply informed by the
Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi,
which embraces imperfection, transience, and the beauty of decay, alongside
Islamic philosophical perspectives that emphasise humility and humanity’s relationship with creation. Beyond
his artistic training, Khabir’s background in
hospitality has also shaped his
sensitivity towards social hierarchies, human interaction, and the complexities
of interpersonal relationships. These experiences contribute to his ongoing
exploration of how individuals exist within networks of material, cultural, and
environmental connections.
In The
Weight of What Remains (2025), Khabir presents an installation that
examines the relationship between memory, loss, and human entanglement with the
surrounding environment. Bringing together three major works from Tanoh within a site marked by exhaustion
and abandonment, the installation is described as a form of “return” — not merely a return to a
physical place, but a return to the
remnants of experiences, emotions, and traces that continue to endure.
The work can be read through Gaston
Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space (1958),
which considers space not only as a physical location but also as a vessel of
memory, intimacy, and lived experiences. In Khabir’s installation, the abandoned barn becomes more than a site of
display; it transforms into a space
that holds emotional residues through fragments of poetry and letters addressed
to family. The space becomes a repository of personal histories, where memories
are not preserved as complete narratives but emerge through scattered remnants
and traces.
Utilising materials such as bandages,
gauze fabric, compost soil, fired red earth, fibre threads, and a mechanical
hanging system constructed from wood and wire, Khabir presents materials as
active participants within the artwork’s transformation. This approach
resonates with Jane Bennett’s concept of “vibrant
matter” in Vibrant Matter: A Political
Ecology of Things (2010), which suggests that matter is not merely passive
or subordinate to human intention, but possesses its own capacity to influence
relationships and experiences. Within the installation, soil, moisture, light,
and fabric interact continuously, allowing the work to exist as a gradual
process rather than a fixed object.
Grounded in posthumanist thinking, The Weight of What Remains also
challenges the separation between human existence and the non-human
world. This reflects Tim Ingold’s understanding of materiality, where
life is formed through ongoing relationships between humans, materials, and
environments. The fragile substances used by Khabir soil, pigments, and gauze
reveal the permeability of the body and its inseparable connection with
ecological processes. Rather than presenting nature as a distant subject, the
work positions the human body as part of a larger network
of material exchanges
and transformations.
The scattered fragments of poetry and
personal letters to family introduce a deeply intimate dimension to the
installation. These textual elements function
as traces of longing, suggesting that memory often survives not through
completeness, but through fragments that remain. The work reflects on how time
does not necessarily erase experiences; instead, it slowly buries them, leaving
behind what continues to resist disappearance.
Within the context of Soft Soft Sands, The Weight of What Remains reveals how fragile materials can carry
profound emotional and historical significance. Through the interaction between
space, material, and memory, Khabir Roslan invites viewers to encounter the
invisible weight of what remains: the traces, relationships, and experiences
that may no longer be visible, yet continue to exist beyond their physical
presence.
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