Kenta.Works

07/02/2026

The Back Room invites you to 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘉𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, the second solo exhibition by Malaysia-born, China-based artist Ong Hieng Fuong (). The exhibition collects several new paintings made between 2024–25, when Hieng had just graduated with his Bachelor’s from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and was starting his Master’s at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing. 

The paintings record, with a heavy touch of dry humour, the observations and experiences that make up everyday life for the artist, living between China and Malaysia. (Viewers may amuse themselves trying to figure out which painting subject was observed where.) Though the paintings don’t make a pointed statement about either country, Hieng’s compositions capture subtle cultural nuances between the two countries — scenes that are characteristic of daily life there but would never be represented in an official way. 

Amidst the variety of weird and wonderful scenarios in Hieng’s paintings, the artist himself is positioned as an “innocent bystander”, a witness standing by the side whom chance happened to make audience to these random events. The mere act of living and going about his day is ripe for inspiration. In his paintings we can make out the elements that make a place and culture unique, but we also enter into the perspective of an individual with a unique relationship to his world.

Join us for the opening of 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘉𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 by Ong Hieng Fuong next Friday evening, February 13 from 7pm onwards.

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𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘉𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳
A solo exhibition by Ong Hieng Fuong
13 February – 22 March 2026

Opening:
February 13 (Friday) from 7pm onwards

Artist Talk:
February 22 (Sunday), 3pm – 4pm
Rumah Attap Library & Collective (),
84C The Zhongshan Building
Moderated by Ong Kar Jin ()
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻.

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✉️ Interested in an e-catalogue? DM us or email [email protected].

17/01/2026

[new work] Chapalang, 22 January – 1 February 2026, ArtSpace@Helutrans, Singapore.
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instagram.com/hackingcultures
artweek.sg/event-detail/chapalang

11/01/2026

The Back Room is pleased to announce our first show of 2026: 𝘌𝘤𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, a solo exhibition by Malaysian painter Hoo Kiew Hang 胡久汉. The exhibition marks Hoo’s return to the local art scene following a nearly decade-long hiatus that began in 2017. 

Since his graduation from Dasein Academy of Art in 2006, Hang has participated in residencies and exhibitions locally and abroad, including a solo exhibition at White Box, Publika, in 2013. But since 2017, he has been on a hiatus from exhibiting in order to pursue job opportunities as a professional set-painter on theme parks around the world. The pause in his exhibition history did not mean a pause in his art-making, however, and Ecstasy re-introduces him to the art scene with a portfolio of new works that are significantly different from his paintings prior to his hiatus. An avid fan of the American pop art movement and pop culture generally, in the present body of work Hang has tried to release his brush from the formal coldness of pop art, and to explore pop art’s qualities through a more intuitive and expressionist style. 

Colour, symbols, and cultural icons overflow in 𝘌𝘤𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, which features several large works on canvas and rice paper, and a majority of small paintings on cardboard. Drawing from his memories, dreams, and pop culture, Hoo allows his subconscious to guide his hand and saturate his surfaces with fantasy faces and creatures, just as how images saturate our attention in the 21st century. But despite the chaos and layers of painting, certain stories and hints can still be registered through the glut of image and colour, rewarding the eye patient enough to see through the noise. 

We invite you to join us at the opening reception of 𝘌𝘤𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺: A solo exhibition by Hoo Kiew Hang this January 17th (Saturday) from 3pm to 6pm. All are welcome. 

Enquiries: [email protected]

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𝘌𝘤𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺
A solo exhibition by Hoo Kiew Hang 胡久汉
17 January – 8 February 2025

Opening reception
17 January (Saturday), 3pm – 6pm

On view
Wednesday – Sunday, 12pm – 6pm
Walk-in

22/12/2025

Hello 2026!

13/12/2025

Book design for Blue Monkey Press — Art & Stories Vol. I, II, III, and special edition (2022–2024).

30/11/2025

Art and Stories Limited Edition (2022–2024)

29/11/2025

'Sidang Sepetang' by Jalaini Abu Hassan. Paperback, 11 × 18 cm, 152 pages, full colour, Bahasa Malaysia and English. Self-published by the artist in 2023.
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Edited by Rohiman Haroon, printed by Unico Services, designed by Kenta.Works

21/11/2025

Let's Look at Art, written by Rahel Joseph, illustrated by Lisa Goh, and designed by Kenta.Works. A 32-page hardcover book published in conjunction with ILHAM Ilham Gallery's 10th year anniversary. Available at ILHAM Gallery Gift Shop
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thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2025/11/16/ilham-gallery-marks-10th-anniversary-with-picture-book-for-a-new-generation

📷 © Kenta Chai

17/11/2025

Let's Look at Art, written by Rahel Joseph, illustrated by Lisa Goh, and designed by Kenta.Works. A 32-page hardcover book published in conjunction with Ilham Gallery's 10th year anniversary. Available at ILHAM Gallery Gift Shop
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thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2025/11/16/ilham-gallery-marks-10th-anniversary-with-picture-book-for-a-new-generation

Ilham Gallery's new illustrated children's book sparks a love of art in the next generation

04/11/2025

Rissim Contemporary presents
Stand Inside Your Love
Recent works by Samsudin Wahab

Opening Reception: Saturday, 8 November 2025 | 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
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instagram.com/rissim_contemporary/

03/11/2025

Installation view, ILHAM Art Show 2025, 2 November 2025 – 5 April 2026, ILHAM Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Photo © Kenta Chai
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Plan your visit: ilhamgallery.com/exhibitions/ias25/

13/09/2025

Save the Date: 1 November 2025
Be there for the opening of the ILHAM Art Show 2025.

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