What Shaped KL’s Creative Scene This November: TEDxKL, UR-MU Twilight Art & KLABF 2025

Playback and Preview: Events Shaping the City

2 December 2025

NOVEMBER proved, once again, that KL doesn’t do boring – TEDxKL stirred the mind, UR-MU set the mood, and KLABF 2025 turned Kampung Attap into a printed-matter playground. Downtown KL keeps outdoing itself month after month, and if you haven’t been part of the creative chaos yet, now’s the moment to dive in.

Held from Nov 28–30 at the KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kampung Attap, the Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair 2025 was a joy – a vibrant celebration of art books, zines, posters and all things printed. Marking its fifth anniversary, KLABF 2025 hosted 106 booths featuring artists and artisans from around the world.

WarisanKL.my had a great time chatting with artists Gu Yangfan (@luckkyf, pic below) from China and Jessica HaeJeon Lee from South Korea. Gu shared how her illustrations and mini sculpture character Sadbunny travel the world with her, inspiring tabloid-style travelogues. Lee’s charming mini books and artwork were equally delightful.

We also stopped by Centaur Games and perfect hole x Munkao, where we chatted with Aaron Lim and Munkao. Lim (@ehrowhonlime) is a tabletop gamemaker and educator known for storygames like An Altogether Different River and Spectres of Brocken. Munkao (@Munkao), meanwhile, is developing Kala Mandala, a South-East Asian–centred reimagining of fantasy – moving away from Eurocentric traditions and drawing instead from shared regional histories. Very, very cool.

At Zontiga, we were given a crash course in the zone system in black-and-white photography from Lau Wen Huat, and now we’ve been inspired to go find out more about Ansel Adams, Fred Archer and the third zone, where texture and detail are visible! Zontiga (zontiga.com) is a creative hub offering processing, scanning, giclée printing, and locally made photobooks and merchandise. It also runs exhibitions, talks, workshops and more. And yes – we went home with a fun polaroid that day!

We also met Japanese graphic designers (pic above) Tetsuro Jozaki, Sarene Chan and Hirokazu Matsuda, and enjoyed viewing their works across various mediums.

Needless to say, there was a lot to discover. We hope you enjoyed exploring it as much as we did. Kudos to Driv Loo and team for coming up with another fantastic KLABF! – Ann Marie Chandy

Art, Music and City Twilight

WarisanKL.my also joined the monthly programme at +n by UR-MU, one of three UR-MU galleries in KL. If you’re new to UR-MU: it stands for Urban Museum, a contemporary art space showcasing private collections alongside works by Malaysian and regional artists.

For November, +n by UR-MU added a bonus activity after the guided tour. Still Live Vol. 03 invited visitors to paint while being serenaded by soulful live performances. The gentle vocals and atmospheric sounds of Judos, D’Pujanggas and Eloise Lau made the experience even more special, as each of us attempted to unleash our inner artist.

The gallery’s location near Petaling Street gives it a unique energy. At dusk, the streets below hum with traffic, honking and the rush of city life. Yet once we settled into the activity, those sounds blended into the backdrop – creating an unexpectedly magical twilight ambience unlike any other gallery experience in the city.

If activities like this spark your interest, follow @ur-mu and @plusnbyurmu to discover their upcoming programmes. – Wan Nor Alia Ali

Sharing experiences, the TEDx way

ON Nov 15, TEDxKL gathered a vibrant mix of innovators, leaders and storytellers for a day of ideas worth sharing. With this year’s theme, “Confluence: The Art of Coming Together,” the event celebrated the intersections of creativity, compassion and collective progress.

Set within REXKL – the beloved community and cultural hub in Downtown Kuala Lumpur – the venue’s historic bones added extra resonance to conversations around resilience, imagination and collaboration.

The stage featured an inspiring lineup of Malaysians, including Chang Song Ji, the country’s first internationally awarded female luthier; Selina Chong, a physician-entrepreneur working to bridge gaps within healthcare; Dr Shaliza Manmohan, whose journey of loss shaped new purpose after the passing of her three-year-old daughter Zayla; and Peter “Mr Money” Yong, one of Malaysia’s leading personal finance educators – among many others.

A striking takeaway from Chong’s talk was her reminder that failure is universal and inevitable – not an endpoint, but a necessary part of the human journey. Through learning, adapting and embracing these tough moments, we strengthen our resilience and grow with intention.

Each speaker brought their own lens on purpose, craft and the experiences that shaped them, hoping to inspire Malaysians to take charge, create boldly and play their part in building a better future. – Annabeth Lee

And so, what’s next?

We’re excited for Turn Up & Sing at RXP, REXKL this Saturday (Dec 6), from 4pm to 7pm. After attending a session last year, we can confidently say – you’re in for a treat.

This round, conductor Sarah Imran is getting everyone to harmonise on What It Sounds Like x Golden, that’s a mashup from the fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X in KPop Demon Hunters.

Says Sarah: “Join us as we build our very own ‘Honmoon’, where we can be both broken and beautiful, fearless and undefined. Together, we'll write 'the song we couldn't write' – until now.”

For the uninitiated, The Sound Collective curates spaces where people can come together in rhythm and harmony. Its belief is simple: making music in community is a basic human need. Its mission? To nurture safe, joyful environments for it – something we all need now more than ever.

Since launching in January 2024, The Sound Collective has run 12 Turn Up & Sing sessions, partnering with venues like Rumah Tangsi, The Godown, House of Bricks, Union Skatepark, SkyArk Event Spaces and The Hall. Past song selections have included This Is Me, Defying Gravity, Titanium, Bring Me to Life, Belaian Jiwa and Pure Imagination. They’ve even collaborated with Pot Amir (Innuendo), beatboxers from Beatnation, world-class drummers and more.

It’s heaps of fun – trust us. Sign up, warm up those vocal cords, and bring your strongest Hunter-energy to this round!

We’re also excited about the Museum of Mini Exchanges, a pocket-sized flea market with a charming twist: everything is curated by the community.

Hosted at Kedai Fizikal @anaabu.co (No. 13, Jalan Sin Chew Kee), the event invites anyone to bring along a tiny object – think postcards, zines, keychains, seashells, stickers or any small keepsake – and place it on their very own “Swapping Exhibit Mat.” From 4.30pm to 7pm, visitors wander through this delightful “mini museum,” discovering other people’s stories through the knick-knacks they leave behind, and exchanging one item for another. It’s simple, wholesome and surprisingly heartwarming – a gentle reminder of how even the smallest objects can spark connection.

This activation is created by Markas Creative in collaboration with Anaabu, celebrating sustainability, upcycling and gentle community space-making. It will be happening for one day only, alongside a creative talk, free entertainment & drinks and an upcycling workshop.

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