Penang Long Art Weekend

13 March - 16 March 2025

Collaborators:
Hin Bus Depot
ChinaHouse
Blank Canvas
Cultprint
Open Studios Penang (OSP)

Full Programme Information : Download Here
Programme Highlight : View Here

For the first time, Penang’s different cultural organisations will be coming together to present a celebration of Penang’s art scene in all its creativity and diversity. Over a “long weekend” from 13 to 16 March 2025, there will be a broad range of exhibitions, art events, open studios and artist talks organised by Hin Bus Depot, ChinaHouse, Blank Canvas, Cultprint and Open Studios Penang working in collaboration.

Over the last decade, Penang’s art scene has been growing from a grassroots community of independent local artists into a creative and cultural hub recognised nationally and internationally. In the same way as the state is known for its other cultural attractions – its multicultural heritage and traditional festivals, its hawker food and Peranakan cuisine, its rainforest and hillside biodiversity – it has become known as the beating artistic heart of Malaysia.

Penang’s art scene stretches from its street art to local artists working across all kinds of mediums and disciplines, and increasingly to international partnerships and collaborations around Southeast Asia and globally. The Penang Long Art Weekend allows Penangites and visitors to experience all aspects of this diverse scene. A busy programme of events runs from 13 to 16 March, but the art happenings stretch out across the whole month of March.

Programmes by Blank Canvas

Exhibitions

Void

Collection show by Leong Kwong Yee
28 February – 2 April 2025
12pm – 7pm | Weekday
11am – 7pm | Weekend
@ Exhibition Space, Hin Bus Depot (31A, Jalan Gurdwara)

The first collaboration between Blank Canvas and Hin Bus Depot, Void will present selected works by contemporary artists from the collection of Leong Kwong Yee, a collector based between Penang, Paris and Hong Kong. Exploring the concept of voids and absences in physical and emotional spaces, the exhibition will bring together work by important emerging international artists including Joshua Serafin (Philippines/Belgium), Trevor Yeung (Hong Kong), Jessica Kairé (Guatemala/USA), Vunkwan Tam (Hong Kong), He An (China) and Sidsel Meineche Hansen (Denmark).

da lama dah

Solo exhibition by Ain
1 March – 25 May 2025
12pm – 7pm | Fri, Sat, Sun
@ Blank Canvas

da lama dah is the first solo exhibition by Ain (b. 2000, Malaysia), following her residency at Blank Canvas. Translated as “it’s been too long”, the title of the exhibition pays tribute to the artist’s grandmother, who suffers from dementia. With works created in ash, an experimental medium both rough and fragile, it will explore the ephemeral and temporal nature of memories, focusing on the idea of ‘home’ – and of displacement.

Tour at the City

Void x Ban Ban Kia: Sia Boey shop sign walk

15 March 2025 | Sat
8am – 9.30am
@ Exhibition Space, Hin Bus Depot (31A, Jalan Gurdwara)

In conjunction with Void, the exhibition at Hin Bus Depot in collaboration with Blank Canvas, Ban Ban Kia will lead two special walking tours to tell the stories of the old shop signs of Penang before they disappear completely.

On March 15, participants will have the opportunity to explore Prangin Road and Sia Boey, uncovering the signs and stories of this busy market and trading area which once stood at the very edge of George Town and has continually evolved along with the city.

Join us as we slow down and rediscover these works of art hidden in plain view, the skilled artists who made them, and their memories of a disappearing Penang.

Screening

Screening & Q&A: BAN♡ITS by Omar Chowdhury

15 March | Sat
9.30pm – 10.30pm
@ Deck, Hin Bus Depot (31A, Jalan Gurdwara)

On the lawless eastern border between Bangladesh and India, lives a group of proud bandits, obsessed with Heath Ledger’s Joker. Re-enacting their past and celebrating their outsider status, they philosophise on their role in society, and the balance between order and chaos.

Sharing & Dialogue

Between Memory and Material: A Dialogue on Artistic Process by Ain & Hung

15 Mar 2025 | Sat
2pm – 3.30pm
@ Blank Canvas

Join artist Ain and writer Hung in a conversation exploring memory, material and artistic process. Drawing from Ain’s artworks as a starting point, they will discuss how objects can hold both tangible and intangible memories, and how the act of creating can translate personal experiences into art. Ain and Hung will also share insights from their email exchanges throughout the exhibition’s development, reflecting on the evolution of the project and how these conversations informed the building of the exhibition itself.

Full Dialogue: Watch Here

Leong Kwong Yee, in conversation with Ivan Gabriel

15 March 2025 | Sat
8pm – 9.30pm
@ Exhibition Space, Hin Bus Depot (31A, Jalan Gurdwara)

Join us for a sharing session with Leong Kwong Yee, collector and co-founder of Blank Canvas, and Ivan Gabriel, curator of Hin Bus Depot.
This session will offer an insight into Kwong Yee’s collecting journey, where he’ll share anecdotes into the artworks and their significance within his collection. The conversation will explore the context that VOID represents, whilst diving into the experiences that have shaped Kwong Yee’s vision as a collector.

Full Sharing: Watch Here

Blank Canvas Residency: Past, Current, Future

16 March | Sun
4.30pm – 6pm
@ Blank Canvas

Dialogue between former and current resident artists at Blank Canvas, sharing the impact that their residency experiences has had on their artistic practice and exploring how the programme could evolve, followed by a Q&A session.

Full Dialogue: Watch Here

ABOUT The Collaborators

Hin Bus Depot is a creative hub in George Town, cultivating a dynamic community of artists, makers, and entrepreneurs. Home to a gallery, arts and event spaces, and a variety of creative businesses, it is dedicated to sustainability and providing a platform for artistic expression, collaboration, and cultural engagement.

Website: https://hinbusdepot.com/

ChinaHouse is a traditional compound of 3 heritage buildings, linked by an open air courtyard, and now converted into 11 existing spaces with shops, cafe, restaurant, bakery, art galleries and live music outlet. Fusion and Western food is served, and their spread of 40 cakes and desserts daily is a must try. ChinaHouse is a pork free space, serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and interesting local drinks. Apart from their delicious cake offerings and live jazz performances, ChinaHouse has art galleries upstairs called Art Space I & II & III, that house paintings, photographs and more.

Website: https://chinahouse.com.my/

Blank Canvas is a not-for-profit contemporary arts space within the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of George Town, Penang. Opened in 2022, it seeks to be a bridge between its richly historic surroundings and the international contemporary art world. It aims to create greater local awareness and appreciation of Malaysian and international contemporary art, as well as to encourage international contemporary art practitioners to discover and engage with the contexts of Penang and its region.

Website: https://blankcanvas.my/

Cultprint was founded by artists Ernest Zacharevic and Sheena Liam, Cultprint was first established as a printing studio in George Town, Penang and has since blossomed into a dynamic hub for artists, collectors and the community. With a focus on artistic expression and guarding the artist’s vision, Cultprint gradually expanded into a gallery space hosting an artist residency program. Our past exhibitions provided artists the environment to pursue ideas on a grander scale, forgoing any preconceived limitations about mediums or themes. Through residencies at Cultprint, artists nurtured their pursuits by collaborating, elevating their practice through efforts of skill-sharing and reciprocal teaching.

Website: https://www.cultprint.co/

Open Studios Penang (OSP) is a not-for-profit annual art happening designed for artists to exchange ideas with fellow artists, and for the public to meet the artists, see them at work, and hear directly from them about their creative process and methodology. It is a unique opportunity to see a vibrant range of art from all over Penang, Malaysia and beyond. It is funded entirely by donations and by the artists and venues themselves, and is organised entirely by a team of volunteers.

OSP website will be updated regularly and will have details of all the participating artists; along the vibrant exhibitions in and around Georgetown, versatile workshops, thought provoking artists talks and movie nights for art lovers.

Website: https://openstudiospenang.com/