EXHIBITION: ZHANG XU ZHAN'S 'JUNGLE JUNGLE' Venue: Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur Date: June 23 to Oct 6 Taiwanese artist Zhang Xu Zhan’s exhibition Jungle Jungle is set to open at Ilham Gallery in KL this Sunday. It marks the first time that the work of Zhang, who was the Deutsche Bank’s Artist of the Year for 2021, is being shown in Malaysia. First exhibited at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Jungle Jungle also features the film Compound Eyes Of Tropical, which won the Golden Horse Award for best animated short film in 2022.
The film is inspired by the costumes of Yi Zhen performers from Taiwan’s ceremonial festivals. Originally adapted from the South-East Asian folktale The Mousedeer Crosses The River, the work integrates similar folktale narratives from different countries, to create the half-mousedeer, half-fox shaman puppet dancer in the animation. Other works in the exhibition include video animation and mixed media sculptures, as well as paper puppets and a site-specific paper installation, inspired by Taiwan’s traditional cultural technique known as “huzhi” (papier-mache), which is commonly used in ceremonial festivals.
Zhang will join an artist talk at Ilham Gallery this Sunday at 3pm. Email [email protected] to book a space.
The exhibition is free admission. More info here. JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE Date: ends July 3 If you're in the mood for binge-worthy TV drama series, The Japan Foundation's Japanese Film Festival Online, running until July 3, is y.
