Emergent Thresholds

Curator: Mikhail Vanan

Wei-Ling Contemporary presents Emergent Thresholds, a group exhibition bringing together six emerging Malaysian artists working across painting, ink and installation. Each artist approaches change from a different point of departure, giving the exhibition a shared concern that takes distinct forms.

Everyday life rarely changes all at once. A new image appears on a screen. A familiar place begins to look different. A landscape changes slowly enough that we notice it only after some time. A memory returns with details we had forgotten. These moments carry the effects of technological change, environmental uncertainty, economic pressure and shifting ways of living.

The artists take these moments in different directions. Adam Abas responds to alternations in frequencies and energies, tracing how changes in the forces around us can affect our perception and experience of the world. Anas Afandi looks to environmental shifts, where plants carry histories and cultural identities across generations. Hirendran Sivaganam traces changes within the diaspora they belong to, drawing from social media and its growing archive of contemporary images. Kevi Sze looks at the individual in relation to the constant circulation of images and forms of self-representation online. Ong Hieng Fuong focuses on changes within the rhythms of daily life, finding significance in the routines, encounters, and small disruptions that shape how everyday experience is lived and perceived. Wong Xiang Yi turns towards unexpected personal changes, drawing on mythology and symbolism to give form to experiences that can be difficult to anticipate.

Across these approaches, personal histories, domestic spaces, digital images, changing environments, and encounters with others become starting points for works that move between observation and invention. Some stay close to what can be seen, at times with wit, while others follow sensation, abstraction, or the behaviour of their materials.

Placed together, the works begin to form connections through their attention to things that are changing. A familiar image can become strange, a personal experience can open onto something wider, and a material can suggest something beyond what it first appears to be.

The exhibiting artists are Adam Abas, Anas Afandi, Hirendran Sivaganam, Kevi Sze, Ong Hieng Fuong, and Wong Xiang Yi.

Emergent Thresholds is featured at Wei-Ling Contemporary from 8 September – 10 October 2026. Wei-Ling Contemporary is located at 2nd Floor, Wei-Ling Gallery Annexe, No 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Admission hours are Tuesday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm. Exhibition is open by appointment only. For appointments and further assistance, please contact +60322601106 or e-mail info@weiling-gallery.com