Perak’s Semai Heritage and Forest Traditions Featured in Penang Exhibition

By Anne Das

There are only a few days left to catch an exhibition in Penang that begins much closer to home, in the forests of Sungkai, Perak.

Interconnect to Disconnect, presented by Papillon Artelier, explores the lives, traditions and relationship with the forest of the Semai community of Tisung in Sungkai. The exhibition runs until October 10 at Hin Residency Space, Hin Bus Depot, George Town.

At its core is a simple but important question: what happens when an indigenous community begins to lose its connection to the forest that has sustained it for generations?

For the Semai, the forest is closely tied to food, medicine, ancestral knowledge, traditional practices and identity. As forested land gives way to plantations, housing and industrial development, the impact reaches beyond the physical landscape.

The exhibition asks what else may disappear when the environment that supports a community’s way of life begins to change.

Created following a research residency with the Semai community, the exhibition brings these ideas into contemporary art through photography, installation, sound and traditional materials.

Resident artist Chong Kok Choon presents cyanotype prints on coasters, marble and canvas, together with a short documentary and artworks created by Semai children.

Lyu Yun-Shan’s works include a traditional nipa palm basket, bamboo blind and framed sketches by Semai children, drawing attention to everyday objects, skills and knowledge that remain part of the community’s cultural memory.

The wider project also included an immersive performance night on October 2 featuring Semai Pensol musician Ronnie Bahari, alongside installations by Sumay Cheah and Em.Y.

Papillon Artelier describes the project as a collaboration with the community rather than an observation of it from afar. Proceeds from artwork sales are channelled to the Semai women and children who contributed to the project, as well as participating artists.

Although the exhibition is being held in Penang, its story belongs very much to Perak.

For local audiences, it offers an opportunity to look more closely at one of the state’s indigenous communities and at the relationship between cultural heritage, development and the forests that continue to sustain traditional knowledge.

With the exhibition ending soon, those travelling to Penang this week still have time to see it.

Interconnect to Disconnect

📅 Until October 10, 2026
📍 Hin Residency Space, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang
🎟 Free admission
For more information:
📞 011-7420 8892 🌐 www.papillonartelier.com