Last Few Days to Catch Perak Contemporary Art Festival 2026 in Ipoh
BY Anne Das
Over 100 invited guests and art enthusiasts packed the first floor of No. 1, Jalan Lasam on October 24 for the successful opening of the Perak Contemporary Art Festival 2026.
If you missed the opening night, this is your chance to experience “Change” before it closes on Saturday, October 31. Admission is free.
Organised by the Ipoh Fine Art Class and Perak Contemporary Artists, the exhibition brings together 30 artworks by 30 artists from across Malaysia.
The opening felt less like a formal preview and more like a night out with Ipoh’s arts community.
Festival Director and Chief Curator Kareem Jaafar is also a gifted singer.
Backed by a four-piece band on trumpet, keyboard, bass and drums, he gave guests a spirited performance before Andas and Najwa continued the evening’s performances.
Together, the live performances and visual art gave the evening a character of its own.
The guest of honour was Tunku Nizamuddin bin Tunku Dato’ Seri Shahabuddin, Executive Director of CME Group Berhad and Assistant Custodian of Royal Customs and Ceremonies at Istana Besar Seri Menanti.
An art collector himself, Tunku Nizamuddin brought a personal appreciation of the arts to the occasion.
Beyond the opening-night celebration, the exhibition asks a timely question. What does change mean when viewed through 30 different lives?
Kareem said the theme invited artists to consider how life had changed them, what they had learnt and what they hoped might change next.
Some works look back on memories or turning points. Others give form to dreams for themselves, their communities or the world around them,” Kareem said. “Together, they show that change is both something we experience and something we can imagine.”
Across the first floor are painted portraits and bold abstract compositions, alongside intricate fibre works and mixed-media pieces. Their subjects include childhood, companionship, self-image and the natural world.
Some works are bright and playful, while others carry a more personal or unsettling edge.
The opening night also carried a charitable purpose. RM1,000 was presented to Dapur Jalanan, an Ipoh volunteer collective providing meals and basic necessities to people experiencing homelessness and hardship.
Kareem hopes PCAF will encourage people to see art as an industry that can support livelihoods, attract visitors and contribute to Ipoh’s future.
Bring the kids, round up your friends or come on your own. Spend some time with the collection and discover what “Change” means to you.
There are only a few days left to experience “Change” in person.
📅 Until Saturday, October 31
📍 No. 1, Jalan Lasam, Ipoh
🕙 Weekdays: 10am–2pm and Saturday: 10am–5pm
🎟️ Admission is free
📸 Instagram: @fineartclass.ipoh
