Additional reporting and research by Zarina Holmes. Images by Zarina Holmes and Salina Christmas.

The second Kuala Lumpur Illustration Fair took place at GMBB in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between 3 and 5 May 2024. It saw the participation of countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and China. The event also saw the participation of academic institutions such as Sunway University Malaysia, UCSI University Malaysia and Yunnan Arts University China.

Global Asia

At the show, visitors were presented with a global Asia whose talent is at par with the rest of the world, but still retains an Asian brand identity that crosses over easily to other markets, demographics and cultures.

Graphic humour

The humour behind the showcases at the fair comes in two levels:

• One understood by everyone.
• One understood by Asians.

We owe this to witty copywriting and successful collaborations with talented writers to make the art more engaging. Humour aside, many ideas at the show can be appropriated for various vertical applications and for a wider market consumption.

Sustainability and mindfulness

Product design is about consumption and in-built obsolescence. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be expedient means for sobering topics such as sustainability and mindfulness. The works we came across that championed these topics were very inspiring.

Pink is the navy blue of Asia

There was a lot of pink at the show. Given that we’re very British in our art direction, we’re not sure if this is because pink is trending, or because the cool palettes of pink and light blue are traditionally Asian. But they look different and fresh to us.

Technology and IP

We saw the latest technology used by the creatives to put together an impressive showcase via paper printing, 3D-printing and augmented reality (AR). It’s heartening to see splendid intellectual property (IP) displayed at the show. The region now has the confidence to lead in authentic storytelling and critical thinking. What it needs is that big break. KLIF 2024 demonstrated that Malaysia and other ASEAN countries could easily be placed as the next global creative technology hub. Southeast Asian artists are known for contributing hugely to the animation industry and visual communications, not only at production level but in artistic direction as well.

To watch out for

Here are the artists to watch out for, in our opinion. They made a lasting impression on us.

• ARTTECH: Cyberpunk with a local flavour. Identity is unknown. The artworks shown at KLIF 2024 were steeped in Malaysian traditional references, with a hint of hanacaraka. Very art deco but then again, very Ultraman as well.
• Humana: Artist Vanessa Foo’s alter ego doesn’t hold back with her theatre of pinkness. Majestic and light-hearted at the same time. We were entertained by her presentation.
• Willwin Yang: Her “Sabar” sardine packaging concept, already taken up by a Japanese client, is a winner but the proposition on sexual health awareness (booklet plus merchandise) shouldn’t be overlooked. Her witty copywriting ameliorates a serious topic.
• Wednesday Gala: We think she can be the next Grayson Perry or Yayoi Kusama. In our opinion, Wednesday Gala’s booth is the best in term of fusing graphic art, performing art and fashion. Her illustrations translate effortlessly into a magical space.

In the future, we hope to see more talents from other parts of Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. It’s well established that studios in Southeast Asia work for publishing houses as well for manga, anime and major Hollywood fantasy productions. Unless you’re careful enough to check the end credit of every production, you’ll never know that identity of the Southeast Asian illustrators and animators involved.

And we hope this event will attract more buyers, talent scouts and collaborators outside Asia. Keep your diary clear for May next year.

About KL Illustration Fair

• Official website: klillustrationfair.my
• Twitter hashtag: twitter.com/hashtag/klif2024
• More coverage on Story Of Books Instagram
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