PROGRAMMES

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ILHAM Art Show 2025: Call for Entries

If you are an artist living and working in Malaysia or a Malaysian artist living abroad, we invite you to submit a proposal for the second edition of ILHAM Gallery’s open call exhibition.

 

The ILHAM Art Show is a tri-annual exhibition platform for established and emerging artists alike, to experiment and make new work. Those selected to participate in the ILHAM Art Show will be awarded an art production grant to be put towards the making of their new work. The ILHAM Art Show serves as a platform to support and promote contemporary art in Malaysia and stimulate lively public discussion and critical debate.

The ILHAM Art Show 2025 will be on display at ILHAM Gallery from October 2025 – March 2026.

CALL FOR ENTRIES (PDF) FAQs (PDF)

 

WHO CAN APPLY?

1. ILHAM Art Show is open to all practicing artists over 21 years of age. This includes:
   • All artists based in Malaysia (Malaysian and non-Malaysian).
   • All Malaysian artists based overseas. 
2. Open to individual artists, and art collectives.

APPLICATION PROCESS

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE HERE

1. Applications can be in submitted in Bahasa Malaysia or English.
2. Applicants can submit only one proposal each.
3. Application requirements: 
   • Artist bio (not more than 500 words).
   • Artist statement for proposed artwork (not more than 500 words). 
   • Proposed Artwork – up to 5 images, schematics, renderings, etc of proposed artwork (JPEG format with a maximum file size of 1MB). 
   • Provide an estimated production cost for the making of the proposed artwork. Please note that each selected artist will receive a production grant between RM2,000 to RM10,000, dependent on the artwork proposal and upon agreement with ILHAM.
   • Under ‘Recent Works’ artists can submit up to 5 examples of their practice in a PDF. These need to be clearly labelled with title, material, and dimensions within the single PDF document. If recent works involves video, you may include a URL link where we can access it.

PROPOSED ARTWORK

1. The artwork must be a new original work produced by the artist or art collective. 
2. The artwork can be in any medium including painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, photography, installation, and new media. 
3. Due to practical limitations, the size of the finished artwork should not exceed 3m (height) × 3m (width) × 3m (depth). If the artwork comprises multiple components, the maximum size of each component should not exceed 1.9m (height) × 2.5m (width) × 0.9m (depth).
4. If selected for the exhibition, each artist will receive a production grant (between RM2,000 – RM10,000) from ILHAM, to be put towards the making of their proposed artwork.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

ILHAM Art Show is open for entries at 11:00 AM on 10 September 2024 with the final deadline for submission being 11:59 PM on 31 December 2024.

SELECTION PROCESS

1. The ILHAM Art Show aims to showcase original work which reflects the diversity and vibrancy of the Malaysian art scene. The selection panel will have access to all the applications. 
2. Applications will be reviewed by the selection panel who will consider work that they feel is important, relevant and timely. 
3. Due to the expected volume of applications, ILHAM Gallery curators will make an initial pre-selection to which the selection panel has access to, alongside all eligible applications. 
4. Selected artists will be officially notified by email by March 2025.
5. The selection panel’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

ILHAM ART SHOW 2025

1. The selected artists will be invited to make their proposed artwork which will be featured in the ILHAM Art Show from October 2025 – March 2026. The work must be the original work of the artist and must not have been exhibited in any previous exhibition. 
2. ILHAM Gallery curators will arrange a studio visit (or Zoom call, depending on location) with each selected artist to discuss the artwork for the show. The gallery will give each artist a production grant between RM2,000 – RM10,000 (the amount of which is dependent on the proposed artwork as agreed to by ILHAM) which they can put towards the making of the work. The artists will be supported by the ILHAM Gallery team during this process.
3. ILHAM will arrange and bear the cost of safe artwork transportation from within Malaysia to ILHAM. Malaysian artists residing overseas whose artworks are located outside Malaysia will be responsible from transporting their artwork to and from ILHAM at their own cost.
4. While decisions relating to the exhibition layout and hang will be made by the ILHAM Gallery team, the team will work with the artists regarding the presentation of their work.

COPYRIGHT/PROMOTIONAL USE OF WORKS

1. Selected artists consent to images of their work being reproduced by ILHAM and the media for the purpose of critical view, advertising and publicity, promotional materials and publication.
2. Selected artists have sole responsibility for ensuring that the work does not infringe another creator’s copyright. Entries found to infringe the cultural property or moral rights of another individual or a group of artists will be disqualified.

KEY DATES

2024 September – Applications open for ILHAM Art Show 2025
2024 December – Application deadline
2025 January – ILHAM team goes through applications
2025 January – Shortlist sent to Selection Panel
2025 February – Selection Panel meets online to select artists for ILHAM Art Show 
2025 March – Selected artists officially informed by ILHAM 
2025 April – Selected artists receive a production grant to be put towards the making of the artwork
2025 September – Pick up of finished artworks. Installation of ILHAM Art Show
2025 October – ILHAM Art Show opens

CONTACT US

For further information please contact:

ILHAM Art Show
Level 3, ILHAM Tower
No. 8, Jalan Binjai
50540 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
ilhamgallerykl@gmail.com