The first Gallery Weekend Kuala Lumpur (GL-KL) opens in November with an array of openings, talks, and events taking place in the Malaysian capital.

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Between November 25 and 27, the city will celebrate its art community in an effort to highlight a burgeoning local art scene. The program includes venues such as the Islamic Arts Museum, the National Textile Museum, and the SGM Art Collection, as well as local commercial galleries.

These events will be accompanied by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture-sponsored Luminary Pulse Series, featuring Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Serpentine collaborator Hanif Kara, and director of International Center of Photography New York, Christopher Phillips.

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“The Kuala Lumpur art scene has come into its own in the last 10 years with an increased level of local interest, mostly fueled by speculation in art (with five active local auction houses at one point),” GW-KL founder Shalini Ganendra told artnet News via email.

“The financial platform has, however, lead to the development and propagation of  galleries and a realization that culture can provide sustainable business models. The win-win comes from the development of global standard cultural business models that fuel unfettered creativity and exploration—that is the goal.”

Shalini Ganendra. Photo courtesy GW-KL

The program will also include tours of Greater Kuala Lumpur in an effort to include the whole art community, participating local galleries will include Artcube, Artemis Art, and Hom Art Trans.

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“The creation of an annual platform in KL that celebrates the diversity of contemporary culture and the lineage from where it originates and to which it refers,” explained Ganendra. “GW-KL seeks to present choice offerings, through a manageable schedule, that will entice the explorer and lead to new discoveries.”

Gallery Weekend Kuala Lumpur takes place from 25-27 November 2016.