b. 1983, Penang, Malaysia
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Bibichun
| 2003 | Diploma in Mass Comm, Major in Graphic Design, College Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
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Since emerging onto the Malaysian art scene in the late 2000s, self-taught artist Bibichun has exhibited extensively both domestically and abroad, and has been involved in artistic endeavors that have been described as being “clandestine interventions”, in and around George Town, Penang, as his way to better understand issues such as authorship and identity, plus pushing the boundaries of what’s considered “public space”.
Although he got his start (and notoriety) in Kuala Lumpur, George Town is the artist’s current home ground, arriving on the island sometime around 2012. His interventions have included visual “conversations” with the handiwork of other artists, notable among them Cloakwork and Ernest Zacharevic.
Some have even gone as far as describing him as a “terrorist in Penang armed with a paintbrush”! His interventions have both irked and amused. But his notoriety aside, Bibichun is an astute critic, often presenting his observations, opinions and thoughts on events and issues with pointed, humor-tinged intelligence.
His involvement in visual art began on the streets, and Bibichun is acknowledged as being part of the early generation of street artists who brought a more localized aesthetic to street art. His pairing of localized imagery and word-play provide critiques that hit close to home. Eva McGovern, in her essay for “Ape Cerita”, has described what Bibichun produces as ‘visual one-liners’, immediately recognizable and instantly understood.
The transition from street-to-gallery is never an easy one for artists. Bibi, however, enjoys the benefit of living in both worlds, enabling him to enrich all aspects of his multifaceted art practice. His current focus is on sustainability, both in its currently trendy environmental meaning, as well as for himself as an artist.
And while that means he necessarily has to continue with taking on commissioned work, the most fulfilling part of his career as an artist is still producing art on his own terms, and the sense of “freedom” it provides.
Solo Exhibitions
2015
Expectation, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Group Exhibitions
2022
Art For All, GMBB KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (with Artemis Art)
Art@23, 23Lovelane, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2021
Langur, Penang State Art Gallery, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Kecik-kecik, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
PAUSE, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2020
Letter to Basquiat, Artemis Art, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Conversation with Basquiat, Artemis Art, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Art Gwangju 20: From Ordinary Past, online exhibition, South Korea
Belang, Penang State Art Gallery, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Pink!, Rumah Tangsi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2019
What Are You Afraid Of?, The BackRoom KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Vice Versa 2.0, Artemis Art @ Badai Art Studio, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
DUA ALAM, Artemis Art, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kecik-kecik, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2018
REIMAGINEKL, Urbanscapes House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2017
Collective Individuals, Urbanscapes House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Collective Individuals, Hin Bus Gallery, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2016
Mural Exhibition, MAP@Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Gaul, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Kayu, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2015
Ayam What Ayam, Ernest Zacharavic x E&O, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2014
Eating Wind, VT Artsalon, Taipei, Taiwan
2013
Eating Wind, Run Amok Gallery, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Urbane Folklore, Kunstraum, Innsbruck, Austria
13, The Warehouse, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Ape Cerita, MAP@Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2012
12, The Warehouse, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Weapon of Mass Change, G40 @ Art Whino, Oxen Hill, Maryland, USA
Urban Art, Pelita Hati Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2011
Cats & Dogs, Studio At Straits, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Beautiful Junk, AWAS Artspace. George Town, Malaysia.
2010
Rantai Art Fest: Gravity, Balai Seni Visual Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rise Up, New Meta House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Energy Trap: Painting & Sculpture, Valentine Willie Fine Art (VWFA) @ The Annexe Gallery, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2008
Man and God, Art4Soul Russian Dolls project
Festivals
2020
International Container Art Festival, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2015
DA+C, Penang State Museum, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2014
Urban Xchange, Hin Bus Depot, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2012
Beyond Pressure: Festival of Contemporary Art, Yangon, Myanmar
Major Projects
2021
Sasaran Art Gallery, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
2020
Mondelez International, Penang, Malaysia
2017
Splash & Burn, Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia
2016
Penang House of Music, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2014
Taska D’Komtar, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
2013
Altera Corporation Malaysia, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
The Gym Box, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
2012
Renoma Café Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2010
Hotel Leisure Inn, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In The Media
2022
The Elusive Gallery Representation: Two Case Studies – Penang Art District, February 10 2022
2021
走過不要錯過 Bibichun 即興畫作 (Walk by and don’t miss the Bibichun improvisations) – Guangming Daily, December 7 2021
#senihanat: “God Damned Art”…? Malaysian netizens up in arms over controversial art. Again – CASE EAST, May 29 2021 (video, via YouTube)
Malaysian arts jostle with draconian laws, conservative attitudes – Al-Jazeera News, May 6 2021
Artists pay ode to the pandemic in PAUSE exhibition – The Vibes, April 26 2021
George Town is back to being a backwater – it’s as if Penang’s tourism boom never happened. Blame the coronavirus travel curbs – Today Online, March 13 2021
2020
Artist Bibichun revels in the freedom of the internet and the streets – Penang Art District, July 22 2020
Penang International Container Art Festival (PICAF) 2020 – Chief Minister of Penang’s Office (Press Release), January 20 2020
2019
How Penang’s art scene was killed by Instagram tourists and gentrification, sparked by a single mural – South China Morning Post, October 20 2019
Sesi Seni with Alvin Chia & Bibichun – Penang Art District, September 17 2019 (video, via YouTube)
Kecik Kecik arts group to promote up and comers – Penang Hyperlocal, September 1 2019
2018
Street Art In George Town – Goethe Institute, October 19 2018
2017
In The Background? Artist Talk: Bibichun (2017) – Five Arts Centre, August 18 2017 (video, via YouTube)
In The Background? Artist Talk: Q&A with Mac Chan & Bibichun (2017) – Five Arts Centre, August 18 2017 (video, via YouTube)
No hard feelings, artist says after mural defaced – Free Malaysia Today, August 3 2017
Penang attempts world’s tallest mural on Komtar – Malay Mail, March 9 2017
2016
Bibichun, A Terrorist In Penang Armed With A Paintbrush – Eksentrika, September 30 2016
Mural war in Penang – The Star, September 29 2016
2015
Ayam What Ayam @ EZ X EO Gallery, Georgetown – Pokok Kelapa, August 20 2015
Incorporation And Exploration Of Local Imageries And Identities In Malaysia’s Graffiti Art – Journal of Visual Art and Design, July 2015 (via Researchgate.net)
2013
Bibichun Presentation for Urbane Folklore – bibichun khor, July 5 2013 (video, via YouTube)
2011
Behind the scenes: Making of ‘Stoic’ by Bibichun – Time Out KL, July 28 2011 (video, via YouTube)
2009
THEY x Bibichun – Graffiti ‘Takutkan Bayang’ – Mahathir Masri, December 28 2009 (video, via YouTube)
National Visual Art Gallery, Malaysia (Balai Seni Visual Negara)