In Situ: Performance as Exhibition, The Malaysian Edition transforms public spaces in Penang and Kuala Lumpur into stages for live encounters between artists and audiences. From 22 November to 31 December 2025, the programme presents participatory performances and installations where the body and presence become the material of the exhibition, inviting audiences to step into the role of co-creators within each environment. Organised by Belarmino & Partners (ACC 2009) with support from the Danish Arts Foundation and the New Carlsberg Foundation, along with contributions from the Beckett Foundation, this edition is realised in collaboration with the George Town Literary Festival and the Penang Art District. Curated by Vanini Belarmino, it marks the third chapter of In Situ, building on previous editions in Singapore and the Philippines (2024), and continues to explore how performance can be experienced beyond the gallery.

The programme features Danish artists Christian Falsnaes, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, and Molly Haslund. Each work unfolds through dialogue between artist, audience, and site—whether through shared action, participatory installation, or site-specific encounter. Public participation is central, contributing to co-created outcomes such as sculptural installations, photography, and textile exhibitions, leaving tangible traces of the shared process. Presented across Malaysia’s heritage landmarks, cultural spaces, and urban landscapes—including Bon Ton Locale, Cheah Kongsi, ChinaHouse, CO-EX, Hin Bus Depot, Ilham Gallery, and the Penang Institute—the programme features site-specific performances, workshops, artist conversations, exhibitions, and installations.

By inviting audiences to shape how performances unfold, In Situ highlights how presence, participation, and co-creation can transform public spaces into living exhibitions.

PROGRAMME
HESSELHOLDT & MEJLVANG, Be a Beautiful Force Together

Workshop: Sat & Sun, 22 & 23 Nov, 2:00-6:00 p.m. CO-EX
Performance: Sat, 29 Nov, 5:00-5:30 p.m. Hin Bus Depot
Exhibition: 1–31 Dec, China House 


Locals are invited to contribute their personal textiles at a CO-EX workshop, each carrying its own memories and stories. These textiles are transformed into large-scale banners for a participatory performance at Hin Bus Depot and an exhibition at ChinaHouse. Through movement, music, and collective action, the work celebrates diversity, communal identity, and the creative energy that emerges when people come together to co-create.

MOLLY HASLUND — Teenagers Eating Ice Cream Cones

Performances: | Sun 30 Nov · 11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. Hin Bus Depot, Penang
Sat, 6 Dec · 3:00 p.m. Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur 
Exhibitions: 30 Nov–31 Dec ·Hin Bus Depot, Penang
6–31 Dec · Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

In this intimate, choreographed encounter, teenagers gather silently at Hin Bus Depot in Penang and Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, sharing ice cream together. By presenting the work in two distinct cultural sites, the performance offers different perspectives on what can be considered a museum or cultural space. Through subtle gestures and fleeting movements, Haslund explores notions of belonging, exclusion, and social hierarchies within public spaces, highlighting the delicate dynamics of communal interaction.

CHRISTIAN FALSNAES — FRONT

Performance: Sun, 30 Nov · 6:30 p.m. · Cheang Kongsi 
Exhibition: 1 – 31 Dec · Penang Institute 

Audiences become collaborators in this participatory performance at Cheah Kongsi, collectively building, dismantling, parading, and reconstructing a large-scale wooden structure. Under Falsnaes’ direction, these acts of creation and destruction unfold as a shared ritual, exploring social roles and power dynamics. The performance is part of the closing programme of the George Town Literary Festival, and the resulting sculptural installation will be exhibited at the Penang Institute.



Conversation with Christian Falsnaes, Hesselholdt & Meljvang and Vanini Belarmino. Moderated by Gareth Richards 


Fri, 28 Nov, 7:00-8:30 p.m., COEX

As part of In Situ: Performance as Exhibition, artists Christian Falsnaes and Hesselholdt & Mejlvang join curator Vanini Belarmino in conversation about performance practice and public participation. Moderated by Gareth Richards, the discussion explores how their works invite audiences to become active collaborators, shaping the exhibition through shared action and dialogue.