KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — The River of Life is more than 10 kilometres long but its epicentre is just behind Dataran Merdeka and by the arches of Masjid Jamek, where Kuala Lumpur’s veins converge.
A short walk from LRT Masjid Jamek or LRT Pasar Seni, the riverfront usually hums with tourists and locals.
Between August 29 to September 17, it carries a different current.
Bersama2050, a youth art exhibition in its fourth edition, has unfurled itself here in the open heart of the city.
The exhibition runs daily from 11am to 6pm, with extended hours on weekends, drawing pedestrians to stop and stare at photographs, artworks and videos from young Malaysians under 25, many from B40 households.
It’s the less heard and seen Malaysia speaking up through the arts.
The exhibition is a result of a two-month competition since June involving students from institutions and schools.
The participants are asked the question; how do they see Malaysia evolving in the next 25 years to 2050.
It is the Malaysia they will lead in that future, and therefore how they see it from now will have a huge bearing on the outcome.
The event coincides with the Merdeka month. For this 68th anniversary of the country, Kuala Lumpur City Hall is the venue host.
In doing so, DBKL has declared something powerful: during national day celebrations, youth expression deserves centre stage over commerce.
It is organised by MyKampus Radio, a youth media organisation which facilitates the voices of young Malaysians in Malay.
The arts project co-ordinator Ameera Ameelia Abdul Razak described the exhibition as “more of an adventure than an arts competition since Bersama2050 centres around the story-telling and who is telling the story rather than just the quality of the artworks.”
Which is why she explained that the exhibition had to be accessible to everyday Malaysians and not in elite galleries or private spaces.
It matters who stands beside them. Besides City Hall, the German Embassy, Koperasi Bandaraya Maju Bhd, Staedtler, Terramed Physio & Rehab, and KL Society have stepped forward.
Their support is not just logos on a banner—it is recognition that youth voices deserve amplification. Buzz Makan is a key collaborator for space management.
Staedtler holds a doodle workshop in conjunction with the event on the morning of September 6.
It is conducted by Feyqa Ramle, the first winner of Bersama2050 Yusli Yusoff Prize for Artworks in 2021, followed by a mini-competition.
On September 16, Malaysia Day, Bersama2050 brings all the artists down to the exhibition, for prize giving and to talk to visitors about their work.
They are here
There’s a temptation to describe Malaysian youth as apathetic, glued to screens, unmoved by their nation.
Bersama2050 punctures that stereotype with brushstrokes, camera clicks and video shoots.
These are the children of Grab drivers, small traders, teachers. They inherit a Malaysia wealthy in possibility, fragile with inequity. Their art carries weight and mischief.
A 19-year-old from Sabah scrawls “Jangan lupa kami” across a classroom-sized canvas. A student from Perak digitises pasar malam traders into a futuristic city skyline, captioned: “Our economy is built by these hands too.”
They are not asking permission. They are demanding an audience.
And this year, the exhibition does not end on September 17. The artworks will travel— to universities in November and December, where campus communities can engage, debate, and draw strength from what their peers have expressed on canvas.
Art, in this vision, is not a one-off spectacle. It is a moving dialogue.
2050 is not far. Twenty-five years — long enough for these artists to become leaders, teachers, innovators. Long enough for their canvases to become blueprints.
Which is why, Malaysians from all walks of life should find the time to walk down to the River of Life in this Merdeka/Malaysia Day month and see how a generation of young Malaysians dream about our country.
