Friendship in Harmony: An Invasive yet Inclusive dialogue in Search of Art and Identity (Malaysia-Indonesia)
Figure 1: "Waving Friendship (2026)" by Rosli Zakaria 25th July 2026 marks the date of the most anticipated exhibition, “Friendship in Harmony (2026),” between two (2) close Southeast Asian neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. The art show takes place at Artnovation Balai Rupa, in Yogyakarta Indonesia. “Friendship in Harmony” finds itself to be the middle ground of cultural assimilation rather than acculturation between two (2) art communities separated by different geo-political settings. There is a phrase in Malay “Dari berlawan lebih baik berkawan, dari ramai lawan lebih baik ramai kawan”, literally translated as; “from fighting, better be friends; from many opponents, better many friends”. Here, we can view this art exhibition rather than being a battleground between two, it has became a middle ground to celebrate the differences of becoming one, as aligned with the global contemporary art scene, where one is always as good as the other. In pursuing the pursuit of this “...