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The Krishen Jit Fund Celebrates 20 Years of Impact, Announces 7 Bold New Projects
Published on 06/10/2025
The Malaysian arts scene is celebrating a massive milestone: the Krishen Jit Fund (KJF) has reached its 20th Anniversary! The official press announcement was recently made at Five Arts Centre in Kuala Lumpur on 1 October 2025. This is a powerful testament to the enduring vision of the late Dato' Krishen Jit and the community's commitment to bold, original work.
A Legacy of Unconventional Creativity
The Krishen Jit Fund was established in 2006 by ASTRO and the Five Arts Centre to commemorate the late Dato' Krishen Jit, a pioneering figure whose ground-breaking practice defined modern Malaysian art scene. The KJF's mission is to keep his spirit alive by providing arts practitioners with monetary aid to pursue projects that are inter-disciplinary, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and experimental. This encourages work that negotiates between seemingly opposing spheres—like tradition and contemporary pop culture, or the mainstream and the marginalized, to articulate an ever-evolving Malaysian identity.
Two Decades of Tangible Impact (2006–2024)
For 20 years, the KJF has been a relentless engine for artistic development:
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95 Grants Given: From 2006 to 2024, the Fund has supported nearly a hundred unique projects, helping artists and creators get their work off the ground.
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RM723,000 Invested: That's over three-quarters of a million ringgit injected directly into the ecosystem to fuel innovative performances, exhibitions, and creative research.
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A Brighter 2025: We are thrilled to note that this year, the KJF will be awarding 7 new grants totaling RM62,000 to keep the momentum going!
Meet the Seven New KJF Projects for 2025
The KJF received 78 applications this year, making the selection process challenging. The seven chosen projects perfectly reflect the Fund's criteria for originality, cultural depth, and experimental approach.
1. Nadira Ilana: Sumpah Batu Sumpah (working title)
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Grant Amount: RM10,000
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Project Summary: An experimental video art project by the indigenous Dusun filmmaker, interpreting the sacred rites that bind nationhood and memory through the potent imagery of the Oath Stones in North Borneo. The work is deeply personal, as Ilana’s grandfather was involved in the inauguration of the Keningau Oath Stone in 1964.
2. Mohd Nur Faillul bin Adam: Kamilah Penipu - Tapi Kami Tak Menipu (working title)
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Grant Amount: RM10,000
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Project Summary: This performance aims to be 60 minutes of "organized chaos," built from 60 one-minute units using the voices of Malaysians. Through movement, sound, and image, the work transforms real voices—gathered by asking unfiltered questions—into a response to the "cracks, contradictions, and strange beauty" of a constantly self-negotiating nation.
3. Illya Sumanto and Wayang Women: Female-Centred Wayang Kulit
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Grant Amount: RM8,000
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Project Summary: This project reimagines the ancient art of shadow puppetry through a female-centred Wayang Kulit Kelantan, focusing on ghost folklore, particularly the figure of the Penanggal. The multinational, all-female troupe fuses traditional Southeast Asian instruments with live electronic soundscapes by Malaysian DJ Victoria Yam, blending ancestral forms with urgent issues like environmental collapse and challenging gender norms. The full-length public performance is scheduled for 18 October 2025, at Temu House.
4. Adriana Nordin Manan: Kubu Seni
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Grant Amount: RM8,000
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Project Summary: Kubu Seni is a story lab and art incubator in Semporna. The project focuses on youth empowerment and the celebration of local culture, encouraging artistic upskilling among students from Borneo Komrad, an NGO advocating for the rights of stateless youth. The initiative includes online workshops followed by a five-day incubator in Semporna and a public arts fest.
5. Ong Qiao Se: The Shape of an Almond
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Grant Amount: RM8,000
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Project Summary: A non-fiction film about the filmmaker's 90-year-old grandmother (Ah Ma) living with Alzheimer's disease. The film is an experimental biographical documentary that complements official national histories with the intimate oral histories of pre- and post-Merdeka Malaysia. It uses reenactment, puppetry, and animation to playfully reimagine the textures of Malaysian life from the 1940s-50s.
6. Ho Chee Jen: Public Art Installation
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Grant Amount: RM8,000
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Project Summary: This visual arts project takes inspiration from gallery wall labels and transposes only the artwork descriptions onto public urban spaces like Petaling Street. The placards, printed or etched to mimic institutional tags, blend fiction, memory, and critique to question who writes urban history, effectively turning streets into open-air archives.
7. Lee Yee Han: Discrimination and Visual Illusions
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Grant Amount: RM8,000
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Project Summary: A hybrid performance and exhibition exploring visual manipulation in a post-truth era. Blending documentary theatre, AI visuals, and audience interaction, this project questions how filters, deep fakes, and media bias shape social prejudice. This project reunites the director and multimedia designer Tan Chung Cea after a decade to expand on their previous, award-winning work.
The 20th Anniversary is a moment for the entire arts community to celebrate not just the money that was distributed, but the commitment to the unconventional and the important. The 20th Anniversary of the Krishen Jit Fund is truly a community celebration. It underscores the continued necessity of foundations that dare to invest in art that challenges and reflects our society. We look forward to seeing the incredible works these seven recipients bring to the stage and screen in the coming years, carrying forward Krishen Jit's spirit of bold inquiry.
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who makes this Fund possible, from the generous supporters to the dedicated individuals who select the grants.
Supported By: ASTRO & Creador Foundation
Managed By: Marion D’Cruz (Fund Manager) and Five Arts Centre
More Info: Find full bios and project updates at: fiveartscentre.org/krishen-jit-fund/recipients
Thank You to the 2025 Selection Panel: • Tuan Haji Saifulkhairi bin Ahmad – Director, Arts and Culture Enhancement Division, National Department for Culture and Arts, Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Malaysia. • Jolyn Gasper – Senior AVP, ESG, Astro. • Sharmilla Ganesan – Content Lead, Creador Foundation. • Leow Puay Tin – Playwright, performer, arts educator. • Ravi Navaratnam – Senior Advisor Corporate Strategy, Minconsult Sdn. Bhd. / Member, Five Arts Centre. • Lim Ying Xian – Senior Manager, Programmes & Partnerships, GMBB
