IN SOLITUDE: SALVAGED LOVE

Arifwaran Shaharuddin (1977–2025) was best known as a virtuoso dancer, choreographer, and producer. Yet, few knew of his parallel journey as a visual artist. Throughout his life—most poignantly, during the Covid-19 lockdowns and after the loss of his beloved partner—he turned to another form of expression. He began making art out of trash that he recovered from roadside and dumpsites.

Sadly, many of these works were discarded after his passing. The pieces presented here have been carefully restored and preserved, thanks to the community of dancers and friends who supported him in his final hours and after. Through Liew Chee Hai’s exhibition design and installation, they are brought into the light as the centrepiece of YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

BOOK your free tickets to the OPENING CEREMONY of the Exhibition and the Festival.

BOOK your free tickets to visit the exhibition from Tue 21 to Sun 26 Oct using the links below.

This exhibition is a part of You Are Not Alone. Please click the link for the full programmes.

Interested in owning the artworks? Come for the exhibition. Pre-opening previews by appointment. Or email or whatsapp with the subject “Salvaged Love” to request for a catalog.

Artists’ Bio

Arifwaran Shaharuddin 

Arifwaran Shaharuddin (1977–2025) was an acclaimed Malaysian dancer, choreographer, and visual artist known for his innovative synthesis of traditional Malaysian art forms with contemporary aesthetics. An alumnus of the National Arts Academy (ASWARA), he was mentored by masters such as Khatijah Awang and Awang Hamzah. 

Arifwaran was a co-founder of Shakti Dances alongside Aida Redza and Judimar Hernandez. His work was featured internationally at the National Theatre of Vienna, National Art Gallery of Austria, Venice Biennale, The Pit River Museum in Oxford, and Museum of Contemporary Arts Taipei, as well as being part of the permanent exhibition at the Singapore Arts Museum. He was also nominated for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. He performed at the Asia Europe Dance Forum.

His practice often explored the interpretation of tradition in modern contexts, a spirit he carried into Shakti Dances. In recent years, he was in The Encounter of Senesino and MeiLanFang, Sacred at KLPAC for the Malaysian International Chinese Dance Week, as well as the Performance Design Exchange at ASWARA. He was also a featured dancer in REXPERIENCE (RXP) KL, highlighting the convergence of his movement artistry with cutting-edge digital technology. 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE is dedicated to his memory, carrying forward his vision of art as a space of connection, remembrance, and shared humanity. 

Liew Chee Heai

Liew Chee Heai is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes photography, performance art, installation art, and short video. In 2019, he made his directorial debut and performed in ‘Seni Tiga #033: Void in Void’. In 2022, he exhibited ‘My Island’, a site-specific installation, as well as directed and performed in ‘khakkhakkhak’ performance art. In 2023, he performed in ‘Sisyphus No. 9’ directed by Tung Jit Yang, and ‘Into the Symbiocene’ directed by Lim Sheng Hui, which was awarded Best Set And/Or Visual Design in Theatre category at BOH Cameronian Arts Awards 2024, and was nominated for Best innovation in Performance award at Stockholm Fringe festival (2024). In 2024, he directed and performed in ‘I Thought We Had a Deal’ and ‘You Really Messed Up Everything’. He performed in ‘Tidur Lambak’ at the International Theatre Platform, Jakarta in 2025.