2017 - Alamak!!

Alamak! is part of the ongoing XXI Triennale International Exhibition 2016 in Milan, Italy, and was curated according to the theme “21st Century. Design After Design”. It features 12 top design talents from across Asia who serve as ambassadors to promote a better understanding of what design in Asia represents.

“The Malaysian word alamak suggests an element of unexpected discovery and surprise. That is key to what we hope to achieve with the exhibition and how we ultimately wish the show could change [in terms of] the standard perception of what design in Asia is, when seen from the West,” says Timothy Power, co- curator along with Yoichi Nakamuta, in an e-mail interview.

“Alamak!’s main goal is to expose the hidden side of design in Asia, and Asian design from a different point of view, aimed at surprise rather than appeasing expectations. Simply stated, design in Asia, from Asian designers.

“But above that, Alamak! aims to expose Asian regionalism, Asian creativity, a sense of pride in Asian traditions, a knowledge of international ‘artistic codification’ and also a little bit of humour and lightness, despite some very serious artistic sophistication inherent in many of the works,” Power explains.