ILHAM

Top choice in Kuala Lumpur

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Housed in a 60-storey tower designed by British architects Foster and Partners, this impressive art gallery presents exhibitions spanning various media. The curator's aim is to place modern and contemporary Malaysian art within a regional and global context, provoking cultural debate in the process. Large works by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and Thai artist Pinaree Sanpitak are displayed in front of the building.

Talks, performances, film screenings and children's workshops are also held here, often tying in with the theme of the current exhibition; check the website for details. There's also a great gift shop with a small cafe.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Petronas Towers

    Petronas Towers

    0.5 MILES

    Resembling twin silver rockets, the Petronas Towers are the perfect allegory for the meteoric rise of the city from tin-mining shanty town to 21st-century…

  • Medan Tuanku Station, Menara KL Tower.

    Menara KL

    1.11 MILES

    Although the Petronas Towers are taller, the 421m Menara KL, rising from the crest of Bukit Nanas, offers the best city views. The bulb at the top…

  • 500px Photo ID: 94779049 -

    Forest Research Institute Malaysia

    7.55 MILES

    A fresh green haven in easy reach of Kuala Lumpur, the 545-hectare Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is an active centre of forest management…

  • [UNVERIFIED CONTENT] Masjid Jamek is the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur. It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak river. It was built in 1907 and officially open by the then Sultan Selangor in 1909.

    Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad

    1.74 MILES

    This graceful, onion-domed mosque, designed by British architect AB Hubback, borrows Mogul and Moorish styles with its brick-and-plaster banded minarets…

  • Thean Hou Temple

    Thean Hou Temple

    3.31 MILES

    Sitting atop leafy Robson Heights, this vividly decorated multistorey Chinese temple, dedicated to Thean Hou, the heavenly queen, affords wonderful views…

  • Detail of ceiling in Islamic Arts Museum.

    Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

    2.33 MILES

    Inhabiting a building that's nearly as impressive as its collection, this museum showcases Islamic decorative arts from around the globe. Scale models of…

  • Sultan Abdul Samad Building and Merdeka Square

    Merdeka Square

    1.88 MILES

    The huge open square, where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957, is speared by a 95m flagpole, one of the world's tallest. In the British era, the…

  • No sunrise this morning as it was pretty cloudy on the horizon but this picture taken during blue hour was sufficient enough. Worth it to walk from Medan Tuanku to LRT Kg Baru to come here early in the morning :)

    KLCC Park

    0.38 MILES

    At the heart of the mammoth KLCC development, this excellent park offers a 1.3km soft-surface jogging track, a great children's playground and paddling…

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Nearby Kuala Lumpur attractions

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