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

  • 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…

  • [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…

  • Batu Caves

    Batu Caves

    6 MILES

    Just 13km north of Kuala Lumpur rise the iconic Batu Caves, a Malaysian national treasure, Hindu pilgrimage site and wildlife-conservation zone. Behind a…

  • Ramayana Cave

    Ramayana Cave

    6.06 MILES

    No cave at Batu is more spectacularly embellished than Ramayana Cave, which boasts psychedelic dioramas of the Indian epic 'Ramayana'. Pass the green, 15m…

  • Sin Sze Si Ya Temple

    Sin Sze Si Ya Temple

    1.8 MILES

    Kuala Lumpur's oldest Chinese temple (1864) was built on the instructions of Kapitan Yap Ah Loy and is dedicated to Sin Sze Ya and Si Sze Ya, two Chinese…

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