Free art galleries in KL
Finding spots to clear our heads in the city can be ironically stressful, especially when we’re not keen on spending any money or sweating under the sun. Luckily for us, KL has its share of galleries and museums that you can visit for free. We rounded up 7 of them, which you can pay a visit to whether to declutter your mind or marvel at artworks.
Table of Contents
1. Vintage Camera Museum
A camera museum tucked inside a hotel
Image credit: @rebelparacosm via Instagram
Gold3 Boutique Hotel is not just a place to rest your head on a vacay. The boutique hotel in KL has an unexpected attraction awaiting guests and non-guests on the second floor of its building: a vintage camera museum.
Image credit: @ateyyaadnan via Instagram
The museum displays all sorts of cameras – the classic, the modern, and everything in between – behind glass cases for shutterbugs to marvel at. It is meant to recreate an old film studio you would once stumble upon on the streets of KL, with a main counter complete with an antique cash register, a telephone, and film rolls for “sale” to draw you into the “store”.
Image credit: @carmen05.co via Instagram
There’s also a replica of a darkroom, and other photo-worthy corners, to strike a pose and snap retro-inspired shots at here.
Address: Vintage Camera Museum @ Gold3 Boutique Hotel, 179, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 10am-6pm, Daily
2. The Back Room
A cosy art gallery in The Zhongshan Building
Image credit: @_teckshen___ via Instagram
The Back Room at KL’s artsy The Zhongshan Building may be small compared to the other galleries on this list. But it makes up for it with intriguing solo exhibitions that boast carefully curated collections of bold, interactive, and participatory artworks.
Image credit: @thebackroomkl via Instagram
The cosy and intimate gallery also focuses on spotlighting emerging and alternative art from artists from different walks of life. You can expect to be mesmerised by a plethora of artistic mediums, such as paintings, prints, photographs, books, and more.
Image credit: @ysleeeee via Instagram
For starters, the gallery’s latest exhibition Shadows in Time by Joshua Fitton displays the artist’s ink drawings made from broken ceramic plates. It’s currently on view from 29th June to 28th July.
Address: 80A, Jalan Rotan, Kampung Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 12pm-6pm (Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)
Contact: 016-660 2585 | The Back Room’s website | Instagram
3. ILHAM Gallery
Near Petronas Twin Towers
Image credit: @dodotrain via Instagram
ILHAM Gallery is a public art gallery in the heart of KL that’s popularly known among art geeks in the Klang Valley – it’s just a 12-minute walk from the Petronas Twin Towers.
Established in 2018, the gallery seeks to promote local arts, culture, and education, by showcasing modern and contemporary art by local and regional artists in rotating exhibitions at its gallery halls.
Two shows are usually held at a time on Levels 3 and 5 of the towering ILHAM Tower, where the gallery is located.
Image credit: @ilhamgallerykl via Instagram
You can also join a free docent-led guided tour of the gallery, on Saturdays at 11am, to gain more insight on the curated works. As spaces are limited, you must email the gallery to reserve a spot.
Image credit: @ilhamgallerykl via Instagram
Currently on show till 6th October 2024 is the Zhang Xu Zhan: Jungle Jungle exhibition. It spotlights the Taiwanese artist’s works, which range from a short feature film that won a Golden Horse Award to paper puppets.
Address: Levels 3 & 5, ILHAM Tower, No 8, Jalan Binjai, 50450, Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 11am-7pm | Sun 11am-5pm (Closed on Mondays)
Contact: 03-2181 3003 | ILHAM Gallery’s website | Instagram
4. National Art Gallery
A collection of 2,500 artworks
Image credit: @dwinuraisyahh via Instagram
A titbit that even Klang Valley folks might not be aware of is that the National Art Gallery, also locally known as Balai Seni Negara, wasn’t always found on Jalan Tun Razak. It inhabited a 2-storey building on Jalan Ampang in 1958, before it settled down at its current location in 2000, nestled between the equally prominent Istana Budaya and National Library.
Currently, the gallery holds over 2,500 artworks in its permanent collection. These pieces by talented artists from across Malaysia are spread out across seven gallery spaces, on three floors of the building.
There are also temporary exhibits to catch at the National Art Gallery, such as a Hallyu Wave exhibit back in 2023 that celebrated the wave of K-culture in Malaysia through an immersive installation, a participatory sculpture, and more.
Image credit: Balai Seni Negara via Facebook
Visitors can also dive into art activities, join seminars and workshops, and even compete in local and global art competitions at the gallery.
Address: No. 2, Jalan Temerloh, Titiwangsa, 53200 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 10am-4.30pm, Daily
Contact: 03-4026 7000 | National Art Gallery’s website | Facebook
5. Muzium Telekom
A telecommunications museum with a huge telephone replica
Image adapted from: @akmalnajmii via Instagram
Back in 1994, the old telephone exchange building in Bukit Nanas was proudly declared a national landmark by Malaysia’s National Archives. The 3-storey building now houses a telecommunications museum curated by Telekom Malaysia – Muzium Telekom.
Image credit: @meesyajohn via Instagram
The museum was established to help share more about the history and social importance of the telecommunications industry in Malaysia.
Inside, you’ll find captivating galleries holding artefacts and recreation rooms that highlight the evolution of communication technologies—from vintage telephones to the earliest forms of messaging.
A wall of telephones from different eras is a highlight here among visitors.
Image credit: @chrislightsurgeon via Instagram
Outside the museum, you’ll find large-scale displays of various telephones to marvel at and take photos with.
Image credit: @meesyajohn via Instagram
Address: 57 Jalan Hang Lekiu, 50250 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 9am-5pm, Daily
Contact: 03-2070 0199 | Muzium Telekom’s website | Facebook
6. WKSGM
Exhibitions by local and regional artists
Located in the city center of Kuala Lumpur, Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia (WKSGM) is a hub for artistic, cultural, and education exchanges. The center has hosted more than 200 events, including exhibitions, public lectures, and cultural performances.
Image credit: @Nurhazira Md Amir via Facebook
If you’re here solely for the art, WKSGM regularly hosts art exhibitions that spotlight Malaysian as well as regional artists.
The latest exhibition titled Blossom of Hope, which runs from 7th October 2023 to 1st September 2024, has 40 artworks centred around flowers that have been created by artists from Malaysia, South Korea, China and Hong Kong.
Address: 243 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11am-5pm (Closed on Mondays)
Contact: 03-2144 8686 | WKSGM’s website
7. Wei-Ling Gallery
A contemporary art gallery in a shophouse
Image credit: @weilinggallery via Instagram
Wei-Ling Gallery is where contemporary local art shines bright. The gallery’s owner decided to establish Wei-Ling Gallery, as well as Wei-Ling Contemporary which shares space with the gallery, to show support for the growth of Malaysia’s contemporary art scene in 2002.
The latter space is dedicated to showcase special projects and more experimental art forms.
Image credit: @weilinggallery via Instagram
While admiring the curated exhibitions and artworks held within, you’ll be surrounded by antique furniture and the overall charms of a time-worn shophouse in Brickfields that the gallery occupies.
Address: 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 10am-6pm | Sat 10am-5pm (Closed on Mondays and Sundays)
Contact: 03-2282 8323 | Wei Ling’s Contemporary website | Instagram
Declutter your mind at these free art galleries to visit in KL
As much as we love to head to the malls and cafes on the weekends, you might want a change of scenery and a spot to declutter your thoughts. There’s no better place to do that than at an art gallery, where the halls are quiet and the artwork pauses you to think.
So, if you don’t have any weekend plans, pay a visit to these free-admission art galleries in KL for a dose of arts and culture.
Cover image adapted from: @akmalnajmii via Instagram, @carmen05.co via Instagram, @_teckshen___ via Instagram