Do you think art should be beautiful?
“Beautiful” is a loaded word — but perhaps it can also mean connection, care, and the power of people coming together.
“It became apparent to us that we wanted to do something positive. And so, it is. I don't know exactly how we came upon that sentence, but it was something about connecting the beautiful — not in a concrete way, but rather in an abstract sense. To tell people that they are powerful, that they can be a force together if they stay together. For us, it’s about building up and creating beauty by being together and joining forces.” - Hesselholdt & Mejlvang
Penangites are invited to bring personal textiles — each carrying its own memories and stories — to be transformed into large-scale banners. Through movement, music, and collective action, the project celebrates diversity, communal identity, and the creative energy that emerges when people come together to co-create.
🧵 Workshop : 22 & 23 November (Sat & Sun) | 2:00pm - 6:00pm | COEX 🎭 Performance : 29 November (Sat) | 5:00pm - 5:30pm | Hin Bus Depot 🖼️ Exhibition : 01 - 31 December | ChinaHouse
About Artist
Hesselholdt & Mejlvang is a Danish artist duo known for their thought-provoking installations and performances that explore themes of identity, nationalism, and cultural symbolism. Their interdisciplinary practice combines visual art and performance to challenge societal norms and provoke dialogue. With exhibitions across Europe and beyond, they examine power structures and collective consciousness, offering critical reflections on contemporary issues. Their work often engages public spaces, emphasising participation and interaction to foster deeper connections with audiences.
About In Situ
In Situ: Performance as Exhibition, The Malaysian Edition presents participatory performances and installations in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, where body, presence, and environment serve as the medium of exhibition, and audiences become co-creators. Organised by Belarmino & Partners with support from the Danish Arts Foundation and the New Carlsberg Foundation, with contributions from the Beckett Foundation, and in collaboration with the George Town Literary Festival and the Penang Art District, this edition invites audiences to actively shape how performance unfolds within a specific place and with people.
Curated by Vanini Belarmino, it features Danish artists Christian Falsnaes, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, and Molly Haslund. The third chapter continues In Situ’s exploration of performance as exhibition following its Singapore and Philippines editions (2024). Each work emerges from the dialogue between artist, audience, and site, reimagining how performance can be encountered beyond the gallery.
Across heritage landmarks, cultural spaces, and urban landscapes, including Bon Ton Locale, Cheah Kongsi, ChinaHouse, COEX, Hin Bus Depot, Ilham Gallery, and the Penang Institute – the programme presents site-specific performances, participatory works, workshops, artist conversations, exhibitions, and installations. In Malaysia, public participation contributes to co-created outcomes such as sculptural installations, photographic works, and textile exhibitions, leaving tangible traces of shared process.
Through these collaborations, In Situ explores how presence, participation, and co-creation bring exhibitions to life as shared, living experiences.