A Malaysian vision

The Krishen Jit Astro Fund, introduced by Astro in 2006 together with Five Arts Centre, has helped realise the dreams of many local arts and theatre practitioners.

The first three recipients in 2006 – artists Sharon Chin, Au Sow Yee and arts academic/archivist Ray Langenbach – set the ball rolling. The Krishen Jit Astro Fund has played its role yearly ever since in encouraging and supporting experimental creative work in Malaysia.

From experimental artist Kok Siew Wai, visual artist Tan Nan See, writer/publisher Amir Amir Muhammad, right to arts researcher Muhammad Zikri Abdul Rahman (Buku Jalanan), scriptwriter and film/theatre actor Nam Ron and theatre outfit TerryAndTheCuz, the Krishen Jit Astro Fund has contributed to the advancement of several interesting individuals and forward-thinking arts projects in the last 13 years. The list of names is a long one.

One of the main objectives of Krishen’s pioneering work was to celebrate original Malaysian art, across a range of disciplines, and in pursuit of innovative modes of expression and intervention.

His groundbreaking theatre practice straddled and brought together a wide range of contrasting spheres, producing projects that were critically exacting through inter-disciplinary, multicultural, multilingual and experimental approaches to making and thinking theatre.

Navigating between theory and practice, tradition and pop culture, the mainstream and the marginal, Krishen’s work articulated a Malaysian identity that was ever evolving, and he encouraged practitioners and audiences to reflect on their particular and situated lives and societies in their art-making.

This is the spirit of the Krishen Jit Astro Fund, which now awaiting applications for its 2018 recipients. Once again, the fund will give out grants ranging from RM1,000 to RM20,000 for: training, workshops, attachments/residencies, experimental productions, research and documentation, creating new work in music, dance, theatre, writing, film, visual/performance arts and more.

The Krishen Jit Astro Fund will try to be inclusive, but work sited in Malaysia will be given preference. All arts practitioners in Malaysia are eligible to apply. The fund will be managed by Five Arts Centre and Astro.

Closing date for applications is July 31. For more details, go to astro.com.my or fiveartscentre. org.