This year marks our third time participating in the Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair, and I must say, this edition has been my favourite so far. The curation felt exceptionally refined: a fresh and striking key visual by Where’s Gut Studio, beautifully crafted collaborative products by Ana Tomy Co., a well-balanced selection of vendors, compelling seminars and workshops, an insightful exhibition, and even a generous after party that created real space for artists to unwind and bond.
We launched 6 new zines along with some prints from interns.
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Stuff & the Bathroom by Andrea Go – An accordion-fold zine that reimagines hygiene rituals across cultures by weaving personal narrative with visual documentation to explore identity, care, and the cultural meaning of everyday bathroom habits.
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Slasher by Kai – A reflective snapshot of a young artist navigating the multi-hyphenate lifestyle, capturing the tensions and freedoms of juggling multiple roles across countries while pursuing creative survival.
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Uni Go! Go! by Yolillo – A light-hearted documentary zine offering an insider’s view into sea urchin processing in Melbourne, blending journal-style anecdotes with a rare look at how the delicacy moves from sea to table.
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Packing by absorbingblue – A foldable pseudo-manual that mirrors the emotional act of migration, juxtaposing instructions for moving abroad with a collage of memories from the artist’s childhood in Myanmar.
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the price we pay for FREE by vaguelydaydreams – A witty examination of how easily we trade personal data for small conveniences, presented through a nostalgic logbook-style reflection on the hidden costs of “free” perks.
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Things About Friendship by Zyrex Lim – A gentle, bilingual illustrated zine that celebrates the quiet, meaningful moments that shape trust, connection, and the simple joy of companionship.
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Richman by Qi En – A print series of playful reinterpretation of aespa’s “Rich Man” album, transforming each track into a characterful guitar pick that visually expresses the songs’ moods and personalities.
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Moonlight Reverie by Zhe Jia – A dreamy Riso-printed concept imagining a fictional mooncake brand, created as an in-studio assignment and offered as both A5 postcards and A3 posters.
Beyond the programme, what truly made this year special were the encounters. We had the chance to finally meet the Jugon team in person. They’ve been our long-time customers, but we had never met face to face until Bambi came over to say hello. It was wonderful to match a face to a familiar name. She later introduced us to Esther and Kylie, who have done extensive Riso experiments during their time studying in Taiwan. Since they mentioned they weren’t fully familiar with the local Riso scene, we connected them with Carol from Hasuriso. Carol, in turn, brought all of us over to visit Nekoba’s booth.
From there, the group kept expanding. Our neighbouring booth, Sad Bunny, joined in and brought Jenny along as well. Bryan and Jamie from PPIPPIPRESS (we met during my visit to SGABF) also joined in late after. What began as a few simple introductions snowballed into a spontaneous gathering. By the end of the fair, a whole group of us were having dinner together and hopping between our own mini after parties. Brenda from the KLABF team also kindly connected us with FA-KAE, a duo of emerging artists whose work we will be looking forward to.
Moments like these remind us why events such as KLABF matter. They create space for creative exchange, community building, and unexpected friendships. We’re grateful for everyone who stopped by, said hello, shared their stories, or simply connected with us in any way.
Already looking forward to next year.
Photo taken by Brenda Teh