Cover image via IMMERSIO 2026 (Provided to SAYS)Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.
IMMERSIO 2026 is back this September, and this year's theme might feel very familiar to anyone in Southeast Asia: pasar
From 11 to 27 September, IMMERSIO 2026: PASAR is taking inspiration from everyday sights, sounds, memories, and rituals that many of us have grown up with.
Aunties and uncles calling out prices, handwritten signs everywhere, the smell of food in the air, and trying not to get separated from your grandparents as they make their way through the crowd at the pasar.
More than 100 artists and creative technologists from across Asia will be putting their own unexpected spin on the pasar experience
The festival will take place across GMBB, Muzium Telekom, and REXKL, featuring more than 70 artworks, including digital and interactive installations, projections, visual works, sculptures, performances, and more.
Across Southeast Asia, markets are more than just places to buy groceries.
They're where people catch up, bargain over prices, grab breakfast, exchange gossip, and sometimes just hang around over a cup of kopi.
At IMMERSIO 2026, artists from Malaysia and around the region will take these familiar experiences and look at them from entirely different angles
For example, Indonesia's once-booming batu akik gemstone trade will be transformed into a playable video game.
Meanwhile, memories of Singapore's disappearing wet markets will resurface in a digital world populated by fish-headed vendors.
And closer to home, Malaysia's familiar ikat tepi will become an artwork of its own.
The main exhibition will take over Level 5 of GMBB, featuring approximately 45 artworks by established and emerging artists and collectives
Curated by Koh Kai Ting, the exhibition will invite visitors to wander through different interpretations of pasar, from visual cues and everyday objects to sounds and interactive experiences inspired by Southeast Asia.
According to Filamen co-founder Abdul Shakir, the idea behind this year's theme is to get people to look again at things they may have walked past hundreds of times.
IMMERSIO 2026 won't be limited to just one venue
Over at Muzium Telekom, visitors can check out emerging new media practices, including student works from MMU, UNIMAS, and The One Academy.
Meanwhile, REXKL will host artist sharing sessions and performances during IMMERSIO's final weekend from 25 to 27 September.
There's also a separate family-friendly experience happening at Ombak KLCC, where kids can create their own imaginary dinosaurs and watch them come to life through projection and digital technology.
Tickets for the main exhibition start from RM6
Main Exhibition at GMBB
Dates:
11 – 27 September 2026 (closed on Mondays)
Time:
11am–8pm
Venue:
Level 5, GMBB
Early bird tickets:
RM6 until 2 September
General admission:
RM15
Group ticket (5 pax):
RM55
Multiple entry + exclusive gift:
RM65
Senior citizens, PWDs, and children under 12:
Free
The festival will also have programmes at:
- Muzium Telekom: 11 – 27 September, with free admission
- REXKL: 25 – 27 September, with free artist sharing sessions and ticketed performances
- Ombak KLCC: 27 August – 30 October, featuring a ticketed family-friendly digital experience
IMMERSIO was first launched in 2017 and has since grown into a platform for digital and new media artists in Southeast Asia to experiment, collaborate, and share their work with the public.
Tickets for IMMERSIO 2026: PASAR are available on CloudJoi.
