MaiKea — ‘Fear Not’
A Solo Exhibition by sumidik

The full exhibition catalogue is available here MaiKea Catalog.

Named after the Hokkien call to courage, this debut exhibition presents the work of Penang-based illustrator and artist sumidik.

The exhibition is born out of sumidik’s love for Penang Hokkien, a dialect he fears is fading as fewer people in the younger generation speak it. It is built on the belief that Hokkien is a language you feel more than you learn. You hear it ordering ‘kopi-o peng mai liao’ in kopitiams, haggling at the morning market, ‘wah, tjin kui!’, or when a grandmother mutters ‘khi si lang!’ under her breath.

Through his signature Hokkien Calendar illustration series and Tu Kao series, his works function as a personal memory archive. He captures everyday phrases, familiar local expressions, and wordplay through direct translations that evoke nostalgia.

He ties Penang Hokkien to contemporary art, keeping these expressions alive. Each piece features a local idiom alongside its literal translation: something you can read, laugh at, and carry with you.

The exhibition also invites the audience to contribute via an interactive installation that recreates classic toilet stall latrinalia, letting visitors leave behind their own scribbles. It is a throwback to those door notes, half joke and half confessional. This is where language actually lives when nobody is polishing it: raw, funny, vulgar, and honest.

by Swarna Rajagopal

About the Artist:
sumidik is a Penang-based illustrator and artist whose practice explores everyday life, cultural identity, language, and local narratives through playful, bold, and often humorous imagery. His visual language draws from Penang’s diverse cultural landscape, pop culture, and personal observations, combining quirky characters and familiar symbols with a contemporary graphic sensibility.
Working across illustration, painting, objects, and visual storytelling, sumidik often uses humour to examine social and cultural nuances. His work reflects an interest in the relationship between heritage and contemporary life, creating accessible visual narratives that are rooted in place while remaining open to broader interpretations.