Penang Hokkien Gets The Gallery Treatment In Sumidik’s Debut Solo Show

Penang illustrator sumidik is putting everyday Hokkien on the gallery wall with MaiKea: ‘Fear Not’, his debut solo exhibition, running from 9 to 31 October 2026 at Masshaus, 147A Lebuh Victoria.

The title is a Hokkien call to courage. The show grew from one fear of his: that fewer young people speak the dialect in daily life, and that a language people use to order drinks, haggle and grumble is quietly slipping away.

For sumidik, Hokkien is not a subject to be taught. It is heard at the kopitiam, where someone orders “kopi-o peng mai liao”, at the morning market, where a shopper cries “wah, tjin kui!”, and at home, where a grandmother mutters “khi si lang!” under her breath.

Idioms Turned Into Pictures

Two bodies of work anchor the exhibition: his Hokkien Calendar illustration series and the Tu Kao series. Each piece sets a local idiom beside its literal English translation, so visitors can read it, get the joke and take it home. The works act as a personal archive of Penang life, built from familiar phrases, shop signs and wordplay rather than museum pieces.

The show also steps outside the gallery frame. An interactive installation rebuilds a public toilet stall, latrine notes and all, and invites visitors to leave their own scribbles on the door. Half joke, half confession, the cubicle wall is where the language stays unedited: blunt, funny and honest.

Visiting MaiKea

MaiKea: ‘Fear Not’ runs from 9 to 31 October 2026. The opening night is at 7pm on 10 October. The gallery is open from 12pm to 6pm on Friday to Sunday, and by appointment from Monday to Thursday.

sumidik works across illustration, painting and objects, using humour to look at how heritage and modern life sit together in Penang. His images draw on the island’s cultures, pop culture and ordinary street scenes.