The Museum of Asian Art (Muzium Seni Asia) is located within University of Malaya, Malaysia’s first and oldest university. The outstanding education-oriented museum is a treasure trove of local and Asia art objects.
This museum which has three floors of exhibition space holds nearly 7,000 treasures, representing cultures from throughout Asia and spanning 4,000 years of Asian history. Featuring 1500 square feet of gallery space, showcases the unique material, aesthetic and intellectual achievement of Asian art and culture including ceramics from Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Iran, textiles from the Malay Archipelago and the sacred masks of Orang Asli communities.
These collections contain rare and exceptional objects that serve as important reference materials for scholarly research in areas such as art history, anthropology, as well as pottery and textile production. Some artifacts have been written about in the form of theses and journal articles while others such as the Mah Meri masks constitute on-going research by local scholars in collaboration with their European counterparts.
Among the most important tasks of the museum is to teach students and visitors about the importance of heritage and culture from the Asian region. Students can conduct their research activities using the various collections available. We also provide workshops on various topics such as porcelain, wood carving and calligraphy. In addition, the museum has at least three programmes on temporary exhibition a year, and such as workshops and art demonstrations.