First dibs: Tim Burton’s fantastical world is now in Kuala Lumpur

Good morning starshine, The World of Tim Burton says hello!

The world-class pop-up museum is here to stay for 4 months from 21 Mar to 30 July 2023 at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. Not only is Kuala Lumpur the 12th stop in this tour, Malaysia is also the first and only country in Southeast Asia to host Tim Burton’s personal collection. 

The World of Tim Burton - Front of the exhibition
The World of Tim Burton - Front of the exhibition

The World of Tim Burton houses art created using a plethora of mediums. Behind the glass frames are torn off pages from his sketchbooks, drawings on hotel notepads, and ideas on coffee stained napkins from restaurants around the world. The latter two reveal the man’s restless imagination and need to express himself in any way possible.

The World of Tim Burton - Paintings and drawings
The World of Tim Burton - Paintings and drawings

Drawings, paintings, storyboards, sculptures, and photographs of the storyteller’s creative process line every wall of the exhibition. You’ll find pieces from his movies and poetry like Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice, and The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, among others. You’ll also get to see the actual puppets used to produce those films.

My personal favourites were the 3 Oompa Loompas and the handwritten letters addressed to actors on set. 

The World of Tim Burton - Puppets and sculptures from the movies
The World of Tim Burton - Puppets and sculptures from the movies

The pop-up museum isn’t structured in the way you think it would be. It’s not a chronological walkthrough of Tim Burton’s life, nor does it have separate rooms for each project he’s worked on. It’s segmented thematically; 10 sections consisting of Influences, Holidays, Carnivalesque, Figurative Works, Misunderstood Outcast, Film Characters, Polaroids, Around the World, Unrealized Projects, and the Artist’s Studio.

This was done deliberately to allow visitors to discover the recurring themes that lace through all of his work— how he revisits characters over and over again, and how the very core of each piece can be found in the others.

Tickets for the exhibition are priced at RM88 for adults, RM68 for children, students, and senior citizens, and RM48 for people with disabilities. Superfans who want unlimited entries can opt for the Season Pass (RM498).

This will be The World of Tim Burton’s final stop in Asia, so do visit while it’s still here. I cannot recommend this exhibition enough for fans of Tim Burton, art enthusiasts, and creatives seeking inspiration. 

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